So that was fun. If you're hearing after hearing me talking with Robbie Schaefer on Kids Place Live, thanks for stopping by. Lots of stuff 'round these parts, feel free to dig in. If you're looking for more info on what we talked about (and listened to) tonight, here are some pointers...
-- First we talked about Scribblemonster and played "The Song of LIFE" from their new album Songs With No Character (review).
-- Then we played the awesome Yo Gabba Gabba track from the Roots, "Lovely, Love My Family".
-- Next up was a brief talk about Randy Kaplan -- we played "No Nothing" from his new album Loquat Rooftop (review).
-- Finally, we wrapped up with a brief talk about the Fids and Kamily Awards, whose 2008 list of the year's best kids and family music will be broadcast this Saturday morning on Spare the Rock.
'Twas lots of fun, and I think I'll be back on soon. Not, like, tomorrow night, but before, say, 2009.
On a related note (especially for you radio programmers out there)...
There is lots of angst out there about the Sirius-XM merger and its impact on the lineup, including the loss of the old Sirius Kids Stuff and the rebranding of "XM Kids" as "Kids Place Live." I am obviously by no means a neutral observer (read the paragraphs above, duh), but I am an XM subscriber and although I got retain my kids stuff station, there were other stations (XMU, POTUS, to name a couple) that were essentially wiped out, at least in terms of the program/music directors. So I understand Sirius subscribers' frustration with KPL.
My one thought is that perhaps everybody should wait a week or two to see how the whole thing shakes out. Complaining that you never hear Laurie Berkner seems a bit harsh given that they seem to have played her quite a bit, both before and after Nov. 12. (Insert whatever other artist you like.) It's been less than 48 hours and trying to figure out how they're gonna recalibrate their programs seems premature.
Oh, and everybody take a deep breath. Am I disappointed that some of my stations appear wiped out? Sure. Might I unsubscribe in the future? I suppose that's a possibility, albeit distant. It just seems that people are getting a little too worked up about the whole affair. Complain, sure, unsubscribe if you have to, but let's have a little perspective. You (and your kids) will survive.
Now, for those of you reading who are radio programmers... what's the worst complaint you've ever received for something you've done or played on the air?