The Kids Corner Media Room

Welcome to the Kids Corner Media Room, a place to hear, see and experience Kids Corner anytime! Visit the rooms above to LISTEN to Kids Corner past and present; to VIEW some great pictures from our resident photographer Spark; and to WATCH videos from just some of the Kids Corner musical family!

Among the many things you can do in the Kids Corner Media Room are:

• enjoy special nuggets of Kids Corner, with our Clip of the Week!
• read a list of all the music we played on recent Kids Corner shows!
• watch some fun videos in the Kids Corner Video Vault!
• explore the Kids Corner Archives!

Kick off your shoes and stay a while!

Listen Live

Kids Corner is on Monday through Thursday nights at 7pm Eastern, and can be heard live worldwide by clicking here.

About Us

What is Kids Corner?

Hosted by Kathy O'Connell and produced by Robert Drake, Kids Corner is a live, interactive radio show for kids that has earned over 23 broadcasting awards including a George Foster Peabody Award and a Major Edwin Armstrong Award for Creative Use of Radio.

Created in January 1988, Kids Corner's primary mission continues to be one that provides a stimulating variety of educational and entertaining programs for kids ages 5-13. The show enables kids to get involved in interactive segments and demonstrate their knowledge, talent and abilities. In addition, it serves as a resource for parents, educators and professionals in kid-related fields.

Kids Corner can be heard Mondays through Thursdays
from 7-8pm ET on:
88.5 WXPN-FM, Philadelphia PA
88.7 WXPN-FM Lancaster/Lebanon, PA
99.7 WXPN-FM Harrisburg, PA
104.9 WXPN-FM, Lehigh Valley, PA
90.5 WKHS-FM, Worton/Baltimore, MD
and live worldwide on the Internet WXPN Listen Live

During the show, you can reach Kids Corner by calling our toll-free number: 1-800-KIDS-XPN

Kids Corner Turns 20!

By Terri Greenberg

Kathy O'Connell says "it seems like only yesterday and yet..." and regular listeners to Kids Corner know the next sounds they will hear are harp strings "turning back the hands of time." Sound those strings and return to the year 1987...

Kathy was hosting a national show called "Kids America" that aired locally on WXPN. Produced by a radio station in New York, it ran until Christmas Eve of that year when, in a Grinchly sort of way, funding was cut and the show was off the air.

Then General Manager Mark Fuerst gave Kathy a three-month tryout period to produce and air the show at XPN. Kathy, now host of the newly named "Kids Corner", was herself unsure and said to friends, "I'll give Philly a year..." Two days after the show's XPN run began, Robert Drake, now producer of Kids Corner, came to volunteer. By April 1988, the show was a "GO," and Kathy settled in to WXPN, Philadelphia, and Kids Corner.

Kathy's first guest was scientist Mike Weilbacher. It was Mike who brought Derrick Pitts to the first session of Science Stump-o-Rama. Mike and Derrick are still on the air with Kathy today, along with Dr. Mindy Cohan, Joe Hilton, Jane Kirkland, and Dr. Lisa Chirlian.

Music, of course, is a big part of Kids Corner. Families in the XPN listening area love musicians such as Trout Fishing in America, John Flynn, Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer, Bubboon's Tunes, Terri Hendrix, and Ernie and Neal. And those musicians love Kathy, Kids Corner, and the fans right back.

Says Keith Grimwood of Trout Fishing in America, "when I was told to carry my string bass up six flights of stairs to do an interview for a kids' show, I had no idea of the treasure waiting for me at the top. Kathy O'Connell is simply THE BEST. She is a wonderful person and a great friend. And Kids Corner rocks!" His partner, Ezra Idlet adds, "it's a common misconception that a children's audience is 'less discerning.' Kathy is acutely aware that nothing could be further from the truth. Her genius is blending the childish and sophisticated into the finest children's/family show on radio. She's a hero and a friend."

Fans line up to meet Kathy at XPN events throughout the area. Frequently now, the kids in the line are with parents who listened to Kathy when THEY were kids. Musician Terri Hendrix talks about making an appearance with Kathy at the Philadelphia Zoo: "I was perched next to Kathy and what I picked up on right away was how genuine and kind Kathy is, treating each little one with respect and warmth. Kathy makes all the people she meets feel like they matter. That's the voice you want speaking to and playing songs for the next generation."

And what songs! There's "Alien in My Nose," by Trout Fishing in America; and "A Manatee Sneezed on Me," by John Flynn; and "Star Trekkin'" by The Firm; and, of course, "The Cheese Song," by Bubboon's Tunes. Bubboon reveals, "when 'The Cheese Song' made its debut on Kids Corner, Kathy wasn't crazy about it. We were inspired to finish our CD for the fans who DID love it. So, no matter how much she tries to deny it, any mayhem unleashed by Bubboon's Tunes on the music loving public is all Kathy's fault."

Such may be one of the rare instances in which Kathy was mistaken, but when it comes to providing fine entertainment for kids and families, the words of the Trout Fishing in America song say it best: "KATHY WAS RIGHT!"

To celebrate this milestone, O'Connell and Drake kicked off their 20th year of kids radio in Philadelphia with the release of the Kids Corner 20th Anniversary Celebration CD. This disc features 21 tracks with such classics as "My Name Is Joe", "The Window", "Teach Me Your Magic", "The Cheese Song" and more. This celebration disc captures the "Kids Corner Sound" and is quite the collectible; a limited number were printed and are available exclusively through XPN Member Services. Details are available through the XPN Member Line at 1-800-565-WXPN or at kidscorner.org/html/annivcd.php

The Kids Corner 20th Anniversary year-long celebration is presented by Chester County Hospitals - and is made possible from their support, as well as the continued support of WXPN members over the past two decades.

Who is Kids Corner?

Kathy O'Connell
Celebrating almost a quarter-century of hosting radio for kids, Kathy O'Connell is a pioneer in the field of modern children's radio. She has served as an advisor on children's media and issues for the University of Pennsylvania, the Annenberg International Children's Theatre Festival, the Staten Island Children's Museum, the City of New York, and more. Musicians, educators, healthcare professionals, and creators of media for children have sought her expertise in children's music and broadcasting.

Robert Drake
Involved in media and public relations since 1982, Robert Drake has been with WXPN since the inception of Kids Corner back in 1988. Prior to joining WXPN, Robert has served as publisher, editor and general manager for two local arts and culture magazines (Au Courant Newsmagazine and Swirl Magazine) and has served on several community arts and culture boards. Besides producing Kids Corner at WXPN, Robert also hosts Land Of The Lost; a monthly Rock of the 80s program - and Q'zine: a queer arts & culture magazine.

TOP

Media Requests

If you're with media and would like hi-res images/logos, or to schedule an interview with Kathy O'Connell, please click here and drop a line - we will be in touch ASAP!

WXPN, the nationally recognized leader in Triple A radio and the premier guide for discovering new and significant artists in rock, blues, roots, and folk, is the non-commercial, member-supported radio service of the University of Pennsylvania. WXPN produces World Cafe, public radio's most popular program of popular music hosted by David Dye and syndicated by NPR, and the Peabody Award winning Kids Corner hosted by Kathy O'Connell. WXPN also produces the alternative rock service, Y-Rock On XPN as its secondary radio channel in HD. WXPN serves the greater Philadelphia area at 88.5 FM, the Lehigh Valley at 104.9, Worton/Baltimore at 90.5 FM, Lancaster/York at 88.7 FM, Harrisburg at 99.7 FM, and the world via online streaming at XPN.org and XPoNentialMusic.org.

TOP

To Submit Music to Kids Corner

To submit music for airplay consideration on Kids Corner, send 2 CDs along with a bio one-sheet to:
Kathy O'Connell
Kids Corner / WXPN-FM
3025 Walnut Street
Philadelphia PA 19104

• Include an email address so we can contact you if we decide to add you to rotation. Feel free to visit our Song Lists to become more familiar with the Kids Corner "sound".
• Please realize that we receive dozens of music submissions per month and will contact you ONLY if we have decided to add your music to rotation on Kids Corner.

TOP

Kids Corner Mission Statement

Kids Corner is a radio program produced by WXPN-FM, of the University of Pennsylvania. Its primary mission is to provide entertaining and educational programming for children. Kids Corner does this by involving kids in interactive segments, designed to educate, as well as to celebrate and respect their experience as youth.

Kids Corner strives to reach kids through a variety of media and serves as a resource for parents, educators, and professionals in child-related fields. Kids Corner is committed to being a safe place for kids, where they can feel comfortable about themselves, while their parents can feel secure about their children's involvement.

We accomplish this mission by:

• Providing a stimulating variety of educational and entertainment experiences appropriate for the six to thirteen-year-old.
• Preparing program content based on principles of learning, input from teachers, parents, children, and other child advocates, and with an understanding of listener attitudes and behaviors.
• Giving kids the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, talent, and abilities in a public way that affirms their ego and supports their own individual uniqueness.
• Providing kids with opportunities to hear and interact with others, broadening their awareness of various social and ethnic groups.
• Creating an atmosphere of fun where kids can enjoy being kids.

Certain values guide Kids Corner programming and interactive style. As a result, at Kids Corner, kids will:

• Be talked to and treated with respect for their intelligence, thoughts, and feelings.
• Hear music free from unwarranted suggestive or violent lyrics.
• Become engaged with compelling topics.
• Be encouraged to express their opinions, talents, and abilities.
• Hear support to seek the guidance of positive adult figures in their lives.
• Always learn something.
• Know that Kids Corner is programmed for them.

Sincerely,
Kathy & Robert

Please feel free to email us if you have any questions!

TOP

Privacy Policy

You and your parents are in charge of your personal identifying information. If you are under 13, you should talk to your parents before providing any personal information online, and decide together whether it is information you want to give.

You should never give your last or family name, your home address or your phone number in chat rooms, on bulletin boards or to online pen pals.

A good resource for families is Kidz Privacy, an online website produced by the FTC to educate parents and children on these privacy issues. Another resource is the FTC Frequently Asked Questions about online privacy here. You can download and print a PDF file on "How To Protect Kids' Privacy Online" here.

Privacy on KidsCorner.org

In almost all activities, the information we collect is non-personal (such as first name and city). If you enter a contest, such as The Big Question, we will also ask for an email address. We only collect enough information to make activities on Kids Corner fun and interesting.

If you submit stories, comments or responses to a Quiz, you will be identified only by first name and city. If you send us an email with a question or comment, or enter one of our contests, we will write back using your email address, but we will not keep the email address or use it again.

We will never share any information with a third party.

As you surf around kidscorner.org, it is possible that several cookies will be set on your computer. Kids Corner uses the information from cookies to remember browser preferences and track the number of visitors coming to our site. No personal information is ever stored in a Kids Corner cookie, even if you have entered your email address and name, on other parts of Kids Corner online.

Kids Corner does not sell information collected by cookies or use the information for commerce-related purposes. As you explore KidsCorner.org, a session cookie will tell us which pages you visit and the amount of time between each page visit. This cookie does not remember any information about you or your computer, it just tells us how long visitors spend on our site and which pages receive the most traffic. A "session cookie" only remembers information about your current visit to the site.

Links to third party sites are insulated with a Kids Corner bridge page. These pages clearly notify the visitor that he or she is leaving Kids Corner, and offers an opportunity to return to Kids Corner. Since we cannot be assured that links to outside sites follow our safety or privacy guidelines, we encourage families to discuss these choices together. We are not responsible for the content or safety and privacy practices at any sites linked from our pages.

If you have any questions or concerns with this policy or any of our services, please send your comments to Children's Privacy Online.

TOP