Radio with a twist
Encyclopedia
Radio with a Twist is the first and only nationally syndicated gay-friendly radio show on the FM dial. Debuting in January 2006, Twist was billed as a show specifically aimed at the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT
) audience and promised to be "radio with a twist." Airing on 16 Pop and Adult Contemporary radio stations nationwide, the hosts also make it a point to include the "straight" listener every week.
. The show's production also takes place there.
New York - Ben Harvey
. Harvey is best known for being the evening jock on 92.3 K-Rock WXRK in New York City. He has also worked for Y100 WPLY
in Philadelphia and was a TV correspondent for Here! TV, the gay and lesbian cable network.
Atlanta - Melissa Carter. Carter is an "out" lesbian on Q100 WWWQ's morning show. She hails from Atlanta, adding an interesting sound to the show.
Los Angeles - Dennis Hensley. Dennis has written several books and writes for many magazines, including Entertainment Weekly
and GQ. He's been described as a "Hollywood Insider" and was even featured as one of Kathy Griffin
's "main gays" in season one of her Bravo series.
, Hilary Duff
, Peyton Manning
, Sarah Jessica Parker
, Harry Connick, Jr.
, Pink
, John Waters
, Janet Jackson
, and Eric McCormack
.
Twist LDDs - If Casey Kasem
were gay, this is what Long Distance Dedications would sound like! It's a gay spin on a classic radio staple.
Big Gay 7 - Every week Ben, Melissa, and Dennis count down the "Big Gay 5," what the show calls the "biggest hits in 'Gayville, USA'" as decided by the Twist listeners.
You're Talking about it So We're Talking about it - Melissa runs down the headlines in gay & lesbian news, while Ben and Dennis pipe in with sometimes snarky and sometimes thoughtful comments.
Too Much Information - Dennis serves up the latest celebrity dish every week in his gossiplicious installment of TMI.
in New York was the first to pull out.
There is a web petition as well as information sign up sheet on Radio with a Twist's home page and even a Facebook
group with the hopes that at some point in 2009 it will relaunch. No word as to how, when, or where and even what format the relaunch will happen. With the premier of The Billy Bush Show! however it is not likely that Radio with a Twist will be back any time soon. To sign up for more information visit the website listed below.
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
) audience and promised to be "radio with a twist." Airing on 16 Pop and Adult Contemporary radio stations nationwide, the hosts also make it a point to include the "straight" listener every week.
Hosts
Twist has a novel hosting arrangement - four different hosts in four different cities. However, despite coming from four different cities, the show broadcasts from a powerful transmitter in Daly City, CaliforniaDaly City, California
Daly City is the largest city in San Mateo County, California, United States, with a 2010 population of 101,123. Located immediately south of San Francisco, it is named in honor of businessman and landowner John Daly.-History:...
. The show's production also takes place there.
New York - Ben Harvey
Ben Harvey
Ben Caleb Harvey is an American radio and television personality, best known for his evening radio show on the now-defunct 92.3 K-Rock in New York City....
. Harvey is best known for being the evening jock on 92.3 K-Rock WXRK in New York City. He has also worked for Y100 WPLY
Y-Rock On XPN
WXPN-HD2 is an alternative rock radio station carried on the secondary HD radio channel of WXPN FM in Philadelphia. It had been the latest incarnation of the Y100 brand until June 2010 that originally aired on 100.3 FM, which was the city's alternative rock station from the 1990s until...
in Philadelphia and was a TV correspondent for Here! TV, the gay and lesbian cable network.
Atlanta - Melissa Carter. Carter is an "out" lesbian on Q100 WWWQ's morning show. She hails from Atlanta, adding an interesting sound to the show.
Los Angeles - Dennis Hensley. Dennis has written several books and writes for many magazines, including Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
and GQ. He's been described as a "Hollywood Insider" and was even featured as one of Kathy Griffin
Kathy Griffin
Kathleen Mary "Kathy" Griffin is an American actress, stand-up comedienne, television personality, New York Times best-selling author and an LGBT rights advocate. Griffin first gained recognition for appearances on two episodes of Seinfeld, and then for her supporting role on the NBC sitcom...
's "main gays" in season one of her Bravo series.
Show programming
Famous Friend - Celebrities, both gay and "gay-friendly," stop by the studios and chat with the hosts. So far Twist has had Famous Friends including Beyoncé, Anthony KiedisAnthony Kiedis
Anthony Kiedis is an American vocalist/lyricist, and occasional actor best known as the lead vocalist of the Grammy-winning American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Kiedis spent his youth in Grand Rapids, Michigan with his mother before moving, shortly before his 12th birthday, to Hollywood,...
, Hilary Duff
Hilary Duff
Hilary Erhard Duff is an American actress, singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, and author. After working in local theater plays and television commercials in her childhood, she achieved fame playing the title role in the Disney Channel television series Lizzie McGuire. She also reprised her role in...
, Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League . Manning holds the record for most NFL MVP awards with four. He was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998 after a standout college football career with the...
, Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Jessica Parker is an American film, television, and theater actress and producer.She is best known for her leading role as Carrie Bradshaw on the HBO television series Sex and the City , for which she won four Golden Globe Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and two Emmy Awards...
, Harry Connick, Jr.
Harry Connick, Jr.
Joseph Harry Fowler Connick, Jr. is an American singer, big-band leader/conductor, pianist, actor, and composer. He has sold over 25 million albums worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top 60 best-selling male artists in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America, with...
, Pink
Pink (singer)
Alecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....
, John Waters
John Waters (filmmaker)
John Samuel Waters, Jr. is an American filmmaker, actor, stand-up comedian, writer, journalist, visual artist, and art collector, who rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films...
, Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
, and Eric McCormack
Eric McCormack
Eric James McCormack is a Canadian American actor, musician, writer and producer. Born in Toronto, he began his acting career performing in school plays at Stephen Leacock Collegiate Institute High School...
.
Twist LDDs - If Casey Kasem
Casey Kasem
Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem is an American radio personality and voice actor who is best known for being the host of the nationally syndicated Top 40 countdown show American Top 40, and for voicing Shaggy in the popular Saturday morning cartoon franchise Scooby-Doo.Kasem, along with Don Bustany and...
were gay, this is what Long Distance Dedications would sound like! It's a gay spin on a classic radio staple.
Big Gay 7 - Every week Ben, Melissa, and Dennis count down the "Big Gay 5," what the show calls the "biggest hits in 'Gayville, USA'" as decided by the Twist listeners.
You're Talking about it So We're Talking about it - Melissa runs down the headlines in gay & lesbian news, while Ben and Dennis pipe in with sometimes snarky and sometimes thoughtful comments.
Too Much Information - Dennis serves up the latest celebrity dish every week in his gossiplicious installment of TMI.
Cancellation
Radio with a Twist was canceled on Wednesday November 26, 2008 or as many affiliates are saying, put on an indefinite Hiatus due to economic reasons. The reason cited was that local affiliates could no longer afford to air it weeknights from Midnight - 2am. It was replaced on an interim basis by most stations extending their overnight DJ's shift by 2 hours. Beginning Tuesday February 17, 2009 The Billy Bush Show! will replace it permanently at an earlier time with an extra hour from 9pm - Midnight, thus shortening the PM DJ shift to 2 hours in order to cut costs, and keeping the over night DJ's shift extended to 6 hours permanently. It aired in the top sixteen markets across the United States. Its flagship station WPLJWPLJ
WPLJ is a radio station in New York City owned by the broadcasting division of Cumulus Media. WPLJ shares studio facilities with sister station WABC inside 2 Penn Plaza in midtown Manhattan, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State Building. The station currently plays a Hot Adult...
in New York was the first to pull out.
There is a web petition as well as information sign up sheet on Radio with a Twist's home page and even a Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
group with the hopes that at some point in 2009 it will relaunch. No word as to how, when, or where and even what format the relaunch will happen. With the premier of The Billy Bush Show! however it is not likely that Radio with a Twist will be back any time soon. To sign up for more information visit the website listed below.