Sirius targets gay auds

Service hits airwaves April 21

By DAVID BLOOM

HOLLYWOOD -- Sirius Satellite Radio has launched OutQ, a channel on its satcasting service devoted to gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders, in what the company said was a broadcasting first.

The channel will carry news, information and entertainment targeting the gay community, which the company estimated is about 15 million U.S. residents.

The announcement was made Tuesday in concert with Joan Garry, exec director of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, and gay playwright-actor Harvey Fierstein, but the service actually hit the air Monday, Sirius said.

"I can't tell you how boring it is to turn on the radio, day after day, and hear nothing but straight folk," Fierstein said. "Heterosexuals are nice people, but they're not all that interesting. To me, adding OutQ to the broadcasting world is like upgrading from black-and-white to living color."

Personalities on tap

The service will feature a number of high-profile personalities in the gay and lesbian community, including Natalie Davis, Wayne Besen, Cary Harrison, Angelique Perrin, Romaine Patterson, Derek Hartley and Tim Curran.

Sirius is one of two satellite radio companies offering a range of music and other material on a subscription basis. It launched last summer and, with about 30,000 subs, trails competitor XM about 12-to-1.