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.

Associated Products

After Hours (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)
Title: After Hours
Author: University of Houston Libraries
Abstract: Digitally reformatted episodes of After Hours with transcripts.
Year: 2023
Primary URL: https://av.lib.uh.edu/collections/73666462r
Primary URL Description: Digital Library collection of After Hours episodes. Six years published so far, with more forthcoming.
Access Model: open access

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

For One Special Year, America’s First LGBTQ Cable Show Aired in Texas (Article)
Title: For One Special Year, America’s First LGBTQ Cable Show Aired in Texas
Author: Ivan Guzman
Abstract: TV Montrose, the lightning-in-a-bottle production that aired from 1998–1999, is now being digitized by the University of Houston Special Collections Library.
Year: 2023
Primary URL: http://https://www.texasmonthly.com/arts-entertainment/americas-first-lgbt-cable-show-texas-tv-montrose/
Access Model: open access
Format: Magazine
Publisher: Texas Monthly

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

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