The first Czech radio station aimed at the LGBTQ+ community is launching. “Our doors are truly open to everyone,” say the founders. How does Q Radio plan to attract listeners?
Until now, there has been no radio station in the Czech media landscape aimed specifically at the LGBTQ+ community. That is set to change on 9 September, when the new Radio Q launches its online broadcasts. Alongside contemporary music, it aims to tackle topics such as coming out, relationships, prevention, mental health, transgender people and rainbow families. At the same time, however, its creators emphasise that they do not want to create a closed community bubble and aim to reach a mainstream audience as well.
Behind the project are people associated with the European People & Media association and WorldRadio, which has long focused on ethnic minorities living in the Czech Republic. Radio Q was founded by Gerhard Hadi, an experienced radio presenter and one of the faces of WorldRadio, and René Kekely, a presenter, journalist and programme director of the new station.
Can you recall the moment when you first thought that a dedicated radio station focusing on the LGBT+ community should be set up in the Czech Republic?
Gerhard Hadi: I remember exactly the moment when I first presented this idea to my colleagues at a meeting. I told them I had a dream – to create the first LGBTQ+ radio station in the Czech Republic. At first, they looked at me with a bit of scepticism; René even nearly fell off his chair – though in a good way. The name came to me straight away: Q Radio, derived from the word ‘queer’. The plan was to start with online broadcasting first and gradually expand nationwide. My colleagues weren’t entirely enthusiastic at first, because they knew we’d have a huge amount of work ahead of us and, unfortunately, plenty of negative reactions – the sort we regularly encounter with this topic, for example in connection with Prague Pride. But I was determined to go for it. Subsequently, my colleagues, friends from the US and I worked intensively to build a truly professional radio station with high-quality jingles and content. We’ll see how we get on in the end.
So you’re starting out as an online radio station. But do you also expect that, in the future, people will be able to tune into Q Radio on a standard radio receiver?
Gerhard Hadi: Yes, we’re planning to broadcast digitally. These days, digital receivers are already the norm, so I don’t see any problem with that.
Why did you choose the radio format at all, in an age of Spotify, podcasts and other streaming platforms? Do you think traditional radio broadcasting still has its appeal?
Gerhard Hadi: I’m convinced that radio still has enormous relevance and an irreplaceable significance today. Although we live in a technologically advanced era full of streaming platforms, radio still manages to connect with people. We see this with our own WorldRadio, which has been on air for six years now. It has a loyal listener base that’s constantly growing, precisely because it offers something unique. Q Radio will have a similar character. Although it is primarily aimed at the LGBTQ+ community, its reach will be much broader. I believe it will also appeal to the mainstream listener, who will tune in for quality music and interesting information. That is why I have absolutely no concerns about the future of this format.
From what you’re saying, it also seems that you don’t want to target only the LGBT+ community. How broad an audience do you think should find their way to Q Radio?
Gerhard Hadi: That’s exactly what we’re planning. We want mainstream listeners to find their way to us too, including people who may harbour certain prejudices or stereotypes about the community. Through the radio, we want to show that the image of the LGBTQ+ community sometimes portrayed by the media does not fully reflect reality. We are a perfectly normal part of society and there is no reason to be afraid of us. People are often afraid of what they do not know.
René Kékely: At the same time, however, we do not want to be a station that dictates to people what they should or should not do. Personally, I’m not keen on excessive activism. I belong to a generation that lived through a time when prominent figures fought for gay rights in a natural and graceful way. I was fortunate enough to be friends with Helena Růžičková, Václav Glazar and Eduard Cupák. For these people, the main concern was that the majority of society should treat us as equals and not make distinctions between us. That’s why I find the tendency of some LGBT+ people to unnecessarily set themselves apart a bit troubling. We want to take the path of building connections. Our topics will cover a broad spectrum, and we want to give a voice to people across the whole of society – not just within the Czech Republic, but globally.
How will this vision be reflected in the programme itself? What exactly will listeners hear when Q Radio goes on air?
Gerhard Hadi: I want to reassure listeners that we won’t ‘dump’ absolutely everything on them on the very first day. Initially, we’ll focus on helping people get to know our music and our website. Every evening from 7 pm, we’ll be playing great dance music, just like what’s currently playing in the clubs, and during the day listeners can look forward to high-quality contemporary international music. They’ll hear icons such as Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande and Dua Lipa. Over the course of the first month, we’ll then gradually start adding presented programmes and specific shows. One of these, Queer Life, will focus on the life challenges associated with coming out, and navigating life at school and within the family. We’ll be inviting experts to discuss HIV prevention and mental health, and we also want to talk openly about the lives of transgender people.
And who will be guiding listeners through the broadcasts? Do you already know who will be the voice of Q Radio and who will be sitting behind the microphone?
Gerhard Hadi: We’re still looking for the official ‘voice of the radio’. René is the programme director.
René Kékely: The whole team will be getting involved. You’ll hear voices you already know from WorldRadio, including mine and Gerhard’s, but we’re constantly on the lookout for new faces and voices. We’re striving to ensure a balanced representation of male and female presenters. As well as specialist health topics, we also want to offer insights from abroad – for example, we have a brilliant colleague from Poland who can report on the social situation there. We’ll be giving a platform to young talent as well as Czechoslovak legends who have become icons of the community, from Hana Zagorová and Petr Kotvald to contemporary singers such as Tereza Mašková.
So, alongside the global perspective, will the Czech scene also have a place in the programme?
René Kékely: Absolutely. And we’ll be focusing not only on music, but on culture in general. Take the history of film, for example – few people today realise that the heartthrob Jean Marais was gay and lived with the renowned artist Jean Cocteau.
Gerhard Hadi: We want to integrate these educational and interesting facts naturally into our broadcasts. It’s also essential for us to open the doors to the younger generation. At WorldRadio, we had an excellent transgender presenter, Marion, and we’re looking forward to similar talents at Q Radio too.
Will individual programmes have fixed broadcast times so that listeners know when to tune in?
Gerhard Hadi: Yes, the programmes will have a fixed schedule so that listeners can get used to their regularity.
And will Q Radio itself broadcast non-stop?
Gerhard Hadi: Completely non-stop, 24 hours a day. The broadcast format will be seamless, much like listening to a playlist on Spotify. We don’t want to interrupt the broadcast by unnecessarily inserting jingles after every song. The radio is meant to serve as pleasant background noise, whether you’re at work or in the car. As well as our regular broadcasts, we’ll of course be very active on social media.
Thanks to WorldRadio, you already have a certain infrastructure and experience in place. But how challenging is it, in reality, to set up a completely new radio station and build a separate brand around it?
René Kékely: It’s very challenging. We live in an age where you face criticism even before you’ve actually started anything. Nevertheless, we’re already seeing a huge wave of positive reactions from the LGBT+ community and beyond. People are looking forward to the music and content that’s currently missing here. We’re not a public service broadcaster, so we can afford to be much more creative and flexible in our choice of guests. At the same time, we’re not backed by any oligarchs or financial groups. We’re making bespoke radio, the way we enjoy it and the way that makes sense to us.
Our aim is also to help. Gerhard mentioned the topic of coming out. The younger generation copes with it much better these days, but for people in their fifties or sixties, it can still be an incredibly difficult life decision. We want to give people courage, to show them that they have nothing to be ashamed of and that they are not alone in this.
Gerhard Hadi: That’s right. I’ve been through it myself. I come from a very traditional Jewish-Romani family in the deeply Catholic region of eastern Slovakia. Coming out years ago was by no means easy. Although the situation is changing today, partly thanks to the media, it still poses a major problem in many families and regions.
The family you’re born into and the environment you grow up in still play a major role. Do you want to offer any specific help to people who find themselves in a difficult situation?
Gerhard Hadi: Absolutely. In future, we plan to launch a social, legal and psychological advice service on our website. If, for example, a young person finds themselves on the streets following a conflict with their parents or is facing bullying, they will be able to contact an expert via chat, who will advise them or refer them to the appropriate organisation.
But similar services already exist in the Czech Republic, such as the ‘S barvou ven’ advice centre linked to Prague Pride. Isn’t there a risk that you’ll be competing with each other?
Gerhard Hadi: We certainly don’t see ourselves as competitors. We don’t want to compete with anyone.
So, on the contrary, are you planning to collaborate with organisations that are already working on LGBT+ issues in the Czech Republic?
René Kékely: We’d be delighted to. Some organisations are already reaching out to us of their own accord. Personally, I’m convinced that we should help one another and support our common cause, rather than fighting against each other. Any organisation or individual who has something to say will find our doors open to them.
Gerhard Hadi: We’re planning to link up with projects such as S barvou ven and Ara Art. I can’t see a single reason why we shouldn’t join forces.
Q Radio is only just getting started, but you’re already talking about further development. Where would you like to be in a year’s time? What is your ideal vision of a successful Q Radio?
Gerhard Hadi: I can actually already see that success. The aim is to launch nationwide digital broadcasting via DAB+ during 2027. I want Q Radio to become a strong, respected brand and a high-quality radio station whose visuals are instantly recognisable.
René Kékely: We’ve deliberately designed our visuals to be very clean and modern. Whilst we do use the colours of the rainbow, we stick to tasteful, pastel shades so that they appear timeless and appeal to a heterosexual audience as well. We don’t want to come across as overly serious or aggressively activist. We want to bring people together and make them feel good. After all, the best way to change society for the better is through personal, positive examples from everyday life.
Gerhard Hadi: I’d also like to highlight that we’re planning to work closely with the ‘Jsme fér’ initiative in the future. The issue of marriage for all is often needlessly demonised in society, and we want to explain openly that same-sex unions pose no threat to anyone.
It is precisely in the case of same-sex couples that the debate today often shifts from the relationships themselves to families and children. In the Czech Republic, for example, there remains a difference in the legal designation of the union and in the possibilities for joint adoption. Do you also intend to address the experiences of rainbow families in the programme?
René Kékely: Absolutely. But it’s fair to say that the situation here is improving in many practical respects, whether it’s inheritance or foster care. There are legal avenues to ensure the safety of a child growing up with a non-biological parent. We know plenty of rainbow families that work wonderfully and often offer children a much better and more loving environment than many so-called traditional families. We want to highlight these positive examples and speak openly about just how challenging and bureaucratically complex the very journey to parenthood is for these couples.
Gerhard Hadi: We want to explore these topics both from the perspective of experts and through real-life stories of ordinary people. We’ll also be using the video podcast format for this.
If you had to say in one sentence why a listener should tune in to Q Radio for the first time on 9 September, what would you tell them?
Gerhard Hadi: If they want to listen to great music, learn interesting facts and are proud of who they are, they should definitely tune in to us.
René Kékely: I’d add that there’s been a lack of something like this on the Czech market. Although we’re an LGBTQ+ radio station, our doors are truly open to everyone.
