February 10, 2016
OutQ is Reportedly Out of Business: Sirius XM Axes Gay Channel
READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Michael Musto of OUT is reporting that after nearly 13 years, Sirius OutQ, the first all-LGBT radio station, will be calling it quits after Friday.
"I hear that as of this Friday, the channel is deader than the animals worn by Sir Elton John," wrote the noted gossip and nightlife columnist today.
According to Musto, Sirius XM regular comic Frank DeCaro (who's been busy opening for Lisa Lampanelli on the road) will be ending this 12-year run with the satellite radio company. Morning team Keith Price and Larry Flick will be broken up with Flick moving to Sirius XM's EW channel without the arguably funnier Price. Reportedly, even boy band vet Lance Bass got the heave-ho as well.
In June of 2015, Sirius OutQ management shocked listeners by cancelling the long-running Derek and Romaine show featuring Derek Hartley and Romaine Patterson. Since then, Hartley and Patterson have branched out on their own. They currently air a daily two-hour broadcast from www.derekandromaine.com. Both commented on the news about OutQ on their website today.
"Nothing lasts forever in media, but this loss is hard for me personally. More than just a radio channel, OutQ was a way for people both within and outside the LGBT community to feel connected, be entertained and informed." said Hartley. "While the larger LGBT community is closer every day to full equality in this country, I believe there is still a need for our unique perspectives to be heard and our issues addressed. Even after our show was cancelled, I still hoped the channel could continue for the sake of the listeners, the commuters, the truckers, everyone that depended on it."
"It's a sad day," added Patterson, "We spent more than 12 years building and serving a community. And in that time, what we created was more than a radio audience, it was a family. It's why we have continued to do our show on our own. The listeners demanded it. There is a need out there for this kind of programming, for this level of connection and engagement."
