Brett Singer

Your kids have their favorite music, TV programs and video games. But how about a favorite radio station? These days, program managers target drivers. In non-car-cultures like NYC, most families are unaware that radio still broadcasts shows for young listeners. Which means they’re missing out on free home (and mobile) entertainment that stirs more imagination than the boob tube. Recently, my sons, ages four and eight, and I sampled three programs plus a national competitor: Sirius’ Kids Place Live. The Imagination ParadeFor 24 years, Paul Butler has been broadcasting this Sunday morning kids’ show from New Jersey’s Fairleigh Dickinson University. His program has an endearing homegrown style, and Butler often invites his grandchildren (ages six and eight) to introduce tunes or belt out familiar melodies. The playlist overflows with “different rhythms and different types of songs,” my elder son volunteered. The danceable “I Like to Move It, Move It” (from the movie Madagascar) preceded Alvin and the Chipmunks’ rousing “We Are the Worms” (a spoof of the 1985 USA for Africa song “We Are the World”). The juvenile jokes resonated with my elementary-school-aged son but flew over my four-year-old’s head. Sundays 9--10am. Listen now: WFDU-FM 89.1. Ages 4 to 12. All-Ages ShowDJ Patrick O’Shea, who goes by “Paddy” on the airwaves, kicked off the show with an animated chat with his squeaky-voiced sidekick, “Eddap,” about parades. (The odd name is a hint to this mystery creature’s true id