Palm Springs Radio Station KGAY Geared Toward…You Guessed It

It may not surprise you to hear that in Palm Springs, California, there’s an actual terrestrial radio station geared towards LGBTQ listeners and their allies with gay hosts broadcasting live. Call letters – KGAY. https://twitter.com/erikpiepenburg/status/1755291383450030361 From the New York Times:

KGAY covers the Coachella Valley with its FM signal at 106.5 and is simulcast with KGAY AM 1270; it can be streamed globally at KGAYPalmSprings.com.

Its two full-time D.J.s are Chris Shebel, the old-school, no-nonsense program director and weekday afternoon personality, and the wisecracking John Taylor, who covers mornings. Three other D.J.s — Eric Ornelas, Galaxy and ModGirl — provide the station with homemade mix shows that play around the clock.

Born on Dec. 25, 2018, KGAY replaced KVGH, an oldies station, with a playlist that rotates over 900 pop songs, disco anthems, and dance remixes from the ’70s through the latest releases.

Shebel said the station mirrors the tastes of its core audience: gay men of Gen X age and older who enjoy Rihanna and Lady Gaga but still worship Donna Summer and Crystal Waters.

That demographic definitely sits well in uber-gay Palm Springs (population about 45,000) where somewhere between 30-50 percent are LGBTQ. According to Brad Fuhr, the station’s chief executive, the average morning streaming audience is approximately 2,400 people, with listeners as near and far as Missouri, Spain, and British Columbia. Fuhr added that KGAY “doubled its revenue year over year the past two years, but is still breaking even. He expects KGAY to be profitable this year.” Listen live online here. https://www.instagram.com/p/C124OOPs9kQ/