LesBiGay Radio was a

radio show A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production, or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode. Radio netw ...

catering to the

LGBT LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...

population of

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. A contraction of

lesbian A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexu ...

bisexual Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, or the attraction t ...

, and

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

, the radio program was founded in June 1994 by Alan Amberg, and broadcast until April 2001, just shy of its 7th anniversary. It was America's only daily show for the

LGBT community The LGBTQ community (also known as the LGBT, LGBT+, LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA, LGBTQIA+, or queer community) comprises LGBTQ people, LGBTQ individuals united by LGBTQ culture, a common culture and LGBTQ movements, social movements. These Community, comm ...

, with 520 hours broadcast a year. The show was inducted into the

Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame The Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame (formerly Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame) is an institution founded in 1991 to honor persons and entities who have made significant contributions to the quality of life or well-being of the LGBT community in Ch ...

in 1998.

History

LesBiGay Radio was first announced to the public in the Chicago Tribune on May 22, 1994. It first aired in June, 1994 on WCBR, broadcasting primarily to North Side due to the local gay population mostly being in that region. It was founded in response to a lack of radio shows that appealed to the broad Chicago LGBTQ+ community. It billed itself as being for “gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgenders and the people who love us." The show moved to WNDZ to get a morning commute slot. Following this, it gained an evening slot for those commuting back home, with North Side listeners tuning in on WSBC and South Side listeners tuning in on WCFJ. In March 1996, the show became the first openly gay business to post billboards. It placed them in six locations across North Side to advertise the show. It also posted advertisements on radio and television and sponsored various community events, and hosted a toll-free phone line. The show only began to break even in 1997, getting its start with a $100,000 inheritance from the late gay activist Jerry Cohen. It derived much of its income from advertisements and event tickets. It was able to afford five full-time staff. The radio show had its final show on April 27, 2001, just before its 7th anniversary. It was purchased by the Windy City Media Group, evolving into Windy City Radio Sunday nights on WCKG. This then became the Windy City Queercast in 2006, hosted by Matheny, Billings, among others. This show lasted until May, 2015.

Programming

The show was hosted by its founder, Alan Amberg, as well as Amy Matheny, David Cottrell, Mary Morten, Rick Karlin, and Alexandra Billings. The show started with a two-hour time slot but according to the Chicago Tribune, it eventually evolved into a three-hour time slot each weekday morning. The show had songs that were followed by announcements of which openly gay artists, producers, or even audio engineers were working on it. It interviewed local community members, such as those in the Northwestern University gay student group. The show discussed LGBTQ+ news, upcoming events, healthcare issues, unique websites, volunteer opportunities, and talk show segments on parenting and dating. According to the Washington Post, the show was sponsored by

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Citibank Citibank, N.A. ("N. A." stands for "National bank (United States), National Association"; stylized as citibank) is the primary U.S. banking subsidiary of Citigroup, a financial services multinational corporation, multinational corporation. Ci ...

, and

Budweiser Budweiser () is an American-style pale lager, a brand of Belgian company AB InBev. Introduced in 1876 by Carl Conrad & Co. of St. Louis, Missouri, Budweiser has become a large selling beer company in the United States. Budweiser is a filte ...

. The program's final show consisted of tributes to the staff, with callers reporting on how the show has affected them. The show reportedly had over 10,000 visitors to its website.

Reception

The show was widely received among Chicago's LGBTQ+ community, featuring members of the local community. Representatives for the radio show often appeared at local events, to positive reception. Additionally, listeners were reported across 35 Chicago zip codes and at least three total states. It was inducted into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame in 1998. The show won multiple awards, including the 1999 GLAAD Media Award in Radio as well as the 1999 Chicago Washington Award/Human Relations. It won an Honorable Mention for the 1999 Chicago AIR Award and was nominated for the 2000 GLAAD Media Award in Radio and for an award from the Gay/Lesbian Music Awards.

References

{{Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame Chicago radio shows LGBTQ-related mass media in Chicago LGBTQ history in Chicago 1994 radio programme debuts 2001 radio programme endings 1994 establishments in Illinois 2001 disestablishments in Illinois 1990s American radio programs 2000s American radio programs LGBTQ-related radio programs