By Emerson Rice
Starting your very own talk show can be a daunting task, but with the right people, passion, and message, you can create a successful show that lasts a generation. Just follow these simple steps, as proven by Bi Cities!, a talk show by, for, and about the bi+ community and its friends and allies that has lasted over 20 years. Along the way, it has garnered awards and accolades including Producer of the Year Award from the Saint Paul Neighborhood Network, and Community Organization Community Recognition Award from the Bisexual Organizing Project.
Most recently, Lisa Vecoli, the interim director of the Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection in Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Studies (the largest LGBTQ-specific archival repository in the upper Midwest, housed at the University of Minnesota) approached BiCities! with a grant to digitize all its episodes for their collection. On Valentine’s Day 2022, over 300 episodes became a part of the Tretter Collection, making it the largest repository of archival bi video material in the world.
Find the Right Host
Finding the right host is crucial for the success of any talk show. For Bill Burleson, author of BAmerica: Myths, Truths, and Struggles of an Invisible Community, finding the hosts was a pretty simple feat. He wanted to connect with the Bi+ community by taking advantage of cable television and brought the concept to Dr. Marge Charmoli, a local bisexual activist and psychologist. Marge suggested, “Maybe we should just do an interview show.”
Meanwhile, Kathy Shane was pitching the show to Dr. Anita Kozan, a member of the Bisexual Organizing Project board. Anita and Marge were life partners at the time and, upon learning that both had been approached about doing the show, they decided it would be fun to host it together.
So, Bi Cities!, a show to increase bi visibility and educate the community about bi issues was born. Its name was Anita’s brainchild (a play on bisexuality and its location in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota).
Assemble a Crew
Assembling an awesome crew helps episodes run smoothly. Bi Cities began with a small team of volunteers: Bill as director, Anita and Marge as hosts, Tom Lysfjord as lighting and floor manager, and Jim Wright on cameras. Their first filming took place in September 2002 at Minneapolis Telecommunications Network, and they hit the ground running.
Within a year or so others followed, including Paul Craven as the sound engineer and Gregg Lind, Charlie Copper, and musician Future Lisa on cameras.
The early crew of Bi Cities was hardworking and welcoming. They were always willing to teach anyone how to use a camera and were open to new people joining the team. They had a deep understanding of the issues facing the bi community and had a lot of fun working together in the booth, calling it “play time for adults.”
Marge and Anita’s personal relationship ended, and they began hosting the show separately in 2005. In 2007, Bill moved on to other endeavors. Faced with a decision, Anita and Marge believed that the show must go on and became co-producers. They resumed co-hosting the show under the direction of Erica Rogers who had been working on cameras up until then. They moved the filming location to the Saint Paul Neighborhood Network (SPNN) studios in St. Paul. Throughout the next few years, second generation crew members including Kathleen Culhane, Rosemary K, Robin Kinney, and 12-year-old Daniel Thomas-Commins came on board. They remained at that location until 2015 when they went on hiatus while SPNN’s new building was under construction. During that time Erica and Robin left the show. The search for a new director began and would take a few years.
In 2018, Bi Cities moved into the new SPNN building, kicking off its third generation of crew members including Sally Corbet from the Bisexual Organizing Project, AJ and Mark Demulling, and Emerson Rice. This period of production was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it seemed the show would not continue.
Sadly, Tom Lysfjord, the longest-tenured crew member of Bi Cities!, died unexpectedly in April 2022. At a memorial luncheon for Tom with crew members and alumni, attendees decided to get the show running again, kicking off its current iteration. Erica and Robin rejoined, with Erica resuming her role as director. Jillian LaCombe, Jennifer Cox, and Annie Zemble joined in the fall and Bi Cities! resumed filming on site at the BECAUSE conference in October 2022. Every episode going forward includes a memorial to Tom, who was an integral and beloved part of the crew and the reason the show is still running today.
Interview Impactful People
Finding people with a strong message and story is imperative in making a great talk show. In the Bi+ community, it’s easy, as there are plenty of stories that have yet to be told. The crew began finding guests through their personal networks and attending events in the community. Tom brought Bi Cities! business cards wherever he went to publicize the show. Eventually, prospective guests began to contact Marge and Anita to be interviewed.
The hosts aimed to find bi pioneers, luminaries, and allies who had compelling stories. From the beginning, they made a point of highlighting diversity, intersectionality, and inclusivity. While the focus remained on increasing bi visibility, they brought in guests of all sexual orientations, gender identities, racial backgrounds, and ability statuses. They interviewed activists, educators, politicians, radio personalities, religious leaders, atheists, actors, writers, musicians, magazine editors, athletic directors, experts in human sexuality, health care providers, parents, kids, partners/spouses, and community leaders. Some notable guests included Dr. Fritz Klein, psychiatrist, a founding father of the bi movement and author of The Bisexual Option (1978); Robyn Ochs, international bi+ activist, speaker, and author; local bi pioneers Scott Bartell, Gary Lingen, and Lou Hoffman; Jean-Nikolaus Tretter, historian who amassed an archival collection of books, letters, and memorabilia that became the aforementioned University of Minnesota’s Tretter Collection; and Andrea Jenkins, the first openly transgender Black woman elected to public office in the U.S.
They are among the ranks of many LGBTQIA+ individuals and allies who have found their voices and been heard telling their stories and concerns in Bi Cities! interviews.
Change People’s Lives
By putting new and important stories out into the world, you can change lives. Erica, the show’s director, did just that when she took Bi Cities! from broadcasting exclusively on cable access television to being available on the internet via Blip TV, which allowed people from all over the world to access the show. It was 2010 and the Bi Cities! crew was out to eat when Erica pulled out her laptop and showed the crew a Bi Cities! episode on Blip TV. The first interview uploaded discussed the upcoming BECAUSE Conference in the Twin Cities.
Two months later, the crew was at the BECAUSE Conference and Tom, always reaching out to help people feel welcome, spoke to a woman from India who was standing alone. Tom asked, “How’d you hear about BECAUSE?” and she said, “I was looking online and found a video (Bi Cities! episode) about it. In India, no one is openly bisexual. You can get killed for that. My husband is the only person who knows that I am bi and we have never met other bi people. I traveled for three days to get here to meet other bi people.”
On another occasion, Tom was at a local marketplace when a young trans man walked up to him and asked, “Are you part of that show Bi Cities!?” Tom said yes. The man said, “You saved my life. I was watching television one night with a gun to my head trying to decide if I should pull the trigger. Your show came on and I saw someone like me and I knew I wasn’t alone.”
“Who sees Bi Cities!? We don’t know,” say Marge and Anita. Reruns of Bi Cities! appear on SPNN at various times during the day and are also online. Through the power of representation and accessibility, Bi Cities! has been able to change people’s lives for the better. This is an important aspect to consider when creating a successful talk show. By making sure your content is inclusive and easily accessible, you can have a significant impact on your audience.
Change Your Own Lives
After working with a crew of hardworking people, interviewing amazing people, and changing people’s lives for 20 years, you might just notice that you have a successful talk show. More importantly, though, you’ll realize that your own life has changed.
Not only has the Bi Cities! crew had the opportunity to bring important and impactful conversations to the bi+ community and its allies, but they’ve also formed a unique and intergenerational family through the show, spanning from Gen Z to the Baby Boomers. They’ve heard stories that have changed them and developed relationships that made them whole.
As they continue to produce episodes and share them on the internet, they’re excited to see how Bi Cities! can continue to reach and educate new audiences. “Twenty years later, and we’re back on track,” said Anita when asked about what’s next for Bi Cities! Marge added, “We’re going to continue to increase bi visibility and educate people about who we are and what it means to be a glorious part of this community.” Bi Cities! is grateful to acknowledge the many contributions of Bonnie Schumacher, Associate Director/Director of Programs, and the staff at St. Paul Neighborhood Network for their years of instruction, accommodations, encouragement, and recognition of the importance of Bi Cities! to their community programs. New Bi Cities! episodes began airing on SPNN in February 2023. They will soon become available online.
Starting a talk show may seem daunting, but with the right hosts, crew, and guests, the impact can be life changing.
For more information and to watch Bi Cities!, visit our Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/BiCities.
Emerson Rice is a videographer and crew member on Bi Cities!