Gay.com Forms Alliance With GAYBC Radio Network

Gay.com announced today that it has partnered with GAYBC Radio Network to co-develop and distribute both live and on-demand radio programs for its users.

While specific terms of the agreement were not disclosed, GAYBC’s 24-hour / seven-days-a-week schedule of live talk shows, music and hourly news updates will be part of Gay.com’s initial radio programming.

Gay.com radio programs will be archived through the site’s Rainbow Query Directory Service and will include The Daily Dose, a five-minute new report co-produced by GAYBC and The Advocate, the leading gay and lesbian newsmagazine.

Beyond Gay.com’s Sites to Syndication

Company officials said that the GAYBC deal would extend its reach into Web site-complementary and offline channels. The programs found online at the Gay.com Web sites will also be made available for syndication to other sites. The company is also exploring several brick-and-mortar radio syndication opportunities that will provide Gay.com public service programming to radio stations throughout the United States.

“By offering its users fuller rich-content multimedia experience, where they can listen to Gay.com radio broadcasts while Web surfing or chatting, the Gay.com network reinforces its industry-leading stickiness,” said John McMullen, president of Stellar Networks, Inc., GAYBC’s parent company.

Enhance Drawing Power

Industry observers feel that this alliance will only enhance the already strong drawing power of Gay.com. in the gay and lesbian community.

The June 1999 Media Metrix Audience Measurement Report ranked Gay.com eyeball counts ahead of such well-known sites as iVillage and women.com. It also showed that visitors of Gay.com tend to spend more time on the site and review more pages than users visiting other sites. Some analysts feel this fact can be used as a selling point to draw more advertisers to Gay.com.

More To Come

Moreover, Gay.com officials added that as broadband Internet connections become more available, Gay.com intends to add video programming and other new services.

About GAYBC Radio Network

Based in Seattle, Washington, GAYBC’s parent company Stellar Networks, Inc. operates Internet radio broadcast networks that serve niche audiences. The closely held GAYBC Radio Network is a pioneer in global live and on-demand Internet radio programming for the gay and lesbian market.

About Gay.com

Privately held Gay.com is a subsidiary of San Francisco, California-based Online Partners, which manages niche-oriented online communities with significant e-commerce potential. Gay.com is its first global property serving gays and lesbians — generating more than 7 million visits each month.

The Gay.com network includes Gay.com, Gay.net and onQ on AOL. It provides a mix of online and offline products and services to consumers and advertisers.

Gay.com has also forged significant partnerships with other Internet entities, including CommTouch, DoubleClick and Volano. It also has content agreements with The Advocate, Girlfriends magazine, Rainbow Query, Hero, Genre and Lesbian News.