Friends: “Radio By and For the Gay Community”

The listings below give

• the topic of the recording, and any persons participating in the recording;
• the radio station on which the program aired (WGTB: 1973 -1976; WPFW: 1977 – 1982);
• the presenter or interviewer from the Friends staff (usually Dave Aiken, Ken Rothschild, Lou Romano or Bruce Pennington);
• and the date of broadcast (as it can best be determined).

Some of the tapes are outtakes and are only datable by internal evidence in the content recorded.  Most of the outtakes were recorded for splicing into a program tape and have little recorded identifying information.  A great many, perhaps 60%, of the original tapes carry no labels, dates or other information, consequently contents can only be identified once the tape has been preserved and digitized.

Organizations and members of the community are invited to sponsor preserved tapes (copies will bear the sponsor's logo and/or name) for $125.  Sponsorship helps fund preservation of additional Friends tapes.

• Christopher Street Liberation Day Parade-NYC, speech by Barbara Gittings, WGTB-Ethnic Forum , Bruce Pennington live from Washington Square, New York City, June 1973
• Halloween 1973 Show: interviewing Divine & John Waters at the Biograph Theater, music, Steve Crowley & Kim Van Pelt from Back Alley theatre, WGTB-Ethnic Forum, Bruce Pennington, October 27, 1973 Sponsored by Brother, Help Thyself
• Gay Men’s VD Clinic: interview with Don Button & Tim Corbett, WGTB: Ethnic Forum, Michael Lally, November 3, 1973 Sponsored by Whitman-Walker Clinic
• Black and White Couples: Kashi and Rick; Walter and Jay, WGTB-Ethnic Forum, Tim, March 23, 1974
• New Power: Gays in the Radical Movement: a radio play, Tim, WGTB-Ethnic Forum, March 30, 1974
• VD in the Gay Community, “Jack, Bob, & Walt”,? interviewer?, WGTB-Ethnic Forum, May 18, 1974 Sponsored by Whitman-Walker Clinic
• Gay Youth, interview with Jeff, David and Mike, WGTB, David Aiken, Tuesday July 16, 1974.
• Washington Area Gay Community Council: Deacon Maccubbin and Tim DeLoach, plus survey of community news: Title 34 campaign, New Orleans MCC fire, WGTB-Ethnic Forum, Bruce Pennington, July 27, 1974 Sponsored by Brother, Help Thyself
• The S&M Scene: interview with Lou, WGTB-Ethnic Forum, Bruce Pennington, August 1974?
• Carpenter and Craig Howell interview, WGTB, Dave Aiken, August 3, 1974
• Crime and Gay Bars in SE: Capt. Humphreys interview, WGTB, Ken Rothschild, August 10, 1974
• Crime and the Gay Community: Detectives O'Brien and McDonald, WGTB, Bruce Pennington, August 17, 1974
• GAA Candidates Forum for mayoral and at-large candidates, WGTB, Dave Aiken, August 24, 1974
• Tim Dlugos reading his poetry, WGTB, Dave Aiken, September 17, 1974
• GAA: interview with Bob Carpenter, including Marcus Welby protest, WGTB, Dave Aiken, September 21, 1974 Sponsored by the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance
• Gay Switchboard interview with volunteers, WGTB, Ken Rothschild, October 8, 1974, Sponsored by Brother, Help Thyself
• Interview: Rev. Troy Perry & Rev. John Barbone, WGTB, Dave Aiken, November 9, 1974, Sponsored by Brother, Help Thyself
• Lesbians Meet the Shrinks: APA Panel/Lesbian Take-over, Barbara Gittings, Dr Kameny, Dr. Pollard, Dr. Spitzer, Bruce Voeller, WGTB, Dave Aiken, December 1974
• Lesbian Separatism, a discussion with Charlotte Bunch and Barbara Gittings at a Gay Academic Union conference in New York City, WGTB, Dave Aiken, December 3, 1974.
• Counseling Gay Youth, interview with counselor, Dale, WGTB, Ken Rothschild, December 14, 1974
• Discussion of Kerouac (speakers, and broadcaster unknown), ? October 19, 1974
• Ian Young, poetry reading, undated, WGTB, Pennington, 1975?
• Craig Russell interview, WGTB, Pennington, February 11, 1975.
• Gay Youth with Glenn & Terry, WGTB, Ken Rothschild, April 12, 1975
• Gay Melodrama on coming out: originated on WBAI, 1971, WGTB, Aiken, May 6, 1975, sponsored by Lambda Rising
• Homosexuality in Prisons – an interview with Chuck Hicks, WGTB, Aiken, May 10, 1975, Sponsored by Brother, Help Thyself
• Interview with Sgt.Leonard Matlovich, WGTB, Aiken & Pennington, June 7, 1975, Sponsored by Brother, Help Thyself
• Pride Panel: on the eve of the first official gay Pride Bruce Pennington interviews Dr. Kameny, Deacon Maccubbin, Eva Freund, Ted Kirkland, and Dave Aiken about their involvement in the gay civil rights struggle. WGTB, June 21 and 24, 1975, Sponsored by Brother, Help Thyself
• Interview with Sgt. Skip Keith, WGTB, Aiken & Pennington, July 8, 1975
• Fanny Brice/Showstoppers, WGTB, Pennington, September 16, 1975
• Lesbian Feminist Panel at GAA conference on Gays in the Federal Government with Laurel Morton (Radical Women – Seattle) and Kathy Valentine (Baltimore Gay Alliance), WGTB, Cheryl Reeves, October 19, 1975
• Excerpts from the GAA conference on Gays and the Federal Government: Marion Barry, Martin Duberman, Dolores Knolls, WGTB, Aiken, October 11, 1975
• Gay on the Hill, a discussion with Roy Burchard of Gays on the Hill and Craig Thigpen of Bella Abzug's staff, WGTB, Lou Chibbaro & David Aiken, December 13, 1975.
• Gay Issues in the 1976 Election, discussion by Paul Kuntzler and Richard Maultsby of prospects for gay issues in the (then) forthcoming presidential campaign, Chiarro, December (?), 1975.
• Coming Out, a discussion with Wendy Roberts, Allan Kern, and Stuart Stringer at the Gay Academic Union meeting, WGTB, Aiken, December 20, 1975
• Lesbian Feminist Singers, selected artists, WGTB, Cheryl Reeves, January 10, 1975
• Gay Men's Counseling Collective, Dan, Glenn, and Richard, WGTB, David Aiken, February 7, 1976, Sponsored by Brother, Help Thyself
• Interview: Divine, WGTB, Pennington, February 21 and 24, 1976
• Police Harassment discussion with Craig Howell and Cade Ware, WGTB, Lou Romano (Chibbaro) & Dave Aiken, February 28, 1976. Sponsored by the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance
• Benefit for Friends Radio, featuring Hank Baron, MCs: Bruce Pennington & Sunny (WPFW Chief Engineer), WPFW, June 1977
• Parents of Gays/Children of Gays, Elsa Millay, WPFW, Aiken, October 5, 1977, Sponsored by Brother, Help Thyself
• Interview with Christopher Isherwood, WPFW, December 19, 1977
• Bruce Pennington reviewing the film “Word is Out”, 1977.
•  Best of Friends 1977 – Part 2 interspersed with cuts from Friends intro music, WPFW, no presenter, ? September 7, 1977 ?
• New Year Program: Review of 1977 and Preview of 1978, January 1978, WPFW, Aiken
• DC Coalition Forum on Race—Bars, Political Organizations: Billy Jones/Bob Davis/Delores Berry/Judy Holmes, WPFW, Dave Aiken September 1978
• Marion Barry pre-election interview on his difficulties representing Gays and Gay civil rights, WPFW, Aiken, September 1978 (?)
• Dr Franklin E Kameny discussion of Mayor Barry’s new Public Safety & Justice Task Force, WPFW, Aiken, January 2, 1979 Sponsored by the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance
• Valentine’s Day Poetry Readings: Dorothy Allison, Dick Munn, Ernie Acosta, WPFW, Aiken, February 14, 1979
• Billy Jones and Delores Berry discuss theNational Coalition of Black Gays, WPFW, Aiken, April 26, 1979
• National March on Washington 1979 – Rally Program, with Audre Lorde, Allen Ginsberg, Peter Orlovsky, Holly Near & Meg Christian, Gotham, Armando Gaetan and Juanita Ramos, and others, WPFW, no presenter, October 14, 1979
• Concert for the National March on Washington, Sylvan Theatre, October 13, 1979, Sponsored by Brother, Help Thyself
• Broadcast from the National March on Washington, October 14, 1979, WPFW.
• Concert for the Third World Conference October 12, 1979 – Ron Morgan, Casselberry-Dupress, Juan Valentin & Tiik, Michelle Parkerson, Audre Lorde (3 poems), Blackberri (3 songs), WPFW, no presenter, October 16, 1979
• GAA suit against Metro over display of posters: Rev Bob Jones, atty Leonard Graff, WGTB, Ron Meely (?) presenter, ?1979?

Following are fecordings of uncertain date and original tapings not part of a program format.  Because the dates are uncertain, we are unable to identify which station broadcast the material.

• Dr Franklin E Kameny on Gays in federal employment (1979?: post-October 1978 Carter restructuring of federal employment), WPFW?, Aiken, no date. Sponsored by the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance
• Jean O’Leary: Gay Rights & Lesbian Rights, speaking at unknown conference, April 2, 1980
• Gay Pride Day June 1980, broadcast from the festival at Francis School
• Discussion of Family Protection Act, 1981, WPFW. Undated
• Three Straight Women (Margaret, Sally, Miriam) Talk About Lesbians, probably WPFW, Cheryl Reeve, no date
• Quentin Crisp monologue with musical interludes, no date, no presenter
• Bruce Pennington conducts an interview about impostor posing as Josephine Baker’s son, no date
• Blackberri, “When will the ignorance end?”, no date or source, (perhaps from Third World Conference concert)
• Lee Lally reading her poetry, unknown date, no presenter
• Judith Schwartz on research about women’s relationships, presenter unknown, no date
• Ken Rothschild with mother and son discussing coming out to families, no date
• Lesbians in the Women's Movement, four unidentified speakers, Bruce Pennington & Dave Aiken, mid-70s?
• Gay Fathers, interview with Tom and John, Tim, June 13, year unknown
• Gay Bashing in Central Park, interview with Vito about July 5th gay bashing, Dave Aiken, no date
• Meg Christian story about Miss Potter and the Christmas play, no date
• Stonewall veteran interview, Bruce Pennington, 1978

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