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The long-running WXPN show ‘Kids Corner’ will end in June

After almost 40 years on the air, Kathy O'Connell is hanging up her headphones and heading into retirement when Kids Corner goes off the air this summer.

Kathy O’Connell, host and producer of WXPN's "Kids Corner," announced Thursday that the show is coming to a close. "Kids Corner" has aired for nearly 40 years.
Kathy O’Connell, host and producer of WXPN's "Kids Corner," announced Thursday that the show is coming to a close. "Kids Corner" has aired for nearly 40 years. Read moreTyger Williams / Staff Photographer

Kids Corner, WXPN-FM’s long-running, award-winning radio program for children, is coming to a close. The show’s host, Kathy O’Connell, made the announcement on the XPN Morning Show on Thursday.

“Since January 1988 I have had the best job at the best radio station at the happiest place on earth,” O’Connell said on air. ”But I’m tired ... and I think it’s time to go on to whatever’s next."

The final episode of Kids Corner will be Tuesday, June 23. The station has not yet decided what will replace the show in its evening schedule. O’Connell, 74, will retire when the show ends, but will continue to be a part of the WXPN community.

“After four decades of hosting Kids Corner, one thing is certain. Kathy O’Connell is simply irreplaceable!” WXPN general manager Roger LaMay said in a statement. “We are excited that, even after retirement, she has agreed to remain a strong ambassador at future XPN events and a vital part of the XPN family.”

Before arriving in Philadelphia, O’Connell briefly hosted Kids America, another children’s program, for WNYC in her native New York City.

Kids Corner debuted on Jan. 4, 1988. The live talk radio show for kids aired every Monday through Friday at 7 p.m. Each episode featured a mix of kids’ music, guest interviews, and lively conversations between O’Connell and the Philadelphia-area children who called in to talk to her.

Kids Corner won a Peabody Award in 1990 “for an innovative approach to learning through the use of radio,” and celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2018. In 2024, with on-demand listening on the rise, it launched a 24/7 music livestream and cut the live show to two nights a week. The Kids Corner livestream will continue at kidscorner.org.

Listeners of the program can visit XPN.org to submit their memories into the Kids Corner Treasure Box, to be revealed this June.