Gulf Coast LGBT Radio and Television Digitization and Access Project

FAIN: PW-269420-20

University Of Houston (Houston, TX 77204-3067)
Emily Vinson (Project Director: July 2019 to present)

The digitization of nearly 6,000 hours of radio and television programs documenting the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community in Houston from the mid-1970s to the 2000s.

The Gulf Coast LGBT Radio and Television Digitization and Access Project proposes to digitize, transcribe, describe, and make available over thirty years of unique radio and television broadcast recordings created by and for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Trans communities. Drawing from UH Special Collections, and through a partnership with the Gulf Coast Archive and Museum of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender History, Inc., four series have been identified for inclusion in this project, totaling thousands of hours of content not heard or seen since initial broadcast. Currently, these materials are inaccessible to researchers, and due to the fragile audiovisual formats, are at significant risk of loss due to deterioration. These recordings are primary documents chronicling the experience of the LGBT community in a major Southern city and stand as a testament to the role of radio and television broadcast in the LGBT movement’s pursuit for social acceptance and political equality.

Media Coverage

For One Special Year, America’s First LGBTQ Cable Show Aired in Texas (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Ivan Guzman
Publication: Texas Monthly
Date: 6/20/2022
Abstract: The article discusses "TV Montrose," one of the first LGBTQ+ cable TV show in America, which aired in Houston from 1998 to 1999. Created by Steve Baker, the show featured a mix of local news, events, and stories relevant to the LGBTQ+ community, offering visibility and representation at a time when such content was rare. The article highlights the work of the Gulf Coast LGBT Radio and Television Digitization Project to preserve this show and reflects on the show's impact and its relevance in today's ongoing struggles for LGBTQ+ rights.
URL: https://www.texasmonthly.com/arts-entertainment/americas-first-lgbt-cable-show-texas-tv-montrose/

“Saving Houston’s LGBTQ History Through Radio Archives” (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Raheel Ramzanal
Publication: City Cast Houston
Date: 6/24/2024
Abstract: In this podcast, Emily Vinson, co-PI of the Gulf Coast LGBT Radio and Television Digitization Project, and Timmy Martinez of Legacy Community Health, discuss the significant role that 'After Hours' played in educating Houston's LGBTQ+ community about the AIDS epidemic. The show connected listeners to vital resources, including those offered by Legacy Community Health (formerly Montrose Clinic), the first community-based organization in Texas to provide HIV/AIDS testing. The interview also highlights the importance of preserving these archives for younger generations of LGBTQ+ individuals.
URL: https://houston.citycast.fm/podcasts/saving-houstons-lgbtq-history-through-radio-archives

Archive preserves pioneering gay radio broadcasts from the 70s (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Leoneda Inge, Cole del Charco
Publication: Due South
Date: 6/24/2024
Abstract: In this podcast, Gulf Coast LGBT Radio and Television Digitization Project co-PIs Bethany Scott and Emily Vinson discuss their work to preserve Houston's LGBTQ+ radio history. Host Leoneda Inge of Due South features archival clips from After Hours, highlighting the show’s unique blend of humor, activism, and critical information. The interview emphasizes the cultural and historical significance of preserving these materials for future generations.
URL: https://www.wunc.org/show/due-south/2024-06-24/archive-preserves-pioneering-gay-radio-broadcasts-from-70s

Saving Houston’s LGBTQ history through thousands of hours of radio archives (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Neda Ulaby
Publication: National Public Radio, Morning Edition
Date: 6/4/2024
Abstract: In this NPR Morning Edition segment, Neda Ulaby explores the unique radio content preserved by the Gulf Coast LGBT Radio and Television Digitization Project. Through archival excerpts and interviews with project co-PIs Bethany Scott and Emily Vinson, along with student employee Andrea Hoang, Ulaby showcases the intersectional impact of shows like Wilde 'n' Stein and After Hours. These programs provided essential information, support, and a sense of community during pivotal moments like the AIDS crisis.
URL: https://www.npr.org/2024/05/28/nx-s1-4969775/pride-houston-lgbtq-history-radio-archive

Associated Products

After Hours (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)
Title: After Hours
Author: University of Houston Libraries
Abstract: Digitally reformatted episodes of After Hours created between 1987-2006 with transcripts. These publicly accessible recordings have been edited to remove copyrighted music and third-party content, ensuring compliance with intellectual property rights.
Year: 2023
Primary URL: https://av.lib.uh.edu/collections/73666462r
Primary URL Description: Digital Library collection of After Hours episodes.
Access Model: open access

Prizes

Excellence Award
Date: 5/21/2024
Organization: Texas Digital Libraries
Abstract: The TDL Excellence Award honors a specific project that demonstrates overall excellence in one or more areas of digital curation or digital library practice. Bethany Scott and I received the award for our work on the Gulf Coast LGBT Radio and Television Digitization Project.

TV Montrose (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)
Title: TV Montrose
Author: University of Houston Libraries
Abstract: Digitally reformatted TV Montrose television series, including closed captions and transcript files.
Year: 2023
Primary URL: http://https://av.lib.uh.edu/collections/p2676v66q

The Prison Program (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)
Title: The Prison Program
Author: University of Houston Libraries
Abstract: Digitally reformatted episodes of the radio program The Prison Program hosted by prominent LGBT activist Ray Hill.
Year: 2023
Primary URL: http://https://av.lib.uh.edu/collections/8k71nh35s
Access Model: open access

Queer Radio with Attitude​: Digitizing Houston's LGBTQ Broadcast History​ (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Queer Radio with Attitude​: Digitizing Houston's LGBTQ Broadcast History​
Author: Bethany Scott
Author: Emily Vinson
Abstract: In 2020, the University of Houston Libraries was awarded an NEH grant to digitize and make accessible over 40 years of Houston’s LGBT radio and television history. The project brings together several broadcast collections, through a post-custodial collaboration with the Gulf Coast Archive and Museum of GLBT History. Decades before issues like trans visibility or intersectionality entered the mainstream, these programs provided a platform for marginalized voices. After Hours, for example, featured three trans activists as co-hosts during the mid-1990s. In the hands of researchers, this data set could reveal a lot about how one community’s language has evolved in a relatively short period of time. In this presentation, we will describe the contents of the collections, highlighting the unique opportunities and challenges presented by a large-scale, post-custodial AV archive from an underrepresented community. One such challenge is the need to generate and provide access to captions or transcripts for each recording. Our budget only allows for a portion of the collections to be professionally transcribed; we will use an AI transcription service for the remaining items. We will provide practical strategies and ideas for correcting or improving machine-generated transcripts, creating a data set for computational analysis of transcription data, and working with communities and students in-person vs. online.
Date: 2022-10-11
Conference Name: Digital Library Federation Forum

Lesbian & Gay Voices (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)
Title: Lesbian & Gay Voices
Author: University of Houston Libraries
Abstract: Digitally reformatted episodes of Lesbian & Gay Voices created between 1993-2001 with transcripts. These publicly accessible recordings have been edited to remove copyrighted music and third-party content, ensuring compliance with intellectual property rights.
Year: 2023
Primary URL: http://av.lib.uh.edu/collections/8p58pd17c
Access Model: open access

Wilde 'n' Stein (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)
Title: Wilde 'n' Stein
Author: University of Houston Libraries
Abstract: Digitally reformatted episodes of Wilde 'n' Stein created between 1979-1992 with transcripts. These publicly accessible recordings have been edited to remove copyrighted music and third-party content, ensuring compliance with intellectual property rights.
Year: 2023
Primary URL: https://av.lib.uh.edu/collections/h128nd94x
Access Model: open access

Recordings from KPFT-FM Pacifica Radio (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)
Title: Recordings from KPFT-FM Pacifica Radio
Author: University of Houston Libraries
Abstract: Digitally reformatted recordings related to the LGBTQ+ community produced by Houston radio station KPFT between the 1970s and 1990s with transcripts. These publicly accessible recordings have been edited to remove copyrighted music and third-party content, ensuring compliance with intellectual property rights.
Year: 2024
Primary URL: https://av.lib.uh.edu/collections/d217qp76q
Access Model: open access

After Hours radio program transcripts (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)
Title: After Hours radio program transcripts
Author: University of Houston Libraries
Abstract: Available on the Texas Data Repository Dataverse instance, this dataset contains timestamped text transcripts (.doc, .pdf, and .txt formats) of each audio file in the After Hours digital collection.
Year: 2024
Primary URL: https://dataverse.tdl.org/dataset.xhtml?persistentId=doi:10.18738/T8/TCCZLP
Access Model: open access

Lesbian & Gay Voices radio program transcripts (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)
Title: Lesbian & Gay Voices radio program transcripts
Author: University of Houston Libraries
Abstract: Available on the Texas Data Repository Dataverse instance, this data set contains timestamped text transcripts (.doc, .pdf, and .txt formats) of each audio file in the Lesbian & Gay Voices digital collection.
Year: 2024
Primary URL: https://dataverse.tdl.org/dataset.xhtml?persistentId=doi:10.18738/T8/X63PSW
Access Model: open access

Wilde 'n' Stein radio program transcripts (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)
Title: Wilde 'n' Stein radio program transcripts
Author: University of Houston Libraries
Abstract: Available on the Texas Data Repository Dataverse instance, this data set contains timestamped text transcripts (.doc, .pdf, and .txt formats) of each audio file in the Wilde 'n' Stein digital collection.
Year: 2024
Primary URL: https://dataverse.tdl.org/dataset.xhtml?persistentId=doi:10.18738/T8/4YSYCZ
Access Model: open access

The Prison Program (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)
Title: The Prison Program
Author: University of Houston Libraries
Abstract: Available on the Texas Data Repository Dataverse instance, this data set contains timestamped text transcripts (.doc, .pdf, and .txt formats) of each audio file in The Prison Program digital collection.
Year: 2024
Primary URL: https://dataverse.tdl.org/dataset.xhtml?persistentId=doi:10.18738/T8/FN0HBU
Access Model: open access

TV Montrose television program transcripts (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)
Title: TV Montrose television program transcripts
Author: University of Houston Libraries
Abstract: Available on the Texas Data Repository Dataverse instance, this data set contains timestamped text transcripts (.doc, .pdf, .txt, and .srt formats) of each video file in the TV Montrose digital collection.
Year: 2024
Primary URL: https://dataverse.tdl.org/dataset.xhtml?persistentId=doi:10.18738/T8/JDGQBJ
Access Model: open access

The Gulf Coast LGBT Radio and Television Digitization Project: Providing Equitable Access to Houston’s LGBTQ Broadcast History (Article)
Title: The Gulf Coast LGBT Radio and Television Digitization Project: Providing Equitable Access to Houston’s LGBTQ Broadcast History
Author: Emily Vinson
Author: Bethany Scott
Abstract: Initiated in 2020 with a multi-year grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Division of Preservation and Access, The Gulf Coast LGBT Radio and Television Digitization Project aimed to digitize and preserve thousands of hours of LGBTQ+ broadcast history from the Houston, Texas area. Through meticulous inventorying, digitization, redaction, transcription, publication, promotion, and preservation processes, the project team navigated the delicate balance between equitable access and copyright compliance. The selected programs encapsulate decades of LGBTQ+ life and culture, covering a diverse array of topics crucial to understanding the community’s evolution in the region. This paper presents a comprehensive case study of the project, providing insights into its historical context, significance, and methodology. By examining the project team’s step-by-step process, including innovative approaches to redacting copyrighted material from audio recordings, this study offers valuable lessons for practitioners engaged in similar initiatives. Moreover, the project’s enduring impact extends beyond preservation efforts, serving as a rich historical resource for researchers and community members interested in exploring LGBTQ+ history in the Houston region.
Year: 2024
Primary URL: https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/jcas/
Primary URL Description: The mission of the Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies is to further awareness of issues and developments in the work of professional archivists, curators, librarians and historians, and to serve as a locus for graduate students and professionals in library science, archival science, and public history to contribute original works of research and inquiry for peer-review and publication. JCAS publishes on an article-by-article basis.
Access Model: open access
Format: Journal
Periodical Title: Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies
Publisher: The Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies

Queer Radio with Attitude: Digitizing Houston's LGBT Broadcast History (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Queer Radio with Attitude: Digitizing Houston's LGBT Broadcast History
Author: Emily Vinson
Author: Bethany Scott
Abstract: In 2020, the University of Houston Libraries was awarded an NEH grant to digitize and make accessible 40 years of Houston’s LGBTQ radio and television history, totaling over 3,500 hours. The project brings together several broadcast collections through a post-custodial collaboration with the Gulf Coast Archive and Museum of GLBT History. Decades before issues like trans visibility or intersectionality entered the mainstream, these radio and TV programs provided a platform for marginalized voices. In the hands of researchers, this data set reveals how one city's LGBTQ community grew and organized with the help of media. In this presentation, we will describe the contents of the collections, highlighting the unique opportunities and challenges presented by a large-scale, post-custodial AV archive from an underrepresented community (during a pandemic). In particular we will discuss our approach to redacting music under copyright, generating and providing access to captions or transcripts for each recording, and describing thousands of unique recordings for publication on our digital library.
Date: 2023-05-18
Conference Name: Texas Conference on Digital Libraries

Queer Radio with Attitude: Digitizing Houston's LGBT Broadcast History (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Queer Radio with Attitude: Digitizing Houston's LGBT Broadcast History
Author: Emily Vinson
Author: Bethany Scott
Abstract: In 2020, UH Libraries was awarded an NEH grant to digitize and make accessible 40 years of Houston’s LGBT radio and television history. Decades before issues like trans visibility or intersectionality entered the mainstream, these TV and particularly radio programs provided a platform for marginalized voices. In this presentation, we will describe the collections and highlight the unique opportunities and challenges presented by a large-scale, post-custodial AV archive from an underrepresented community. In particular, this presentation will discuss strategies for creating transcriptions for over 3,200 hours of content to ensure accessibility and improve discoverability of these unique recordings.
Date: 2022-12-08
Conference Name: Association of Moving Image Archivists

Queer Radio with Attitude: Digitizing Houston's LGBT Broadcast History (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Queer Radio with Attitude: Digitizing Houston's LGBT Broadcast History
Author: Emily Vinson
Author: Bethany Scott
Abstract: In 2020, UH Libraries was awarded an NEH grant to digitize and make accessible 40 years of Houston’s LGBT radio and television history. In this presentation, we will describe the collections and highlight the unique opportunities and challenges presented by a large-scale, post-custodial AV archive from an underrepresented community.
Date: 2022-10-11
Conference Name: DLF Forum

From Redaction to Access: Navigating Challenges to Unlock Houston's LGBTQ Media History (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: From Redaction to Access: Navigating Challenges to Unlock Houston's LGBTQ Media History
Author: Emily Vinson
Author: Bethany Scott
Abstract: The University of Houston Libraries (UHL) received the multi-year grant for The Gulf Coast LGBT Radio and Television Digitization Project in 2020. This grant, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, Division of Preservation and Access, Humanities Collections and Reference Resources Program, supports the digitization and online publication of Houston's LGBTQ broadcast history. The selected programs cover a wide range of topics, including politics, activism, health, and LGBTQ identities. This poster provides an overview of the project, its historical context, and the steps taken to ensure access, with a particular focus on our approach to redacting copyrighted content in access copies.
Date: 2023-09-21
Conference Name: iPRES 2023

Queer Radio with Attitude: Digitizing Houston's LGBT Broadcast History (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Queer Radio with Attitude: Digitizing Houston's LGBT Broadcast History
Abstract: In 2020, the University of Houston Libraries received a multi-year grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to digitize and preserve decades of Houston's LGBTQ broadcast history. Radio and television programming have played a vital role in documenting LGBTQ history. In the Houston area, LGBTQ radio and television producers created programming to engage and inform listeners, and build community over the airwaves. The programs selected for inclusion in the The Gulf Coast LGBT Radio and Television Digitization Project represent over 3500 hours of media made for and by LGBTQ community members. They cover a broad range of topics from politics and activism, to health issues, to LGBTQ identities and subcultures. Through postcustodial partnerships, we aim make a significant contribution to the preservation and promotion of Houston’s unique LGBTQ history. The materials preserved through this project will be a valuable resource for researchers and community members into the future.
Author: Emily Vinson
Date: 2023-11-18
Location: Invisible Histories Project, LGBTQ History Teach In - virtual
Primary URL: https://invisiblehistory.org/queer-history-teach-in/

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