TheWordIsOut

The Word Is Out

A weekly LGBT radio show broadcast from CKDU, starting before 19861; there's a 1988 GAEZETTE article about it2

The focus of the show was News and Entertainment. We mostly focused on local, Canadian and world events that had something to do with gay rights or events. We also had quite a lot of cultural content from music to poetry and philosophy.

For a couple of years, they produced a 24 hour Q show for Pride, All Gay All Day. We have audio on that page for the 1994 one.

GAE Minutes, September 1989: "Doug is leaving Word is out, Dan & Brenda will be taking over."

Was planned to be restarted in 2004 by TheWordIsOutAgain, which didn't quite work.

NathanElling writes

I worked mostly in the booth doing technical jobs (like splicing segments), but I think I did two stints at the mike, one was a Christmas show when everyone else was away visiting family for the holidays, and one was when someone was sick. I was also interviewed once about a gay youth conference (which I gave a speech at, it was for, mainly, social workers and psychologists as I recall). I worked mainly with Connie Clarke and Robert Matthews but I believe Brenda Barnes was involved when I was there and probably Dan Hart came on soon after I left.

I do remember that we did an interview with Allen Ginsberg (see his page) when I was there. I believe both Robert and Robin Metcalf were involved. I think we archived that recording but I'm sure it’s in the Dalhousie archives somewhere so I don’t know how easy it would be to get ahold of.

We also definitely made a huge impact on “gay” music, interviewing Bratty and the Babysitters and Romanovsky and Phillips among others I don’t recall now. We also played fully out bands like Bronski Beat and some gay punk rock groups on the show.

We had a community “calendar” segment highlighting events. I think we advertised for Rumours, possibly other clubs and were intimately involved in AIDS education, youth empowerment and community building.3.