GLINN Gay Lesbian International News Network History and Goals

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GLINN History, Goals and Purpose

Photo: GLPA Director and Dan Schramm Back in 1989 the Gay/Lesbian International News Network was launched. It was housed on the GLINN Multi-Board Super System BBS. The computer bulletin board system was a direct dial system starting with one telephone line and growing to 7 lines. The BBS existed before the internet. The BBS was used for our news system and general access for the public. We also used the BBS for our customers to upload files for our phototypesetting business. GLINN provided the production services for the Wisconsin Light newspaper for ten years, and for InStep Magazine for six years.

The purpose of the business was to provide news services to the gay/lesbian media. GLINN was endorsed by the Gay- Lesbian Press Association and we were visited by the GLPA executive director (as shown in the photograph - left and Dan Schramm, GLINN executive editor right). GLINN at the time was intended as a news distribution service as it simply was not possible to be a full fledged news service like UPI or AP for such a single purpose or small market.

We did a mailing to all gay-lesbian newspapers, and engaged in other activities to promote the system. Unfortunately, this was long before the World Wide Web and being a local BBS necessitating long distance calls for access limited its appeal.

Also unfortunately for GLINN, the Associated Press made a decision to go after gay and lesbian publications. The Newsfinder Service, operated by Agri-Data Research, sold news to small media outlets that AP could not be bothered with directly. Newsfinder aggressively went after gay publications. This happened within two weeks of our mailing to gay publications. Talk about bad timing.

Most ironic of all, Agri-Data is located right here in Milwaukee, WI, about six blocks from our offices. Agri-Data, interestingly, has lost nearly $5 million a year on revenues of about $10 million for the last eight years. It has never broken even or shown a profit. It even has Microsoft founder Paul Allen as one of its backers, but still can't seem to get its act together. If we too had tens of millions of dollars in venture capital, we would have had one hell of a news service.

The Associated Press on the other hand, is doing just fine. Its only competition, United Press International (UPI), was badly wounded by near bankruptcy, only being rescued at the last minute by Arab investors.

As the only game in town, AP through the Newsfinder service, has signed up a majority of the gay press.

There was simply no way that GLINN could compete in this environment. One of its successes, due to a tragic string of serial murders, was coverage of the Jeffrey Dahmer trial. We supplied news stories from the gay perspective and photographs to many gay newspapers around the nation, including the Advocate, Frontiers, Washington Blade, Equal Time, Southern Voice, Shepherd Express, Heartland, and Wisconsin Light.

The news service continued until about 1998 on the BBS when we took it off due to lack of use. We also had a full-fledged typesetting facility and provided the typesetting and photostat services for both of Wisconsin's gay/lesbian publications (The Wisconsin Light and In Step Magazine.

The Gay/Lesbian International News Network was listed since 1990 in the Ameritech Yellow Pages under "News Service", right below the Associated Press listing. The GLINN Multi-Board Super System has also been listed since the same time. In fact, we had the category "Computer Bulletin Boards" created in the Yellow Pages.

There are things about the current arrangements that need to be considered. Although there are advantages for news publications in getting news from the AP, there are also some drawbacks.

The gay perspective is lost. Straight reporters just aren't looking for the news and information that would best serve the gay/lesbian community. All AP members get the same exact story, so it is difficult for any paper to distinguish itself on national reporting, and the local straight publications are getting the exact same story. Assimulation is doing in the gay media.

Use of the Associated Press is also draining money from the gay community. We are helping to support straight reporters, photographers and artists to the detriment of our own. With all the money going to build the profit margins of AP, there is much less money to provide support to our own community's media people. There is much less money for any reporting from the gay/lesbian perspective. And these gay/lesbian individuals have less money to spend at other businesses within our community. There is an overreliance on straight people for the live-blood of our community, which is news and information.

There is no gay press association. GLPA failed many years ago due to a general apathy of the gay/lesbian media. Basically, the media wanted benefits and services that GLPA could not provide and they didn't want to have to pay any meaningful amount of dues. There is also a great deal of competition between publications and trying to get them to agree on anything was most difficult.

A couple of other gay news services were attempted, based on the computer bulletin board model and they enjoyed some modest success, but eventually failed. We got initial mailings from them, but then never heard from them again, except online for a relatively short period. The syndicate of features has been more successful. GLINN's attempt at syndicating cartoons and similar content was not successful at all.

The WWW changes the model somewhat, but still, there is no economically justifiable way to do a gay/lesbian news service in the traditional sense. However, there are things that CAN be done, and we are going to be doing them on this web site.

Purposes and Goals:

GLINN provides a central forum for the gay media. We hope to help build a sense of community and foster cooperation within the gay media industry. Conferences will be added to the system shortly to allow interactive discussions.

GLINN provides a central market where publications and freelance writers, photographers, and others can get together to do business, both here and on our Gay Media Database site at www.gaydata.com.

GLINN provides a forum for media people within our community to contact each other and the gay media.

GLINN provides support and information for individuals working in the gay/lesbian media throughout the world

A central place were gay organizations and businesses can publish there news releases to a wide audience without being at the mercy of the gay print media.

To provide a central agency for accreditation and support of gay/lesbian journalists throughout the world.

Such future goals and purposes to be determined to meet the needs of the gay/lesbian media throughout the world.

Updates:

GLINN Media Corporation divested itself of some websites and is concentrating on its core services and operations. GLINN Media Corporation is now a division of Blue Planet Offices, Inc., a Florida corporation. Dan Schramm who founded GLINN is the CEO of Blue Planet Offices, Inc.

Dan Schramm also operates a number of web sites personally which are not part of the corporation. These include ukraineinsider.com, ukrainetruth.com, markkohl.com, keywestscamclub.com, paradisetransmission.com, and others.

Blue Planet Offices, Inc. offers a number of business services and operates business websites and websites concerning Key West, FL. Visit www.blueplanetoffices.com for more detailed information.

GLINN offers a portable television studio for rental in Key West, FL together with video and audio production services at www.televisionkeywest.com. We are also in the process of producing a documentary and other video projects.

We are currently working on editing a documentary on the AIDS Quilt Memorial Weekend. Video clips, photographs and articles are available at www.ragefilm.com. Additional video is available at www.gaybox.net.

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