When IN THE LIFE made its debut in 1992, the idea that gays and lesbians could—and should—have a regular presence on national television was unthinkable. In fact, before the first episode aired, Bob Dole had already condemned the show on the floor of the United States Senate.
IN THE LIFE’s mission represented, and remains, a major threat to those who would breed homophobia. IN THE LIFE did not then, and still does not, receive funding from PBS or the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
As the gay and lesbian community itself has changed over the years, the format of IN THE LIFE has evolved to reflect those changes. Introduced as an entertainment-based, variety show in its first season, IN THE LIFE has since evolved into the critically acclaimed in-the-field cultural newsmagazine series of today.
Landmark episodes have been IN THE LIFE coverage of the 1993 March On Washington, coverage of the 1994 Gay Games and Stonewall 25 event in New York, and a 1998 global episode where IN THE LIFE producers traveled to five countries to gauge the progress of gay rights on an international scale.
In 1992, just six public television stations carried IN THE LIFE. Since then, its distribution has grown dramatically to reach over 130 stations across the country.
IN THE LIFE provides programming free of charge to all public television stations through a satellite feed; any local affiliate who wishes may download and air the program. The current roster of stations reflects the result of more than ten years of grassroots lobbying to educate local programmers about the needs of their local communities. As a result, every IN THE LIFE broadcast demonstrates the direct participation of local viewers.
IN THE LIFE aims to be shown on as many public television stations throughout the United States as possible. So far IN THE LIFE can be seen in thirty-one states. Public stations in the remaining states still find IN THE LIFE content too controversial and worry about backlash from local viewers. Recent distribution victories have been the scheduling of IN THE LIFE by stations in rural Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, and Kansas.
IN THE LIFE boasts a diverse nine-member staff and a board of directors that include business and artistic representatives of the gay and lesbian community, as well as the corporate and foundation world.
Produced in a one-hour newsmagazine format, IN THE LIFE offers six new episodes per year which feature an average of five to six stories each. The season begins in October. Broadcasts are monthly in every region of the country, and nearly a quarter million viewers watch each episode in New York City alone.
In 1996, PBS flagship-station Thirteen/WNET became the presenting station for the series because of its belief that IN THE LIFE held an important role in serving the needs of the nation’s public television viewership. As the presenting station, Thirteen/WNET, the nation’s largest public television station, offers IN THE LIFE to the national network of public stations, demonstrating their full confidence in the quality and integrity the series.
Initially funded through grassroots contributions, membership dollars have remained IN THE LIFE’s single most consistent source of support.
