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AE: It seems the conservative religious right dominates radio across our land these days. How do you feel about that? How big is the GLBT “liberal” radio audience? Is it growing with the advent of digital/satellite radio?
JM: Everyone talks about how huge Rush Limbaugh is. At the end of the day, if even 8% (a huge radio audience) is listening to him, keep in mind that 92% aren't.

Talk show hosts are funny people. They are much bigger in their own heads than they are in real life. I think it's interesting that in the advent of satellite radio and with a liberal network or two now on the air, that progressive talk radio is the fastest growing format in the industry.

But, regardless of whether talk radio is conservative or liberal, the only way it becomes successful is if it is entertaining. Good storytellers, people who are good at being dramatic or outrageous on the air...these are the things great radio shows are made of. The host's viewpoint is only a prop in the big picture.

But, there is no doubt that the opportunity to fulfill the interests of a progressive/liberal audience is far easier met now that Sirius Satellite Radio is on the scene. We have so many incredibly talented hosts on several of our stations, including Sirius OutQ, Raw Dog Comedy, and Sirius Left, that as a listener I almost have to pinch myself.

Radio has never been this good at serving up just what the audience ordered. We're doing that on Sirius OutQ. You want fun and naughty, there's OutQ in the Morning with Larry and Cheryl; Frank DeCaro and Doria Biddle in mid-days; and Derek & Romaine in the evening. You want hard-hitting call-to-action firebrand political talk? There's Michelangelo Signorile in the afternoons.

You want a little bit of everything from Pop Culture to Politics to interviews with people from all walks of life? I'm there with ya at night. And, overnight, Jeremy Hovies exposes our community to this vast and incredible universe of musicians who have something in common with most of our audience...the fabulous factor! Charlie Dyer, Larry Flick, Jeremy Hovies and others on the weekend keep that entertainment feeling alive with some great variety to our music programming.

This station has been my professional dream come true and I'm thrilled that I've had the opportunity to give birth to Sirius OutQ. What's more, thousands of straight people are listening, too. That's a real testament to this being entertaining regardless of the listener's sexual orientation or gender identity.

AE: When you started out as a teen in radio, was it regular "FM" land type radio? Do you miss that type of broadcasting? Can you give some comparisons between "old" radio and new "digital satellite" radio?
JM: I actually started pre-teen on my uncle's AM radio station in a small town in Northwest Washington State during summer breaks. I was fortunate to have such a break and get to do something I loved. But by my senior year in high school, yeah, I was working for a station that would become KUBE FM, a hit music station that I helped build from the ground up. It was an incredible experience.

What I miss from those days was the opportunity for talent to blossom. The restriction of one owner having a maximum of 7 “AM”, 7 “FM” and 7 TV Stations was still in place - and that wasn't just in ONE market. That was the entire nation. Automation existed, but stations could not succeed without strong local personalities. That's what's wrong with local radio today. There's no real local personality. There are no more "great" radio personalities in the pipeline. An art form is dying because of the Clear Channels and Infinitys of the world who consolidate.

That is part of the attraction of Satellite Radio. Sirius is this amazing haven of radio talent--some of the greatest veterans, plus some really wonderful young new talent on the rise. People can play to the passions of our audience on Sirius. We don't have a library of 300 songs. We have nearly a million in our database. Our talk programming doesn't play to the General Manager or the CEO's interests, it plays to all facets of our listeners lives and perspectives.

Personalities emerge from satellite radio. They are killed in terrestrial radio in most markets. So, no, I don't miss a thing since this is the best of all worlds at Sirius.

AE: Your life partner of nearly 10 years is Sirius Outq radio host Charlie Dyer, who's also from Seattle and also a longtime radio show DJ. How is it having a lover in the same line of work? Do you two host different shows at different times? How is that on your relationship? Do you still get to have quality time together, etc.?
JM: I drug him in kicking and screaming! No, seriously, Charlie had a great background in theatre and music going back to his childhood, but he had never worked in broadcasting. That changed when I asked him to originate a weekly "Culture Corner" feature for the first GLBT radio endeavor I launched while working at RealNetworks in Seattle. He took to it like a duck to water, and when we co-founded Stellar Networks (the parent of what was to become the GAYBC Radio Network), Charlie's knowledge and passion for GLBT music and all arts and entertainment was critical to our success. So, it was great to have the opportunity to teach my life partner the inner workings and key facets of the radio industry, while also getting to learn from him about all this amazing content.

We're so busy each day doing our respective jobs that we don't really get to see or interact that much with each other on the job. And, since he works from 11 am to 8 pm, and I work from 4 pm to 1 am each day, our schedules keep us in a state of looking forward to our personal time on the weekends. We try to do dinner together at least a few times during the week so we can 'check in.'

Like Jeremy Hovies, Charlie is one of the leading experts of GLBT music who also happens to be a great radio producer and talent in this country. We don't always agree on things, either. Those philosophical debates play out as they would with any other person on my staff. I respect that he's not afraid to challenge my decisions or reasoning, and that ultimately makes what we do even better.

The John McMullen Show airs Monday to Friday 10 pm - 1 am ET.
Get more info at SiriusOutQ.com

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