While the shock of the sad news of Gaydar Radio’s demise may have diminished, the tons of tributes to what was a gay institution still keep flooding in, so having shared the facts, the figures & the feelings in our special report, we thought it only appropriate to add an epilogue to exemplify the emotions felt by thousands, through the messages of a few, which reflect just how much heartfelt sentiment there is for this splendid station & it’s terrific team.
It sometimes takes a lot to shock & surprise, well apart from a Pitron tickling pounce, the very sad news of the demise of nothing short of an institution, Gaydar Radio, catching us completely unaware when the announcement came trickling through Facebook feeds & other social network mediums, the size & scale of the shock leaving us totally floored when the realisation hit us hard yesterday morning. So we had to mark the occasion with a special report looking into the facts, the figures the feelings surrounding the DAB radio stations owners’ decision to close shop on this eleven year old broadcast medium that attracted over 750,000 listeners a month. Yet, at the time of our post, what we soon saw was an overwhelming outpour of emotion, love & loss for what will be a void left by its closure when the Gaydar Radio airwaves finish their final broadcast today (Sat 5th Jan), so we thought it only right & proper, having shifted through scores of tributes & posts, to share just a few in the epilogue to our special report and with the news having sunk in, the shock having subsided and some reassuring words from a couple of people at PLAY>TIME last night, we will pop in some brief but pertinent points relating to the comments included.
So, let’s get straight to it and, as he was such a key player, the first few words go to Quentin Neild, who was there right from the start & will be there at the end this morning, he having worked tirelessly to build, promote & make Gaydar Radio what it became, a range of emotions shown in the following posts, very much reflective of the passion he had for this gay institution, this his first reaction as the news hit home, “…Just had the best New Years of my life ruined by the news about the radio station I built, and spent 10 years nurturing…”, Quentin at the centre of the station’s operation from day one, his reaction unsurprising given just how close he became to Gaydar Radio & the people involved. And so it would be inevitable that he would want to say thank you to the mound of messages, posts & calls that came flooding in, this sent out on Twitter, “…thanks to EVERYONE who sent messages of support over the last 24 hours. I am truly touched by the outpouring of love for Gaydar Radio…”, while his Facebook posts were pretty brief, many others comments shared on his wall, although he himself had this short but sweet sentence to steer in Steve Pitron’s direction, “…“…Just wanted to say thank you from everyone at Gaydar Radio for the fab music you and Max Sanna have given us – you were a big part of our sound…”. So, we can only imagine the range of emotions he is going through right now, partly the reason why we are gutted we won’t be able to say a fond farewell to Gaydar Radio with him & a whole load of others this afternoon, although the magical memories (not least all his tweets) from last year’s Lovebox, will live with us forever.
But there were other presenters that wanted to say their thanks too, a cornerstone colossus for the stations “ClubNation” show, who had worked for Gaydar Radio, on & off, for over six years and whom, like Quentin, we are privileged to call a friend, Phil Marriott, had this to say to listeners yesterday, “….“…My mind has been blown today. I have had such an amazing 6 years at GaydarRadio, and have many important people to thank for influencing me and supporting me during my time here. I will attempt to do a full shout out on my show tonight, but in case I miss anyone in my show, I’d like you to know that I am extremely grateful. You know who you are…”, while another long standing member of the presenting team, Simon Le Vans, showed his gratitude to both colleagues & listeners alike when he said “…The amount of posts and comments on Facebook about today’s news has overwhelmed me. Thank you so much for taking the time to say so many lovely things about me and the rest of the amazing team. It’s been a real privilege to work with such talented, dedicated and lovely people. Without you listening there would have been no station so let me take this opportunity to thank all you for your support over the years. It means a huge amount to all of us…”
And the news certainly rocked the world of many D.J.’s & music producers, not just in London, but around the globe, Danny Verde one of the first to send in this tribute, “…“…I want to thank all the Gaydar Radio D.J.’s presenters & speakers who supported all my productions for years and gave me the chance to spread my music with hundreds & thousands of people all around the world. This is the end of something great but I wish it will be a start of an even better brand new experience…”., other D.J./producer friends soon following, Adam Turner remarking “…Tuned into my studio partner and very good mate Simon Le Vans on Gaydar Radio for the last time! As a late night DJ myself, he’s always been my breakfast show. Thanks for all the advice, tips, and inspiration to get back into radio myself, Simon – without your show, I doubt I would have been motivated to make the move back to radio. The airwaves just won’t be the same without you…” while Kris Di Angelis posted this,“…Just thought I’d take a moment to say goodbye and thank you to Gaydar Radio. Robin Crowley you were bloody brilliant, involving only the most likeable people on your cutting edge commercial radio station. Thanks for Lovebox, thanks for the radio training, thanks for the memories…”, we also holding lasting memories of Lovebox from the last two years, our nibble size tweets followed & replied to right through the day by Quentin, terrific times we will never forget.
But while there were scores, no hundreds of well wishing comments we could have shared here, Wayne Horne’s reflective of the feelings many were going through when he said, “…“…Emotional wreck today. I have listened to Gaydar Radio every day for a few years. Getting ready for work with N-Debz, having lunch with Simon Le Vans and working out at the gym with Phil Marriott. As from Monday, that won’t happen anymore…”it was perhaps the amazing article published by Pink News & former Gaydar Radio news editor, Scott Roberts, that was the most comprehensive & reflective of all we have seen, his devotion including “…I am dismayed and saddened to learn of the demise of my former station, Gaydar Radio. Its impending removal from the airwaves is a huge loss to the radio industry and also the lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender community…” plus “…before I crossed over the fence to edit Pink News – a publication that took me on because of my time at Gaydar – I had worked at eight different radio stations. Gaydar, where I was news editor until July 2012, will always be the favourite, and taught me a lot about myself as a gay man…” and “…When I left, I always knew that no other commercial station in Britain would be such a creative and vibrant place to work…”. But there is much more in his Pink News published piece, other snippets including “…Gaydar represented a DAB jewel in a frequently sparse and autonomous radio sector. Content-heavy, with generous links that were actually live; freedom for presenters to have personality and a rant – doing so out of the news was a much-loved feature of lunchtime presenter Simon Le Vans…” and “…People also listened into the station from all over the world and especially in the US, where Phil Marriott’s evening show was their “morning” show. But I often saw emails from people listening in from countries with appalling LGBT rights records, even one in Kazakhstan. Gaydar truly was an international station…”, he ending the article with a tribute to Robin Cowley by saying, “…My former boss, Robin Crowley, once told me that radio would always survive because it was a valued “friend” for the listener – well I have lost a great bunch of friends on the airwaves…”
And that is where we end this special report epilogue, the final last few words going to Robin himself, who, amongst many other messages, posted this “…“…With all this thank youing going on, I forgot to thank a couple of men who made it all happen, who’s belief in Gaydar Radio was unwavering! Thank you Henry Badenhorst and Trevor Martin We have had a lot of fun, laughs and produced something that will carry on servicing the LGBT community. Good luck Gadio…”, we, on reflection and despite some of the remarks in our report, what a tough decision Gaydar Radio’s owners were faced with & had to make, one which has affected the lives of very close & dear friends of theirs. As for us, well we remain deeply saddened by this end of an enthralling era monumental mound of moments and while not a regular listener, we will never forget how it helped us through our five day hospital confinement, bringing joy & laughter into our days, as it did for many thousands more. So, as the team say a fond farewell in a gathering in Rupert Street, Soho, this afternoon, we will be raising a toast from our Paris point, to both friends & everyone connected with this already much missed gay icon institution, cheers everybody, here’s to new & brighter beginnings. (DISCO MATT)
