Radio Legend Tom Joyner Has Retired

"Oh Oh Oh, it's the Tom Joyner Morning Show!." 

That jingle started the day for many African American for 25 years, but as of Friday, December 13, Tom Joyner has hung up his headphones and done his last broadcast. .

Legendary radio DJ Tom Joyner was on the radio for 50 years.   He started at a station in his hometown of Tuskegee, AL and went on to major markets in Chicago and Dallas.

He become known as the 'Fly Jock' when he took two radio jobs, one for a morning show on Dallas's KKDA-FM and flying to his afternoon gig in Chicago at WGCI-FM.   He did that round trip for eight years and piled up a lot of frequent flier miles doing so..

But it was hosting the syndicated Tom Joyner Morning Show for the last 25 years in which he blew up.   At its peak the TJMS was in over 180 markets and 11 million listeners, and he was considered the voice of Black America. .

He's decided at age 70 to hang up the headphones and retire. 

I woke up to like many people in Black America to his show.  Many people have done his Fantastic Voyage cruise that has raised money for HBCU's across the country.

He is also credited with registering in the 1996 election cycle 250,000 African American voters. 

President Obama and FLOTUS Michelle Obama are just some of the many politicians and celebrity peeps who graced his airwaves.    Even Laverne Cox has been on the TJMS.

And I miss the It's Your World radio soap opera they used to do.

Happy retirement Tom!    We're glad that you'll still be focused on raising money for HBCU's, but we will miss waking up to your voice and that unforgettable iconic jingle ,from Monday through Friday as we head off to work or school. .

In January the Ricky Smiley Morning Show will debut in the former TJMS time slot.  I'll give it a chance, like many people will, but it won't be the same because you are following in the footsteps a legend, and that's hard to do.  .

And Black America will miss him

   

The Breakfast Club Interview With Malik Yoba

This the recent The breakfast Club show with Malik Yoba  that also included NBJC Executive Director David Johns,  Carmen Carrera and Nala Simone

Shocker, it was a serious conversation.

Radio Interview With Paola Acha Today

Another day, another radio interview.   This time I'll be on the air with the lovely Paola Acha, the hostess of the Be Cool Be Smart show on KNLY 91.1 FM The Boss in The Woodlands.

Yep, the Woodlands. 

Her show runs from 3- 4PM CST and is available through YouTube and Facebook Live

Looking forward to heading up to the northern 'burbs in Montgomery County and spending what promises to be an enjoyable hour talking about whatever issues come up for discussion in that time frame

Here's the link to the show

Moni's Latest Radio Interviews

During my time as an advocate, I've had the pleasure of doing numerous radio and podcast interviews for stations across the US and in Canada.   As someone who used to co-host a radio show on KPFT-FM in the late 90's early 2000's, I enjoy doing them. 

On Wednesday I had the interesting development of having two interviews scheduled on the same day.    One was with Genia Stevens at WORT-FM in Madison, WI during the noon CDT hour on A Public Affair.  The other was with Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner's Breaking Through show later that evening at 7 PM CDT.

I have the link for the A Public Affair show, bit it hasn't been posted yet for the Breaking Through one.  When it becomes available, I'll post it here.

Here's the link for the interviews if you wish to check them out

A Public Affair- Madison


Breaking Through-

Moni's On KNON-FM's Lambda Weekly Tomorrow!

Been a while since I was on Lambda Weekly, the radio show hosted by David Tafet, lerone Landis and the late Pati Fink on KNON-FM 89.3 in Dallas.

I get to do the show again at 1 PM CDT tomorrow.

For those of you who don't live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area or the broadcast range of KNON-FM, you can hear the show by going to the website and listening to the livestream of it  or downloading the phone app and listening to it that way.

No matter what way you do so, hope you tune in for it .

Hot Topic Talk Show

Next Tuesday October 24 I'll be on this talk show with Flex Jonez to talk about whatever we can fit in subject wise in that allotted time span.

Whether it's the state of the Black Trans Community, Caitlyn Jenner's problematic azz, 45's misadministration, us trans Texans stopping the passage of the anti-trans SB 6/3 in Texas, I'm down to talk about it.     

From 5-7 PM CDT, you'll be hearing me on this Blogtalk radio show, and you can join the convo at #1-646-668-8561 

Thanks for the invite and looking forward to being part of what is sure to be interesting two hours of radio 

Congrats Niece and Nephew For 200 Strange Fruit Shows!

One of the things I got to do when I took my 2014 Labor Day weekend vacation trip back to Louisville was head to the WFPL-FM studios in downtown Louisville to record an episode of Strange Fruit.

Strange Fruit in this case is the talk show and podcast hosted by Dr. Kaila Story and Jaison Gardiner, AKA known as Niece and Nephew to moi, that on a weekly basis discusses politics, pop culture and Black gay life.

And yeah, definitely need to show their wonderful producer Laura Ellis some love as well.

So far I've been on Strange Fruit twice, with the 2014 studio appearance being the last time I was on it.  

Been a little busy since September 2014 and so have they. Niece has gotten married since then and has her women and gender studies associate professor teaching gig at the University of Louisville to keep her busy.

And she was just named to the 2017 NBC Out #Pride30 list.

I did get to see and spend some quality time with Niece and Nephew when I went to Da Ville for my vacation last year.  

They will be celebrating this upcoming broadcasting milestone of 200 shows on June 21 with a live taping and party.

Congrats Niece and Nephew for 200 amazing Strange Fruit shows!   Thank you for not only inviting me to be a part of it and getting the chance to speak to you Fruitcakes (the nickname for their listeners)  but for educating, entertaining and informing your WFPL-FM listeners and those who enjoy it via podcast for the last several years. .

May Strange Fruit continue its high standard of radio broadcast excellence in discussing the issues of importance to our community, and make it to the next broadcasting milestone of 300 shows.

Moni's On KPFT-FM's 'Queer Voices' Tonight

Just a reminder to you TransGriot readers and H-town peeps that I will once again be a guest on Queer Voices along with Jeffry Faircloth to talk about the Kim Burrell controversy and whatever other topics we can squeeze in during the time I'm scheduled to be interviewed.

KPFT-FM is our local Pacifica radio affiliate with a colorful history.  Its transmitter was bombed twice by the Klan, and yours truly used to be one of the rotating co-hosts from 1999-2001 on the After Hours show hosted by the late Jimmy Carper.  

So coming to the Montrose area studios of KPFT-FM is like coming home, and I enjoy any time I get to spend behind the mic there.

For those of you in the Houston area, KPFT-FM is at 90.1 FM on your radio dial and at 89.5 FM in the Galveston area.  For those of you who don't live in the Houston area but would like to hear this latest Queer Voices episode, here's the link to the livestream of it.

The show will start at 8 PM CST, and hope you'll tune in.

Moni's Going On WMPG-FM Again

At 1:30 PM EST I'll be doing a radio interview with Dal Maxwell st WMPG-FM  90.0  a public radio station that's based in  southern Maine

Yep, it has a livestream, and the link is here for Dal Maxwell's Celtic .

http://www.wmpg.org/listen/wmpg-live-stream/

If you missed the live interview, it will be archived for you to listen to at your leisure.

Moni's On Queer Voices Once Again!

Just a reminder for those of you in the Houston area that I'll once again be headed to the KPFT-FM studios later tonight to be on the Queer Voices radio show.

I'm scheduled to chat about with the Queer Voices on air team about recent developments in TBLGQ World, the 2016 election and our upcoming 2017 Texas legislative session along with whatever else we can fit into that time I'll be on air.

I'm scheduled to be on starting at 8:35 PM CST, and for those of who can't pick up KPFT-FM on your radio dial at 90.1 FM or who don't live in the Houston area you can check out their livestream of it.

Should be a fun and interesting conversation with Jack, Bryan and Jenifer tonight and looking forward to it.

Kimberly's News 88.7 Radio Interview

While the Republican Party and my reprehensible lieutenant governor has made no secret of their gleeful hatred of trans people for political gain, there are people inside their ranks trying to change that anti-trans pattern who are mothers of transgender children.

One of those mothers is in my Houston area backyard. Kimberly Shappley is not only a Republican but an evangelical Christian raising a trans feminine daughter.

She has been stepping up her visibility over the last few months as she seeks to fight for the human rights of her child Kai, and recently was interviewed on News 88.7 by Florian Martin about her journey.

Here's the link to the News 88.7 interview.

Moni's Going To Be A 'Lambda Weekly' Guest Tomorrow

For those of you in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, you're going to get an opportunity to hear my voice on your FM dial tomorrow at 1 PM CDT.

I'll be a guest on the long running show Lambda Weekly on KNON-FM 89.3, which is hosted by David Taffet, Lerone Landis  and Patti Fink.

The show has been on the air since 1983, and is one of the longest running LGBT themed shows currently on air. and has had a long list of distinguished celebrity and LGBT community guests.

So North Texas, tune in at 1 PM to hear the show and me comment on the issues of importance to our community.

   

Moni's On Queer Voices Tonight

Another day, another interview for yours truly in the wake of this HERO loss.

Been invited to come back to a familiar place for me, the broadcast studios of our local Pacifica radio affiliate KPFT-FM.

I was invited to be a guest on Queer Voices tonight at 8 PM CST for an interview to talk about the HERO campaign, local issues post-HERO and whatever other subjects we can fit in in the short time allotted for this segment.

Dee Dee Watters is also on this show to talk about the Wednesday TDOR event she's hosting.

They do live stream the show, and it will start at 8 PM CST for those of you not in the Houston area but would like to hear it.   For those of you in the 100,000 watt broadcast radius of  KPFT-FM, may wish to tune your local FM dial to 90.1 to hear it.

Strange Fruit' Hits 100 Show Milestone

Heard the wonderful news from Da Ville that Niece and Nephew's public radio show recently broadcast its 100th episode.

Niece and Nephew as you longtime TransGriot readers are aware of would be the fab duo of Dr. Kaila Story and Jaison Gardiner.   They are the hosts of WFPL-FM's Strange Fruit, a weekly radio show that discusses pop culture, current events, politics and Black gay life.

The show is produced by Laura Ellis and broadcast locally on 89.3 FM and is available to the rest of us via podcast.

I've known Laura for a few years on Facebook, but finally had the pleasure of meeting her when I did my first in studio taping of a Strange Fruit  show when I visited Da Ville back in September.

FruitCakes, as they lovingly call their loyal listeners, know that I have had the pleasure of doing three of those 100 shows which involved your fave transfeminine blogger commenting on some issue du jour.

Congrats Strange Fruit team for your broadcast milestone of 100 shows!  Looking forward to the next time I get the opportunity to appear on the show, and hope you are blessed to reach the 200 broadcast milestone.

My Latest WFPL-FM 'Strange Fruit' Interview

Y'all know I have much love for Dr. Kaila Story and Jaison Gardner, (AKA 'Niece' and 'Nephew' and they refer to me as 'Auntie Monica') the co-hosts of WFPL-FM's Strange Fruit.  

I pop in from time to time with my thoughts on various topics, and normally I have to do so by calling in to participate on their show.

This particular appearance was different, because one of the things I got to do while I was on vacation in my other hometown was actually sit in WFPL-FM's 4th Street studios and tape an interview that was just broadcast.

Only took me being away from Da Ville for four years and be on vacation inside I-265 to actually walk in that building for the first time after years of walking past it for various reasons. 

The podcast is up of that interview, and you can click on this link to listen to it.  My comments start around the 13:00 minute mark of this edition of Strange Fruit.

Ricky Smiley Morning Show Transphobia

The war against media transphobia aimed at trans women of color seems like it's a never ending one.    Here's a FB commentary from TransGriot reader Sasha concerning the transphobic comments she heard aimed at Laverne Cox during one of the Rickey Smiley Morning Show segments yesterday.

***

Last night my sisters and I were watching Dish Nation/Rickey Smiley Morning Show. Laverne Cox was declared as one of the Emmy show's  best dressed women which I though was AMAZING...until one of the hosts yells "that's a man!"and they slightly go into the infamous shock factor, making her identity the center of a joke.

Gary and one of the shows guests, a cis woman of color, then came to Laverne's defense by stating her accomplishment and how major it is for the Transgender community. The young lady also corrected the misgendering and made sure she addressed the Laverne as a WOMAN.

I've been listening to Rickey Smiley Morning Show for YEARS, I'm a fan of the show but I think it's time to call the RSMS out on their consistent ignorance and insensitivity towards the trans community.

This is NOT the first time I've encountered this type of madness from them. Not too long ago they were throwing shade towards Cee Lo after his affair with a transwoman. Not to mention the jokes that very often seem to revolve around #GirlsLikeUs.
We need to hold them accountable.  It is not the guest's job to educate them LIVE on the radio about transgender terminology. As much as they talk and joke about us, they should be well informed on the issue. Rickey Smiley has a huge platform in the black community and instead of all the shade, he could be using that platform for the good of ALL as well as being held accountable for repetitive transphobia.

It's time to call them out!

***

I agree, Sasha . GLAAD and NGLJA Rapid Response team, it's time to handle your media business. 

Busy Wednesday For Moi

Will have a busy day in store for me tomorrow.  

Have a radio interview on Portland, ME based WMPG-FM with Dal Maxwell from 1-1:30 PM EDT in which I'm scheduled to talk about the HERO, the recent Philly Trans Health Conference and anything else we can squeeze into a 30 minute segment.

The station streams live,  so if you wish to hear it it, here's the link. 

Then it's off to HCC-Southeast campus at for a panel that starts at 6 PM   I know they were looking for another panelist at the time I confirmed it, but if you want to roll out to the HCC-Southeast College campus tomorrow, it's located at 6815 Rustic St just off the Gulf Freeway (I-45) near Gulfgate Mall and the Woodridge exit.   .    .   

The panel is entitled 'GLBT Pride Though Our Eyes: Black and Latin@s Speak' and will be in the Angela V. Morales Bldg in Room 102.   Hope you can make it.  

Mia's Mad As Hell!

There are a lot of us extremely pissed off in Trans World about our sisters Janell Crosby and Tyra Woods being attacked by cismales on an Atlanta MARTA train and no one stepping up to help stop or defuse the situation.  

The fools in question have been arrested for it.  I and the trans community in the ATL and nationally are hopeful that justice will be served in this case.   We're hopeful the message will be sent as a result of this high profile case that putting your hands on a transwoman is unacceptable.

Y'all know I have mad love and respect for Mia Macy, who is a retired law enforcement officer.   She had plenty to say during her radio show about it, and if you click on this link you can hear her take on this developing situation in the ATL.

Transphobic Rochester DJ's Fired

Media peeps, if you didn't get the message from Katie Couric's, Piers Morgan's, Wendy Williams' and RuPaul's recent publicized kerfluffles over disrespecting the trans community, can you hear us now?

Was not happy to hear about the former Rochester, NY  'The Breakfast Buzz' 98.9 FM morning team of Kimberly and Beck unleashing transphobic vitriol on WBZA-FM after that city enacted a historic policy that would extend trans health benefits to its employees.

During their Tuesday broadcast they unleashed a 12 minute transphobic tirade aimed at the local transgender community and a local trans feminine trans teen.   After that facts free transphobic rant, they poured gasoline on the fire by playing the Aerosmith song 'Dude Looks Like A Lady'

The rant earned Kimberly Ray and Barry Beck (any relation to Glenn?) an on-air suspension from the Entercom owned station that morphed into a termination.  

This from the station's Twitter feed:

"This morning Entercom fired Kimberly and Beck effective immediately. Their hateful comments against the transgender community do not represent our station or our company. We deeply apologize to the transgender community, the community of Rochester and anyone else who was offended by their comments. We are proud of our past work on behalf of the local LGBT community and we remain committed to that partnership."

The unemployed radio team will probably be getting a call from FOX Noise for an interview so they can be paraded around as the latest 'victims' of political correctness'.

Yeah, right.   Before her behind got fired, she defiantly doubled down on her vanilla scented privileged ignorance.

Freedom of Speech includes the freedom to offend others. You aren't granted a right to not be offended in this life #getoverit #ROC
— Kimberly (@Kimberly989buzz) May 21, 2014

Kimberly Ray, neither are you granted a right to be free from the consequences of your choice of using your First Amendment rights to offend people, especially when you have a 100,000 watt platform to do it from courtesy of your FCC licensed employer.

If you believe that, you've been watching too much FOX Noise. 

Free speech does not mean 'I get to say whatever hateful crap I wish about you and you STFU'.   Free speech has consequences.  You are free to say whatever negative crap you wish to say about my community, but you better be prepared to deal with the consequences because we have the same First Amendment rights to call your behinds out on it.  .

And if you haven't noticed, the trans community is not tolerating unwarranted fact free attacks on it any more. 

Ponder that while you're collecting your first unemployment check. 

Majic 102 Does The Haters Dirty Work For Them

KMJQ-FM aka Majic102 has been the longtime R&B station on our local FM radio dial since 1978.

It is owned by the African-American owned Radio One corporation, and has long been a Top 5 Arbitron rated station in the Houston radio market. 


Majic 102 since 2000 has been the local host station for the syndicated Tom Joyner Morning Show and Rev Al Sharpton's Sunday morning talk radio show.   So when the anti-HERO commercials started running in heavy rotation on its airwaves Sunday I was surprised and disappointed about it. 

But yesterday Majic 102 irresponsibly posted a story on their website about the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance by Robert Washington with the inflammatory and transphobic headline ' Mayor Parker Promotes Ordinance To Allow Men In Women's Restrooms (Your Thoughts) from a 'christian' website. 

And as you probably guessed, the predictable bigot eruptions and ignorance ensued in the comment threads.
   
It was an avalanche of transphobic negativity and derogatory phobic comments aimed at Mayor Parker in that comment thread, with logic and reason taking a backseat to fearmongering and over the top ignorance.  .

Never mind the fact the bathroom predator meme has been pimped by the anti-HERO forces since the proposed human rights law was introduced April 30 and has been widely debunked for the conservalie it is.

It's problematic that Majic 102 would link to an anti-HERO website that plays into the 'fear and smear'  anti-trans hatred continually propagated by the opponents of this much needed ordinance in this entire HERO debate.   I guess you forgot some of the Houston area African-American listeners KMJQ-FM targets are also members of the LGBT community who have been negatively affected by anti-TBLG discrimination in the Houston area that the HERO is designed to address.

We have also been affected by the faux faith-based hate speech coming from the opponents who are depressingly African-American ministers, and you added to that problem.. 

I guess it has escaped your attention Majic 102 that African-Americans are part of the team fighting hard for passage of this much needed human rights law.   The HERO has the support of the NAACP, the Urban League, 85% of the Houston African American community in a recent poll and various African-American local, state and federal legislators.

It also saddens and infuriates me Majic 102 that as a Radio One station, you have placed yourself on the wrong side of Houston history and human rights.   You promoted by linking to that problematic post long discredited bathroom predator lies that emerge every time human rights legislation is proposed that will protect the transgender community.   

As someone whose late father worked in this radio market for 35 years, I have an intimate knowledge of what the power of radio can do.  It can inspire people to be better politically aware human beings or can be negatively used to demonize oppressed folks by the tyranny of the majority  

Majic 102 unfortunately has veered down the opposite path over the last two days.   

KMJQ-FM, you owe the Houston transgender and SGL community an apology along with giving us an opportunity to debunk the bathroom predator lies either on-air or by posting an article on your website rebutting the problematic one.  

Not holding my breath that either one of those will happen.