Shevonne Hunt Kinderling Conversation Interview

Shevonne Hunt Kinderling Conversation Interview

This week Australia welcomes Kinderling Kids Radio into the world of digital and online radio. The first G-rated national kids radio station, Kinderling is broadcasting live on DAB+ (found by searching -kids' on the dial) and from www.kinderling.com.au. Kinderling Kids Radio offers a progressive mix of music, stories and imagination for children aged zero to six.

From the Wiggles to The White Stripes, Vegetable Plot to Village People, Danny Kaye to Daft Punk and Justine Clarke to Johnny Cash, Kinderling Kids Radio is redefining music for kids and creating shared family moments for the music lover in the child, and the child in the music lover.

Based on qualitative and quantitative research, Kinderling Kids Radio's programs are tailored to the rhythms and routine of an Australian household with young kids, and are designed to be a companion for a family as it moves through the day.

Lisa Barbagallo, Content Director at Kinderling Kids Radio, comments, 'Kinderling Kids Radio offers music, stories, and imagination for babies, toddlers, school kids and their grown-ups. We're a trusted and playful companion to your family's daily – and nightly - routine. Programs like -Start Your Engines' help your family hop out of bed, have breakfast and get out the door. Throughout the morning Kinderling creates moments to dance and play together. At midday while you're doing life admin during rest time, Kinderling Conversation is there to keep you company and connect you to other parents. Settle Petal is for late afternoon calmness, when everyone needs a bit of soothing to get through dinner and into bed. Sleepy Soundtrack keeps everyone cozy and peaceful throughout the night".

Parents can tune in during naptime for judgment free, authoritative advice with -Kinderling Conversation', a daily 60 minute parenting program hosted by Shevonne Hunt. Delving into a broad spectrum of topics ranging from nutritional advice and developmental milestones to trending news in the -mummy blogosphere', -Kinderling Conversation' is an informative and relatable program designed to connect parents to reliable information, new ideas and most importantly, to each other.

Kinderling Conversation Presenter, Shevonne Hunt, says, 'Parents can often be overwhelmed with an abundance of conflicting information. Our Baby Helpline segment every Monday with esteemed mothercraft expert Christine Minogue will help cut through this clutter to offer insightful and authoritative guidance in a comforting, relaxed format."

Weekend programming will further hone in on family time, with programs such as 'We are Family", -Kids in the Kitchen' hosted by DJ and restaurateur Andrew Levins, -Digital Disco' (with special DJ guest mixes), and -Regression Session', where Barry Divola invites special guests to share their personal childhood music memories.

Kinderling Kids Radio is proud to partner with Australia's leading parenting brands, including CHILD magazines, Kidspot.com.au and CBeebies. During the Kinderling Conversation, listeners can hear experts and contributors from CHILD and Kidspot.com.au and share in the conversations amongst those communities. Kinderling Kids Radio is proud to broadcast special audio episodes of Hey Duggee and Sarah and Duck from BBC's pre-school channel CBeebies. This gives kids the opportunity to have fun with their favourite TV characters via the radio, starting with Sarah & Duck each night from 6pm.

Kinderling is 100% Australian owned and broadcasts online from kinderling.com.au and across the country on DAB+ through its partnership with Southern Cross Austereo.

Interview with Shevonne Hunt

Question: Why do you believe there is a need for a G-rated national Kids radio station?

Shevonne Hunt: As a parent it's nice to have a non-screen option, instead of turning on the TV I can leave the radio on without worrying that something inappropriate will come on. And the music is pitched at both kids and adults so there's this incredible mix of fun songs that both myself and my kids can enjoy together, just this morning at around 6am we were singing 'I'm a Little Teapot" with the actions thrown in, but any other time of the day you can find us dancing in the lounge room to Pharrell Williams or Emiliana Torrini… it's a lovely way to connect.

Question: What is Kinderling Conversation?

Shevonne Hunt: Kinderling Conversation is an hour of talk radio that's aimed at parents and carers of small children. It's on at 12pm, with the idea that little kids might be asleep, and it's a chance for the adults in the house to have a cuppa and listen to stories that interest them. Our aim is to make parenting a bit easier, more fun, and for people to feel connected with other parents, so the stories you'll hear are everything from how to choose the right pram with Kate Browne from Choice, to understanding how children's brains develop, to easy and fun things to do inside on a rainy day.


Question: Can you talk about the response Kinderling Conversation has had, so far?

Shevonne Hunt: It's still early days, but we're finding people are getting a lot out of our Baby Helpline segment with Mothercraft nurse Chris Minogue. Every Monday she comes into the studio and people can call in and ask questions. The first year of a baby's life is filled with so much change, and it doesn't matter if it's your first, second or third child, each baby is different, so there are always questions on how to help them. Mainly with sleeping, that's a big one for most parents, but Chris has had so much experience she can give advice on any situation. I'm yet to see her stumped!


Question: What's it like working with Christine Minogue, on a Monday?

Shevonne Hunt: I knew Chris before I started working at Kinderling. I had her come around to help us with my daughter when she was about 10 months old. She's such a sure, safe pair of hands. She helps cut through all the worry and conflicting advice and gives clear, easy-to-follow information. So I just sit back and let her help whoever calls. It's very satisfying.


Question: What type of music do you play during Kinderling Conversation or is it 60 minutes of talking?

Shevonne Hunt: We love playing music in between some of our interviews, music that lifts the mood and can be enjoyed by everyone. We play everything from Architecture in Helsinki and Jamiroquai to Ratcat and Michael Jackson.


Question: What advice should parents expect from Kinderling Conversation?
Shevonne Hunt: There is so much advice on how to be a good parent these days… our goal is to make sure that the topics we talk about are well researched, entertaining and most importantly helpful. Denielle Jans from the Benevolent Society is a regular contributor and she puts it best when she says that if parents are doing well 50% of the time they are doing an awesome job. So, our advice will be helpful but not judgemental or preachy.


Question: When should parents tune into Kinderling Conversation?

Shevonne Hunt: 12pm Monday to Friday on DAB+ or online at www.kinerling.com.au or anytime via our website (where all the shows are podcast)


Question: What's your favourite part of Kinderling Conversation?

Shevonne Hunt: At this stage, it's probably My Story where we speak to interesting people who also happen to be parents, and get their take on life and family. Though what I love about the show generally is being able to cover topics that connect with parents. A lot of that's informed by my own experiences with my own children, but also with friends who have kids. My best friend's son was recently diagnosed with autism, watching what she went through inspired me to do a series on autism, and I'd like to think that talking about autism and that experience might help parents going through the same thing.


Question: What are your hopes from the Kinderling Conversation segment?

Shevonne Hunt: My hope for Kinderling Conversation is that the conversation itself expands out beyond myself and the experts that I'm speaking to. I'm looking forward to hearing from other parents about their own experiences. I'm a total believer in the saying 'it takes a village to raise a child" and we'd like to create that kind of village on air. Radio is a very intimate medium that can make people feel connected even when they feel very alone. I'd like Kinderling Conversation to connect parents across Australia, in a way that will be helpful to everybody who listens.


Interview by Brooke Hunter