About Us

ShoutOut is Bristol's LGBT radio show, airing on community station BCFM (93.2 FM in Bristol, streaming around the globe on www.bcfm.org.uk).

Originally the brainchild of Terry Starr, the show was developed by experienced sound recordist Mary Milton and, soon after, Andy Thomas who has experience in radio having started one of the first ever internet radio stations as well as having a knowledge of websites (hence this site). Now ShoutOut boasts a range of talent from across the gay community in and around the city of Bristol.

With Shoutout on the air, Bristol has joined towns and cities across the UK, including London, Brighton, and Manchester, where LGBT community programmes are aired.

"Gay radio is evolving fast, and we are proud to be a part of it - out and proud!" - Terry Starr.

We aim to provide an upbeat and enjoyable programme for the LGBT community and their friends and allies, and would love to hear from you. If you are organising a group, are a part of a network and would like to come in to chat about it, or if you fancy getting involved in the research and production of the programme, then we'd love to hear from you! ShoutOut is by and for the community and the more people involved, the more representative it can be of our diverse LGBT community in Bristol.

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The Team

Terry Starr

Terry was always interested in media, and watched the start of Channel Four Television in November 1982 and Breakfast TV the following year. He first took to the air himself in 1989 on the open access pirate station Savage Yet Tender Radio (SYT) and thereafter a variety of other unlicensed operations, including the groundbreaking disability station Radio Ability:

www.reddisability.org.uk/radio-modem/RAbility.htm

The gradual legalisation of community radio stations in the noughties led to exciting developments in gay radio, with LGBT community shows taking to the air across the country. When BCFM launched in 2007, Terry began to formulate ideas for a Bristol based LGBT show, and in 2009 approached experienced sound recordist Mary Milton to gradually bring the idea to fruition.

Today, Terry researches and reads the ShoutOut News, always trying to bring to the air stories of interest to the LGBT community and which may have been ignored or not given as high an amount of attention as we feel they should by the mainstream media.

He welcomes stories and assistance with the collation of the news. If you would like to get involved, email him using the link below.

Mary Milton

As you may well have read before, Mary joined the ShoutOut team almost at its start when Terry approached her to help get Shout Out from an idea to a real live show.

Mary is a freelance sound recordist working mainly in broadcast documentaries and factual programming for 18 years. She has previously been involved in many community projects teaching media skills to a variety of community groups, the general public, college and university students.

Several years ago she started the missinglesbians.co.uk website which lists what's on information for the LBT community in Bristol and surrounding areas. She lives in south Bristol with her girlfriend and their cat.

Andy Thomas

Andy joined the team after seeing a posting on Facebook asking for people to get involved. By that point, BCFM had agreed to the show.  He's helped with many parts of the starting up of the show from helping to create the jingles, through to this website. However, you'll hear him most weeks presenting the show.

"I'm very proud to be part of the team. ShoutOut is great fun and very rewarding and a great change from my day job in IT. I've always believed you should do at least one thing for your community and for me it's ShoutOut. If it entertains and informs just one person then it is all worth it"....

Steve Shepherd

Steve was introduced to ShoutOut by Kevin, who is a good friend of his. ShoutOut was looking for more voices to pre-record items and Steve came on board to lend us his voice.

Now Steve researches and records ShoutOut Extra most weeks as well as a fair few others features.

Ben Bird

Ben first became aware of ShoutOut when he was approached by Bristol City Council to come down and be interviewed on the show about being a gay foster carer… He never left!

Ben works as a teacher in a secondary school and draws upon his experiences of studying radio journalism at college and his background in community radio to produce arts and entertainment features for ShoutOut as well as helping to read and put the news together with Terry and Steve.

He lives in Bristol with his boyfriend, their three cats and two chickens (no pun intended)!

Michelle McMorrow

Michelle, or Mitch as she is known to her friends, joined the ShoutOut team this year by reading the news with Terry. This gave her a taste for radio and the call of presenting appealed...so she is now doing the 'Whats On' spot and can sometimes be heard presenting.

Mitch has been involved with the LGBT community for over 15 years from Youth Work to Producing (with others) many theatre/cabaret shows spreading the joy of rainbow lesbigay love with a tinsy bit of comedy!

By day she is a hostel support worker and other times creative dance/drama facilitator and movement therapist.

She lives in Bristol with her fiance and their 3 -legged cat and from her 2 daughters,they now have three beautiful grandchildren.

Rose France

Rose joined the team almost back at the beginning. She's become a regular and presents a show with us at least once or twice every couple of months.

Rose is a comedian by trade and when she's presenting on ShoutOut you can often be assured that she will have the rest of the team laughing their heads off in the studio..