THE annual Independent on Sunday Pink List, published yesterday, Sunday 13 October 2013, features Britain’s most influential lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Toby Whitehouse, Station Director of the UK’s LGBT radio station, Gaydio, was placed at number 29.
This year saw over 1,300 nominations from the public run past a panel of judges to create a final list of 101 people, which is topped by transgender rights activist Paris Lees. The Independent states: 'The judges decided that a Pink List contender can no longer simply be lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender and famous. They need to make a difference'.
Toby Whitehouse co-founded Gaydio with Ian Wallace in 2006, where it was conceived as a pop-up station for Manchester Pride. After a series of pilot broadcasts, Gaydio launched a full time FM service for Manchester in 2010. In January 2013, Gaydio acquired the DAB licences for London and the Sussex Coast previously operated by GaydarRadio, making it the UK’s only full time LGBT broadcast platform and the largest gay radio station in the world.
Toby comments; “I’m absolutely thrilled to have placed on the Pink List. Its a great credit to the whole team at Gaydio. I’m really pleased that the importance of having a dedicated radio station for LGB&T people in the UK has been acknowledged by The Independent on Sunday ”.
Toby has previously been featured by Attitude Magazine in their Role Models issue and by the Radio Academy in their '30 Under 30'. Prior to launching Gaydio, he worked at BBC Radio Manchester and currently presents mid-mornings on Gaydio alongside running the output of the station. He is on the committee for the Radio Academy North West branch.
For the full list Independent on Sunday's Pink List click here. For more information on Gaydio visit www.gaydio.co.uk - suffice to say Gaydio broadcasts on 88.4FM in Greater Manchester and on DAB in London and Sussex. It claims to have 500,000 weekly listeners.
