On Saturday March 30 ~ don't miss this free family friendly event!
Breakfast With DJ LizE
Saturday, March 30th 8:00 am -10:00 am
Tulane University ~ Berger Family Lawn outside the Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life (off Newcomb Place between Freret and Willow streets)
During the station’s 24-Hour DJ weekend, where veteran DJs selected by station staff each do a live, 24-hour set from the campus quad, the Kid’s Show will broadcast live from the quad with 2 of those 24-hour DJs. In addition to the live broadcast, the station will have breakfast for those stopping by, crafts with DJ LizE, the much beloved bubble machines, a live storytime, and games and prizes for its young listeners. The event is free and open to the public.
WTUL’s KID Show on Saturday mornings might seem like a recent addition to the Saturday morning options for families, but the host, DJ LizE (real name: Liz Elliott), actually just revived a show that has existed in various formats since the late 1980s.
Although WTUL is often known for its alternative, progressive music, variety of specialty shows, and its (mostly) college-age DJs, the Kid’s Show was, from the start, meant to be alternative programming for children.Originally started in December 1987 by the then Jazz Music Director, Jeff Weinstein, the show was created as an alternative to what Weinstein saw as the violent, poor-quality children’s programming available on TV. Called “The Other Side of the Forest,” the show was originally only thirty (30) minutes long and aired on Sunday mornings, and featured a mix of children’s music and stories, with all the storybooks lent by the Maple Street Book Shop.
Fast forward to 2002, and after being dormant for over a decade, WTUL DJ Chris Trochez and General Manager Rachelle Matherne agreed it was time to revive children’s programming on WTUL. “Uncle Chris” (as he was called for the Kid’s Show), featured current children’s music in a two-hour long show on Saturday mornings.Over the years, Trochez maintained connections with childrens’ musicians and even managed to bring in local act the Imagination Movers for a live interview (before they went to Disney and XM).Trochez also began DJing at Zoo-To-Do Kids around this time, and is still known as “the man with all those bubble machines” each year at the Audubon event. But after a decade or so, work and personal life demanded that Trochez retire the Kid’s Show once again.
Then, in December 2015, Liz Elliott, returning from a sabbatical from the station to attend law school, decided it was time to bring the Kid’s Show back. Station administration were enthusiastic as Elliott was not only a long-time WTUL staff member, having previously been everything from Apprentice Director, to Program Director, to interim GM, but was also well-known for her kid-friendly attitude and ability to connect with youngsters. Joking around, many have called her the “child whisperer,” - skills honed over the years while working as a swim instructor at LoveSwimming, decades of babysitting, and as being the oldest of four siblings. Trochez and Elliott had even worked several of those zoo events together.
Initially started over Tulane’s winter break, as a sort of test, the show proved popular enough to keep on the regular schedule. Elliott, without even realizing that the original format of the show included a story time, instituted her own story time each week, with books suggested from local librarians. Given Elliott’s seemingly boundless energy and reputation for always having upbeat shows, the show is promoted as a “Pajama dance party – right in your living room.” Since bringing the show back, Elliott has had a variety of guests – from kid comedians, authors of children’s books, and musicians, including local favorites Johnette Downing and Scott Billington. The popularity of the show has even led to Elliott being asked to DJ at community events focused on children, such as Bricolage Academy’s Bric Fest, and Communities in Schools’ Once Upon a Party. Because of WTUL’s online stream, Liz has found an audience not just in the metro-New Orleans area, but all over the country, who tune in each week for family-friendly music, and a story.
For the first time as part of WTUL’s annual fundraiser, the Rock-On Survival Marathon (in its 49th year) and celebrating WTUL’s 60th Anniversary, WTUL will feature an event specifically for its young listeners:
Breakfast With DJ LizE
Saturday, March 30th 8:00 am -10:00 am
Tulane University ~ Berger Family Lawn outside the Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life (off Newcomb Place between Freret and Willow streets)
The Kid’s Show will broadcast live from the quad. Stop by to enjoy breakfast, crafts with DJ LizE, the much beloved bubble machines, a live storytime, and games and prizes for its young listeners. The event is free and open to the public.
The Kid’s Show can be heard on WTUL New Orleans 91.5FM, or online at wtulneworleans.com every Saturday, 8-10am CST.
