OutSpoken Productions

OutSpoken Productions was an independent radio production company based in Manchester, United Kingdom between 1993 and 1996.

The company was commissioned by BBC Radio 1 to produce the first known series aimed specifically at young lesbians and gay men. loud'n'proud was targetted at 16-25 year olds and was presetned by DJ Paulette and featured a mixture of music and speach. It ran for six half-hour editions in 1993 followed a Christmas special, fronted by Paulette and Hufty.

The company went on to produce two series of the radio version of Dance Energy presented by Normski in 1994.

During 1994 OutSpoken convinced Radio 1 controller Matthew Bannister to commission them to produce a series of as-live inserts into the daytime output from the Gay Pride event, that year being staged at Finsbury Park. These were fronted by Kevin Greening and seen as such a success that the station began a regular presence at the annual Pride festival.

In 1994 and 1995 OutSpoken was commissioned to produce a daily series of whistle-stop tours around each of the locations of the Radio 1 Roadshow. 35 seaside locations were visited by the reporter and edited back in Manchester to be broadcast on the day of the Roadshow reaching town as the "2 minute tour".

In 1995 OutSpoken was commissioned to make a one hour documentary on the issue of drug use by musicians and its influence on pop music. "Lost In Music" was fronted by John Peel and featured new and archive material including interviews with: Boy George, Sister Sledge, Gus Dudgeon, Johnathan King, Annie Nightingale, John Lennon amongst others.

OutSpoken was run by Chris Kelly and Mark Ovenden. After OutSpoken closed down, Kelly continued freelancing as a presenter and Ovenden to work at Kiss 102.

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