NotLostJustWandering
Jul 5, 2011, 7:08 PM
An Open Letter to SiriusXM OutQ Radio
PMB 193
13061 Rosedale Highway, Suite G
Bakersfield, California 93314
...
To:
Mr. Dave Gorab, Director of Talk Programming
Mr. Jeremy Coleman, Senior Vice President, Talk and Entertainment Programming
Sirius XM Radio Inc.
1221 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020-1001
5th July 2011
Mr. Gorab and Mr. Coleman:
How are you? I are fine. At least as close to fine as one is able to be after over a year of attempts to contact the two of you without any acknowledgment, let alone return of phone calls. Since May 2010 for Dave and the following month for Jeremy, as I recall. 212-584-5235 for Dave and 212-584-5100 for the SiriusXM general switchboard, right?
Anyway, as a subscriber to Sirius since 2003, a broadcaster of 40 years’ career span and a Bisexual man, it is particularly troubling to note that, since I began listening to SiriusXM OutQ, it identifies itself at the top of each hour as “America’s LGBT Radio Station” – but every single program host I’ve ever heard on the station has either been a gay man or lesbian. No Bisexual men or women, nor any Transsexual program hosts either. The closest to any that I can determine was one Bisexual woman who was a producer for Larry Flick’s program that Larry would occasionally converse with while the mic was open between records, and she left the program at least a year ago. Rather strange that Playboy Radio has employed more Bisexuals for its air staff than OutQ has ever hired, isn’t it? I’d imagine it’s kinda tricky to be “America’s LGBT Radio Station” without B or T representation on the air. Or should another adjective be used in place of “tricky”?
Additionally, although claiming to be “America’s LGBT Radio Station,” there are no OutQ programs that originate from outside New York City. Doria Biddle, a featured contributor to Frank DeCaro’s program, may be based in Los Angeles, but Frank, whose program it is, is in New York. In its first years, at least one of OutQ’s programs, “Harrison on the Edge,” originated entirely from Los Angeles. Other SiriusXM channels have programs originating from outside New York (Fred Imus from Arizona, Mojo Nixon from California, “The Grand Ole Opry” from Tennessee), and Playboy Radio originates its entire program schedule from Los Angeles. SiriusXM even has a permanent studio in Los Angeles that Doria Biddle has stated on OutQ is “badly underused” throughout most of the day.
To add to all this, while OutQ’s schedule of 2003 had live programming 24 hours each weekday, the current schedule is only 16 hours of live and 8 of repeats every weekday. One program, Larry Flick’s, is aired in a time frame where it reaches the West Coast when its potential audience is mostly asleep, 3:00 to 6:00 A.M. Pacific Time. The repeats begin at 7:00 P.M. Pacific Time, when there is still a substantial West Coast audience available.
Sorry, gentlemen, but this set of circumstances is just not acceptable on any of these counts. And it is necessary to begin rectifying immediately.
What I insist upon is:
(a) OutQ begin to air a weeknight program, from 7:00 to 10:00 P.M. Pacific Time, that I will be the primary host of, originating from SiriusXM’s Los Angeles studio.
(b) OutQ begin to air a weeknight program, from 10:00 P.M. to 1:00 A.M. Pacific Time, on which a Transgendered person will be the primary host, preferably (but not necessarily) originating from SiriusXM’s Los Angeles studio.
(c) OutQ will produce and air these programs for no less than eight years, the time frame that I personally know, from my own experience, that OutQ has thus far not had any Bisexual or Transgendered program hosts on a regular basis.
My resume is attached to the physical copies of this letter; as you are able to see, I have much more than enough experience to host such a program. In addition, it should be noted that I am physically disabled due to spinal disease (which has not affected my broadcasting skills); consequently, upon SiriusXM’s hiring me, it will qualify for a nice tax break. You’ll agree, that always comes in handy.
My email is baronofarizona@gmail.com, and my telephone number is 909-999-KING (5464). Either one is available for further discussion of this proposal.
I thank you for your time.
Most sincerely,
King Daevid MacKenzie
PMB 193
13061 Rosedale Highway, Suite G
Bakersfield, California 93314
...
To:
Mr. Dave Gorab, Director of Talk Programming
Mr. Jeremy Coleman, Senior Vice President, Talk and Entertainment Programming
Sirius XM Radio Inc.
1221 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020-1001
5th July 2011
Mr. Gorab and Mr. Coleman:
How are you? I are fine. At least as close to fine as one is able to be after over a year of attempts to contact the two of you without any acknowledgment, let alone return of phone calls. Since May 2010 for Dave and the following month for Jeremy, as I recall. 212-584-5235 for Dave and 212-584-5100 for the SiriusXM general switchboard, right?
Anyway, as a subscriber to Sirius since 2003, a broadcaster of 40 years’ career span and a Bisexual man, it is particularly troubling to note that, since I began listening to SiriusXM OutQ, it identifies itself at the top of each hour as “America’s LGBT Radio Station” – but every single program host I’ve ever heard on the station has either been a gay man or lesbian. No Bisexual men or women, nor any Transsexual program hosts either. The closest to any that I can determine was one Bisexual woman who was a producer for Larry Flick’s program that Larry would occasionally converse with while the mic was open between records, and she left the program at least a year ago. Rather strange that Playboy Radio has employed more Bisexuals for its air staff than OutQ has ever hired, isn’t it? I’d imagine it’s kinda tricky to be “America’s LGBT Radio Station” without B or T representation on the air. Or should another adjective be used in place of “tricky”?
Additionally, although claiming to be “America’s LGBT Radio Station,” there are no OutQ programs that originate from outside New York City. Doria Biddle, a featured contributor to Frank DeCaro’s program, may be based in Los Angeles, but Frank, whose program it is, is in New York. In its first years, at least one of OutQ’s programs, “Harrison on the Edge,” originated entirely from Los Angeles. Other SiriusXM channels have programs originating from outside New York (Fred Imus from Arizona, Mojo Nixon from California, “The Grand Ole Opry” from Tennessee), and Playboy Radio originates its entire program schedule from Los Angeles. SiriusXM even has a permanent studio in Los Angeles that Doria Biddle has stated on OutQ is “badly underused” throughout most of the day.
To add to all this, while OutQ’s schedule of 2003 had live programming 24 hours each weekday, the current schedule is only 16 hours of live and 8 of repeats every weekday. One program, Larry Flick’s, is aired in a time frame where it reaches the West Coast when its potential audience is mostly asleep, 3:00 to 6:00 A.M. Pacific Time. The repeats begin at 7:00 P.M. Pacific Time, when there is still a substantial West Coast audience available.
Sorry, gentlemen, but this set of circumstances is just not acceptable on any of these counts. And it is necessary to begin rectifying immediately.
What I insist upon is:
(a) OutQ begin to air a weeknight program, from 7:00 to 10:00 P.M. Pacific Time, that I will be the primary host of, originating from SiriusXM’s Los Angeles studio.
(b) OutQ begin to air a weeknight program, from 10:00 P.M. to 1:00 A.M. Pacific Time, on which a Transgendered person will be the primary host, preferably (but not necessarily) originating from SiriusXM’s Los Angeles studio.
(c) OutQ will produce and air these programs for no less than eight years, the time frame that I personally know, from my own experience, that OutQ has thus far not had any Bisexual or Transgendered program hosts on a regular basis.
My resume is attached to the physical copies of this letter; as you are able to see, I have much more than enough experience to host such a program. In addition, it should be noted that I am physically disabled due to spinal disease (which has not affected my broadcasting skills); consequently, upon SiriusXM’s hiring me, it will qualify for a nice tax break. You’ll agree, that always comes in handy.
My email is baronofarizona@gmail.com, and my telephone number is 909-999-KING (5464). Either one is available for further discussion of this proposal.
I thank you for your time.
Most sincerely,
King Daevid MacKenzie