In the premiere episode, we go back to the beginnings of LGBTQ+ radio. And hear how it developed from the 1950s to the 1970s. And we meet the host and producer of The Gay Life, Randy Alfred (pictured above!)
Revisiting The Gay Life is a new 12-episode series from KALW’s Queer Power Hour. It explores a pivotal moment in SF’s LGBTQ history — from the rise of Harvey Milk to the early days of what would later be called AIDS.
We reconsider this time through a perhaps unexpected lens: a radio show called The Gay Life that aired on KSAN, a commercial rock and roll station in the Bay Area in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Revisiting The Gay Life is produced by KALW Public Media in collaboration with the GLBT Historical Society and The Gay Life's longtime host Randy Alfred.
LIVE EVENT: July 15th, 2026
Join us for a conversation about the history and future of LGBTQ radio on July 15th at 7pm at KALW’s community event space at 220 Montgomery Street in downtown San Francisco. I’ll be in conversation with Randy Alfred from The Gay Life, Eric Jansen, host and producer of Out in the Bay, and Chana Wilson, who produced Radio Free Lesbian for KPFA in the mid 1970s. To learn more and RSVP.
