Outlook Media was a Columbus, Ohio-based lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) lifestyle and advocacy company for the Ohio queer and allied community from 1995 until late 2017. Their flagship product, Outlook Columbus was a news, politics, and lifestyle magazine. Outlook Media also published High Street Neighborhoods, managed Columbus' LGBT and allied business networking group, Network Columbus, and partnered with the Ohio Historical Society to form the Gay Ohio History Initiative. In 2015, Outlook Media began to publish The Love Big LGBT Wedding Expo Guide, and began holding Love Big LGBT Wedding Expos throughout Ohio.
Outlook Columbus was a monthly lifestyle and advocacy magazine geared toward Ohio's LGBT and urban progressive communities. Editorial coverage includes politics, small businesses, arts & entertainment, health & wellness, faith, fashion, sports, interviews, horoscopes, events and community news. With content that contains both locally and nationally focused features.[1] The publication replaced Outlook Weekly as the company's primary publication. With over 25,000 print copies distributed monthly, the magazine can be found for free in over 3,000 locations throughout Ohio, including local libraries, restaurants, and night clubs or by paid, home-delivery subscription. Outlook Columbus differentiates itself from similar LGBT publications by its advertising. Outlook doesn't limit its partners to gay-owned or gay-themed advertisers but also gay-friendly or straight owned but open-minded type businesses including national advertisers Bank One, Time Warner, and American Express among local businesses.[2] The magazine's content is diverse as well, targeting a large cross section of the community while at the same time speaking to specific groups under the large LGBT umbrella.[1] According to studies listed on their corporate website, Outlook Columbus is the number one media choice for the Columbus LGBT and allied community, the number one media choice for newcomers to Columbus who have been in the city for 5 years or less, and the number two print choice for African Americans in Columbus.[1]
Outlookohio.com was the magazine's online counterpart. Boasting 100 times the content of the print publication, the website keeps readers engaged all month long with fresh daily content, news, event photos, contests, polls, videos and reader comments.
In 2015, Outlook celebrated 20 years of publishing.
In June 2017, Outlook ceased publication.
Love Big LGBT Wedding Expos
Ohio's only LGBT and allied wedding expo series, Love Big Expos offer a safe and welcoming place for LGBT couples to meet vendors who are committed to marriage equality and excited to serve the LGBT community. Love Big relieves the added stress of coming out to potentially non-supportive vendors by putting equality-minded businesses all in one place. Because Ohio still does not legally recognize marriage equality, LGBT couples have to go out of state to get their licensing. However, more and more Ohio LGBT couples are choosing to hold their big religious ceremonies and receptions in the state.
Events are free and open to the public. Straight couples are welcome, too.
Love Big LGBT Wedding Guide
Ohio's first print and digital LGBT wedding guide & directory, Love Big Wedding Guide is a free, full color, perfect bound 9″ x 10.875″, premium paper stock magazine featuring equality-minded vendors servicing the Ohio market. The advertorial-focused guidebook is complemented by original industry focused content. Over 50,000 copies will be distributed statewide annually to wedding vendors, shops, universities, restaurants, coffee houses, libraries, community centers and subscribers.
Live Local Columbus Magazine was a joint venture with Columbus, Ohio's shop local program, The Small Business Beanstalk. Live Local focused on the authentic experiences of Columbus locals, telling their stories and curating the best possible Columbus experiences for readers.
Network Columbus
Network Columbus has been dubbed Central Ohio's 'gay chamber of commerce.' [4] The organization, with 3000 members, provides networking events, educational programs, business advocacy and linkages with other business and professional organizations with the purpose to lead and support economic growth within the central Ohio LGBT community.[5]
Gay Ohio History Initiative
Outlook Media and The Ohio Historical Society created this initiative to include memorabilia and memories for gays across the state.[6] As of summer 2010, two exhibits, Remembering the Berwick Ball, and The International Drag King Community Extravaganza Exhibit, have been curated by the Gay Ohio History initiative. A traveling exhibit is in the works.[7]
Past Publications and Initiatives
Radio Outlook
Radio Outlook is a weekly GLBT talk-radio show and the first of its kind in Ohio. Hosted by Chris Hayes and Chad Frye, the show has a leftward lean, targeting the GLBT community but is enjoyed by a larger audience who enjoyed current events and friendly, informed banter.[8]
TV Outlook
TV Outlook is similar in format to Radio Outlook. It was available on WDEM-CD.
Outlook
Outlook was the company's first publication. It was a bi-weekly newspaper and followed a newspaper approach in layout based in strong journalism and professional design, rather than serving as a promotional publication for the Greater Columbus LGBT community. Circulation was between 8,000 and 12,000 and distributed to over 200 locations.
Outlook Weekly
Outlook Weekly replaced Outlook as the companies primary publication. Published every week rather than every other week, the newspaper had similar content and format. In 2004, the publication switched content slightly, from just a news tabloid to a lifestyle tabloid as well.
History
Outlook Publishing, Inc. was founded by co-owners and publishers Jeffrey D. Cox and Jim Ryan in the spring of 1995 with the primary purpose of publishing their paper titled Outlook. Ryan was editor and managed distribution while Cox managed finances, layout, and design from his home. The paper relied on volunteer initiative and freelance reporters to operate. Before Outlook's establishment, the only other GLBT focused publications in Ohio were the Gay People's Chronicle, which was based out of Cleveland, and a monthly publication from Stonewall Columbus. Outlook was created to fill the void as a news voice for the Columbus community.
Under Cox, and Ryan's ownership, the newspaper quickly became respected as a professional news source. In the fall of 1998, Outlook earned five writing awards, called the Vice Versa Awards for Excellence in the Gay and Lesbian Press, from the National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Association and received third place for Best Newspaper in the weekly or bi-weekly category. These awards were given for the paper's approach to controversial topics and the effect they had on the Columbus community. For example, when Outlook published a piece about anti-gay harassment by members of the Ohio State University wrestling team, the OSU Athletic Department created mandatory sexual orientation cultural competence training for all its employees.
In early 1999, Outlook Publishing, Inc. was sold to Lynn Greer, Jose Rodriguez, and Malcolm Riggle operating from Riggle's offices in Worthington, Ohio. Within the year Rodriguez sold his share of the company to Greer and Riggle.
In the fall of 2003, Malcom Riggle assumed sole-ownership of company operations. Under his leadership, Outlook Weekly became a lifestyle tabloid. That November, Outlook Publishing, Inc. changed names to Outlook Media, Inc. Two years later, in the fall of 2005, Outlook teamed with the Ohio Historical Society to form the Gay Ohio History Initiative.[9] Also within the year, the magazine saw controversy in a surrounding Columbus, Ohio suburb. Some members of the Upper Arlington community tried to ban the newspaper from its libraries, but after library board discussions the paper was decided to remain available to patrons.[10]
In 2006, Outlook Media changed ownership after seven years under Malcom Riggle. Chris Hayes and Michael Daniels bought the company and moved Outlook's offices to The Short North.[11] Under their leadership, Outlook Weekly's audience expanded to the Columbus progressive community while still maintaining its readership base in the GLBT community.[12] In the summer of 2008, Outlook Media started its radio program, Radio Outlook which lasted one year.[12]
Outlook Weekly changed format to a monthly magazine in 2009, changing names to Outlook Columbus. The final issue of Outlook Weekly was released on March 25, 2009.[13] The monthly format changed the look of the publication by upgrading to paper stock and including more in-depth features while still remaining free to the public.[14]Outlook Columbus has had successful pieces including an article interview with Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel that reached national acclaim. The piece was reprinted on March 3, 2010 in Outsports, which caters to the gay sports community.[15] From here, news of the article reached ESPN, where it was reprinted again on March 4.[16]Sports Illustrated then picked up the story and positively commented on the Tressel interview on March 8, 2010. After the Sports Illustrated article, the story went viral across the country including reports by the San Francisco Chronicle[17] and The Advocate's '150 Reasons to Have Pride' among others.[18]
In July 2012 Chad Frye and Bob Vitale of the Columbus Dispatch joined Christopher Hayes as Co-owners and Co-publishers. The additional partners created capacity to re-launch the publication across the entire state of Ohio, with major distribution hubs in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo, Dayton, Youngstown, Canton, and Akron.
In June 2016, Co-publishers Chad Frye and Robert Vitale exited the company, leaving Christopher Hayes as sole owner and publisher.
In July 2017 Outlook ceased publication, and the assets of the company were liquidated.
The Washington Blade is an LGBT newspaper in the Washington metropolitan area. The Blade is the oldest LGBT newspaper in the United States and third largest by circulation, behind the Philadelphia Gay News and the Gay City News of New York City. The Blade is often referred to as America's gay newspaper of record because it chronicled LGBT news locally, nationally, and internationally. The New York Times said the Blade is considered "one of the most influential publications written for a gay audience."
Outlook or The Outlook may refer to:
The Columbus Dispatch is a daily newspaper based in Columbus, Ohio. Its first issue was published on July 1, 1871, and it has been the only mainstream daily newspaper in the city since The Columbus Citizen-Journal ceased publication in 1985.
OUTLOOKS was a Canadian LGBT magazine, published 10 times annually. Founded by Roy Heale in 1997 as a newsprint monthly, in 2009 the publication was purchased by Brett Taylor and was changed to a full gloss lifestyle magazine for the LGBT community. The head office was located in Calgary, Alberta.
Frontiers was Southern California's oldest and largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) magazine. Founded in 1981, it was distributed freely at gay bars, clubs and businesses throughout Southern California. The biweekly publication focused on local, national and international news related to the LGBT community, entertainment, as well as coverage of HIV/AIDS-related topics and other important issues, in addition to its popular escort listings section, Frontiers4Men. As of February 2014, it had a staff of 19 and claimed a readership of 270,000.
The Other Paper was an alternative weekly news publication that served the Greater Columbus, Ohio area from 1990 to 2013.
The National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) is a U.S. not-for-profit advocacy group that aims to expand the economic opportunities and advancement of the LGBT business community. Its headquarters are in NW in Washington, D.C. NGLCC is the exclusive certifying body for LGBT-owned businesses known as LGBT Business Enterprises (LGBTBEs), and advocates for LGBT business inclusion in corporate and government supplier diversity programs. In October 2017, the organization changed its name from the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce to National LGBT Chamber of Commerce to better reflect the entire LGBT business community it serves.
Columbus Monthly is a magazine that has been an important and influential voice in Central Ohio. The magazine which was created in June 1975 has a well-earned reputation for tweaking the local establishment, challenging the monopoly daily on breaking news and providing a much-needed perspective and alternative voice on political and civic issues. It is also known for its heavily researched service pieces, such as Best of Columbus, and extensive restaurant coverage. It is a member of the City and Regional Magazine Association (CRMA).
Metrosource is an American LGBTQ magazine. The bi-monthly gay and lesbian lifestyle magazine and business directory has three editions: Metrosource NY, Metrosource LA and Metrosource National. The magazine is distributed in print and digital formats.
The Bay Area Reporter is a free weekly LGBT newspaper serving the LGBT communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is one of the largest-circulation LGBT newspapers in the United States, and the country's oldest continuously published newspaper of its kind.
Between the Lines is an LGBT newspaper in the Michigan area. It is headquartered in Livonia, Metro Detroit. It is a member publication of the National Gay Media Association and is affiliated with Q Syndicate, an LGBT content provider founded in 1995.
Laurentian Media Group was a Canadian newspaper and magazine publishing company. Founded in 1973 by Michael Atkins, Laurentian published several titles in the Greater Sudbury, Ontario area, including the twice-weekly community newspaper Northern Life, the magazines Northern Ontario Business and Sudbury Living, and the trade publication Sudbury Mining Solutions Journal, as well as several national and international digital publications, including SCOREGolf and IT World Canada.
Genre magazine was a New York city-based monthly periodical from 1992 to 2009 written for gay men. It was owned by gay press publisher Window Media.
Q-Notes is a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) newspaper serving North Carolina and South Carolina. It is based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Published every other week, it has a circulation of 11,000 print copies and is the largest print publication serving the LGBT community in the American Southeast. The paper traces its origins to the monthly newsletter of the Queen City Quordinators, a Charlotte LGBT organization, which they began publishing in 1983. In 1986, Qnotes changed to a monthly tabloid. In 2006, it merged with the Raleigh, N.C. LGBT newspaper The Front Page.
The Columbus Free Press is an American alternative journal published in Columbus, Ohio, since 1970. Founded as an underground newspaper centered on anti-war and student activist issues, after the winding down of the Vietnam War it successfully made the transition to the alternative weekly format focusing on lifestyles, alternative culture, and investigative journalism, while continuing to espouse progressive politics. Although published monthly, it has also had quarterly, bi-weekly and weekly schedules at various times in its history, with plans calling for a return to a weekly format by the end of 2014.
The GLBT Historical Society maintains an extensive collection of archival materials, artifacts and graphic arts relating to the history of LGBT people in the United States, with a focus on the LGBT communities of San Francisco and Northern California.
The Houston GLBT Community Center was a community center for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people and their allies in the Houston metropolitan area and southeast Texas. Its last location was in the Dow School building in the Sixth Ward of Houston.
The Cleveland Jewish News is a weekly Jewish newspaper headquartered in Beachwood, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. The newspaper contains local, national, and international news of Jewish interest.
Columbus, Ohio is served by several newspapers, magazines, and television and radio stations.
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