Bus muzak ‘creeps out’ kids

The Daily News (Nanaimo) Thu 27 Mar 2008 Source: Canwest News Service

U.S. school bus lines are replacing the noisy banter of children on the morning ride to school with BusRadio – a new service that reaches one
million listeners on 10,000 buses in 24 states.

The company provides buses with a free GPS system, a 911 service and three streams of age-appropriate content for elementary, junior high and high
school students, including DJ banter and commercial advertisements.

Bus drivers love the calming effect tracks from Hannah Montana have on their tiny charges.

But a few students are, well, creeped out by the idea.

The service was just recently introduced to students in Milford, Conn. "I hate it," says Donald Dezenzo, an eighth-grade student in an interview with
the Stamford Advocate.

"They play weird music. I get bugged out," he said..

"You walk down the bus and there's music playing. I'm not used to it. There's no need for it."

Note:    BusRadio is just another version of Channel One and YNN. Please let researcher Paul O'Donnell know [podonnell@cupe.ca] if you here of the company making inroads in Canada.

Paul O'Donnell  is Senior Research Officer at the Canadian Union of Public Employees in Ottawa.