How about a website with 300,000 hits a day? Does that make Kos green? or 225,000 call-ins from subteens? Radio Disney, out of Dallas, is the hottest thing on the gradeschool drive time dial, with some 6 million listeners. This is what our kids are growing up on, and it is a great niche market. This is huge for the satellite radio channels. They are moving a lot of Oscar Meyer baloney. If you think you can stomach it, go to the Radio Disney site and have a great time. Dallas Morning News has the story (edited)
BELOW THE JUMP:
According to the latest ratings, 6.6 million listeners tune in weekly - half kids age 6 to 14, half adults chauffeuring children to school, sports and shopping.
After nine years on the airwaves, Radio Disney reaches 97 percent of the United States via Music Choice, a digital cable and satellite TV provider; XM and Sirius satellite radio; and more than 50 radio stations...
The secret, says Ms. Jones, is to play hot music that kids clamor to hear and moms also enjoy without a hint of sexual innuendo, violence or profanity.
Each day, 225,000 kids from around the nation call in to request songs, win prizes, play games or talk to the DJs. Most of them don't get through to the live studio, but they can still leave requests on the computer system.
The highly interactive www. radiodisney.com targets tweens - kids too old for Barney and too young for U2 - and draws more than 300,000 daily visitors.
Advertisers are primarily interested in reaching the moms. Even companies hawking toys and videos know she holds the purse strings and has veto power over this age bracket.
Premium ad rates kick in during the after-school drive time of 3 to 7 p.m. Dallas time. That's when there's the greatest opportunity to encourage instant gratification - particularly if you're McDonald's, one of the major advertisers.
Radio Disney, Oscar Mayer Lunchables and RealNetworks Inc. recently offered a free music download promo targeted at families. The response exceeded all expectations.
What would we like these children to be listening to? They are obviously not ready for Air America Radio. There are some good things on this network: emphasis on health, exercise, doing things as a family. The music is obviously censored; I don't have a big problem with that. Freedom comes soon enough. And I don't see anything in the way of overt political or religious propaganda. They are mostly interested in selling products.
The important thing here, it seems to me, is the idea of marketing to moms (okay, some dads also), which is what they are really doing. Since liberal values are really family values, this might be a great market for Dems to utilize. Some common sense spots about militarism, for example, might really resonate with moms who arent interested in having their sons get killed to satisfy Bushco/Halliburton bloodlust. Protection of the environment...health care...seniors...education...These are the people we should be marketing to...they may actually listen.
In Dallas, Disney is on KMKI AM 620. You can find your local station at the Radio Disney site. I know you will all dive in. "oh, I wish I were an Oscar Meyer Weiner..."