PRNewswire - October 28, 2002

CHICAGO, Oct. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Once relegated to local community newspapers, during the past decade, gay-themed programming and media have grown exponentially to now reach more than 40 million Americans -- gay and straight alike -- via programs such as NBC's "Will & Grace", Showtime's "Queer as Folk", Bravo's "Gay Weddings", the Internet's PlanetOut.com, movie's such as "Object of My Affection" staring Jennifer Aniston and -- the soon to be launched -- "PrideVision" Gay Cable Network. Now, Life OUTside, the first nationally syndicated, commercial, radio-newsmagazine for, by, and about the GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender) Community, joins the growing trend of programming to gay audiences currently being embraced with gusto by national mainstream media.

Life OUTside, airing in 40 markets on 70 radio stations across the country and on the Internet at http://www.lifeoutside.org , grabs 1.5 million listeners per show. With an all-gay on-air staff, the program brings in a mix of listeners through entertainment, news, politics, music, social topics and healthcare from a GLBT point of view. "Just being a gay radio program today isn't unique.

It's the up-to-date, in-depth, quality news, features, entertainment and talk presented by us, about us, that discuss real life issues that makes us different," says Chris DeChant, the show's creator, host and executive producer.

Life OUTside addresses many issues important to the GLBT Community, estimated to be 11 - 23 million people. But, the show's producers say its already attracting straight listeners as well -- friends, parents, children and colleagues of GLBT individuals -- with news and features providing insights into GLBT life. Senior producer Faren D'Abell says "OUTside is different because it focuses on domestic topics that impact our lives right now. Listeners in cities and rural areas alike will hear news and entertainment of relevance to them on every show."

Life OUTside gives listeners the scoop on the latest information from Hollywood to Healthcare. Ed Yohnka from the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) revealed in a recent interview that while many states don't prosecute for criminal HIV transmission, more and more states such as South Dakota are getting laws on the books to prosecute those they consider to be offenders; Bravo's Senior Vice President of Programming reveals Bravo will air a GayTV Marathon to compete with Superbowl Sunday 2003; and comedian Margaret Cho reveals that she's thinking about having a baby.

According to a Syracuse University/OpusComm Group/GSociety Study, "Gay and lesbian respondents enjoy the same kinds of entertainment/news publications as the general public, but they also demand gay-oriented magazines, TV shows and websites."

Life OUTside hosts include openly HIV-positive reporter and founder of AWARE Talk Radio, Chris DeChant, radio personality and actress Amy Matheny, and former NPR affiliate news anchor, Faren D'Abell. Additionally, the program provides guest segments such as Gregg Shapiro's "SoundAdvice" and "Travel Sphere Updates" from Genre Magazine.

Life OUTside, producing 26 editions a year, airs nationwide on 70 affiliates of sister program AWARE Talk Radio and webcasts at http://www.lifeoutside.org . Celebrity guests, such as actress Sharon Gless from Showtime's "Queer as Folk," Cyndi Lauper, Vanessa Williams, Congressman Barney Frank, Patti LaBelle and the Indigo Girls, to name a few, have and will join Life OUTside's hosts to discuss intriguing topics such as The New Gay Media, featuring interviews with Genre Magazine Founder Richard Settles and the National Lesbian Gay Journalists Association's Director Pam Strother. Year 2002 topics include:

-- Culture of Desire - Circuit Parties & The Gay Community

-- America's Overlooked Tragedy: Gay Teen Suicide

-- A Consumer's Guide to HIV Testing

-- GLBT Civil Rights: The Battle Goes On

-- 20 Years Later: A Look at AIDS in America

-- Out in the Field: Queer Sports

-- 40 & Gay: What's a Boy to Do?

-- Civil Lawsuits & Criminal Prosecutions: The New Face of HIV Transmission

-- State of the Unions: GLBT Marriage Update

-- The Soul Beneath the Skin: Gay Men Beyond the Surface

-- GLBT Celebrity Interviews: From the Sublime to the Weird & Wonderful

-- Telling Your Family You're Gay

-- Queer Cinema: Gay Characters in Mainstream Film

For extra excitement, Life OUTside teamed up with American Airlines and Cormorant Beachclub of St. Croix to give away prizes like American Airlines tickets and a complete trip for two to the Virgin Islands. Participants of the "Turn Your Queer" contest enter online at http://www.lifeoutside.org/events for regular email updates on when to listen to the broadcast. To win, contestants enter a secret password revealed only online and during on-air broadcasts of Life OUTside. American Airlines tickets were awarded Oct. 6. DVD baskets will be awarded Nov. 10 and a trip for two to St. Croix with airfare and luxury accommodations Dec. 1.

With an impressive list of corporate advertisers, such as Walgreens Pharmacies, Agouron/Pfizer, Bristol-Myers Squibb Virology, GlaxoSmithKline and Excedrin for Migraine, and a national contest underway, Life OUTside is proving that the GLBT market is hungry for information their way.

The HIV Talk Radio Project (HTRP), a non-profit health communications agency, produces Life OUTside. HTRP produces AWARE Talk Radio, aired in 97 cities since 1992, and also produces and distributes Radio New Releases; Health Education CDs/Videos; and TV Specials. For information about The HIV Talk Radio Project, Life OUTside, AWARE Talk Radio or awaretalkradio.org, call 312-541-8255 or send an email to media@awaretalkradio.org .

SOURCE Life OUTside

Web Site: http://www.lifeoutside.org

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