Mickey's Am Network Finds Kids Are All Ears

So you're Disney. And you practically own the entertainment world, especially youth-oriented enterprises. But there's one medium you haven't quite conquered: radio. When you set out to take that by storm, being Disney with your bazillions and all, you would provide the programming, syndicate it to powerhouse FM stations, sit back and stuff all the money in your big Mickey Mouse safe.

But that's exactly what Disney didn't do.

When it launched Radio Disney - the snappy network for the under-12 crowd - 2 1/2 years ago, it set its sights on AM radio. Disney didn't sell the programming, it bought the stations.

"With such inflated prices for FM stations, they felt they would get a better value with AM stations," said Bill Scull, general manager of WWMK-AM (1260), Cleveland's Disney-owned station.

The company now owns AM stations in 14 of the top 20 markets, including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, and, with affiliates, is in a total of 41 markets. Its audience is 2- to 11-year-olds, although the core group is between 6 and 11. Programming is decidedly not tiny-tune sing-alongs.

It is a quirky mix of Top 40 (Backstreet Boys, 'N Sync), oldies (Little Eva, Aretha Franklin), TV themes, movie soundtracks and what you might call Stadium Standards. Songs such as "Y.M.C.A." by the Village People, or Steam's "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" fill this category.

Kids wake up to Don and Susan on the "Wakey Wakey Eggs and Bakey" show. The late-afternoon, early evening slot is shared by Just Plain Mark and Zippy. Most of the shows originate from the Radio Disney studios in Dallas, although Mark and Zippy do their shtick from Disneyland in California, while B.B. Good (who dresses like a bee) hosts the midday "Mickey and Minnie's Tune Time" - aimed at preschoolers - from Disneyworld in Florida.

The format is extremely interactive, with loads of call-ins, contests, quizzes, gimmicks and giveaways. A kid's voice appears on-air at least every 10 minutes. The other twist is that it's live across the country; programming is not chopped up for different time zones.

A generation ago, WWMK was the popular WIXY. More recently, it was WMIH (Mary's Immaculate Hope), a Catholic station. A year ago, Disney roared into town and changed the call letters in an attempt to have something "Mickey"-sounding. The Disney station in San Francisco is KMKY; Dallas has KMKI. In L.A., it's KDIS.

These are stations parents can trust, according to Melissa Gorup, Radio Disney's public-relations manager in Burbank, Calif. "Disney heavily, heavily screens everything," she said. "You don't have to worry about lyrics; there is no sexual-erotic content. And the DJs are not going to say anything offensive."

Some groups, such as BWitched, have even remixed songs for Radio Disney, or changed a few words, to make them kid-friendly.

Of course, Disney is not a benevolent soundtrack for America's youth.

"Disney's ultimate target audience is parents, in particular Mom," said Scull. "She's the one who is going to buy the groceries, the clothes, the shoes, decide which doctor they're going to go to."

That is why they try desperately not to chase parents away.

"Because 48 percent of our listening is in the car," said Gorup, "we didn't want the parent to be like, `Eeecchh, turn that off, I can't stand it!' That's why we play oldies. Parents also like the `ABC News for Kids Notebook,' and `ESPN Sports for Kids.' "

"We're building a whole new audience," Gorup said. "An audience that will eventually grow away from us. But they may come back to us. As parents."