ABC7 to produce and exclusively air the “LA Pride 50th Anniversary Celebration” on Saturday, June 27
iHeartMedia Los Angeles to Celebrate “50 Years of Pride in LA” across local radio stations and through the launch of the “LA Pridecast” podcast in June
May 29, West Hollywood, CA: At the beginning of May, Christopher Street West (CSW), the 501(c)3 non-profit that produces the annual LA Pride Parade and Festival, announced it made the responsible decision to forgo in-person events for the remainder of 2020. Today, CSW continues to reimagine how Angelenos can celebrate Pride Month through its ongoing partnership with KABC, Southern California’s most-watched television station, and through a new partnership with iHeartMedia Los Angeles. Los Angeles’s first-ever virtual Pride Parade will air as a 90-minute primetime special exclusively on ABC7, Saturday, June 27 (8:00 – 11:00 p.m. PDT). The event will be hosted by ABC7 Eyewitness News anchors Ellen Leyva and Brandi Hitt, with special guest host, actress Raven-Symoné, and correspondent Karl Schmid.
CSW announced the 2020 LA Pride Grand Marshals are CSW and LA Pride co-founder Rev. Troy Perry as the Community Grand Marshal and Project Angel Food as the Organizational Grand Marshal.
KABC and CSW deepened their partnership to reimagine the 50th anniversary of LA Pride for Angelenos and continue the traditions set by the LA Pride Parade and Festival as one of the biggest pride events in the country each year. This year, the celebration will take place as a virtual festival that pays tribute to the history of LA Pride and celebrates the Los Angeles area’s storied role in the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement.
The virtual festivities will air as an exclusive primetime special that honors the journey through historical vignettes and celebrates the central role of the LGBTQ+ community in the culture and history of Los Angeles. The special will feature in-depth interviews, and spotlight local unsung heroes, Queer culture, community activists, and never-before-seen footage that bring to life all the achievements LA’s LGBTQ+ community throughout the years.
The special will offer the Los Angeles community an opportunity to honor 50 years of fight, struggle, resistance, and celebration. Through historical vignettes and in-depth interviews, the special will spotlight the local unsung heroes, Queer culture, and community activists. The celebration will include special performances and appearances by Alex Newell, Amara La Negra, Asher Entertainment ft. The House of Ninja, Bob the Drag Queen, Carson Kressley, Erika Jayne, Greyson Chance, Hayley Kiyoko, Jake Borelli, Jordy, Justin Tranter, Lance Bass, Lee Daniels, Leslie Jordan, Megan Hilty & Brian Gallagher, Mj Rodriguez, Neve Campbell, Sandra Bernhard, Shea Diamond, The Pussycat Dolls, Trixie Mattel’s performance presented by Virgin Fest at Rocco’s, the cast of the upcoming Hulu series, “Love Victor” as well as local businesses, non-profits, Drag Queens with more to be announced. From the first-ever permitted Pride parade on Hollywood Blvd. to last year’s unforgettable floats along Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood, iconic LA Pride moments and never before seen footage will bring to life all the achievements LA’s LGBTQ+ community has made throughout the years.
“Our ongoing partnership with KABC is special to our organization, and we are excited to be working together to develop an unforgettable special that celebrates the longstanding history of LA Pride and our local LGBTQ+ community,” said Estevan Montemayor, President of the CSW Board of Directors. “We are proud to kick-off our digital initiatives with a special that will commemorate and honor our brave and fearless pioneers who have fought over the last five decades, and continue to fight, to create LGBTQ+ equality.”
“We are proud to extend our partnership with CSW for the second year in a row to present the 50th Anniversary Celebration of LA Pride,” said Cheryl Fair, president and general manager of KABC. “We are, above all, committed to delivering the strongest programming and storytelling that authentically reflects the communities we serve. Despite the unfathomable disruptions as a result of the pandemic, we are thrilled to bring the community together through this year’s reimagined virtual celebration that we hope will entertain, inform, and inspire all.”
In addition, CSW is proud to announce a multi-year partnership with iHeartMedia Los Angeles, and kick off Pride Month with the #iHeartLAPRIDE LGBTQ+ celebration aimed at bringing Pride celebrations to the comfort of individual’s homes virtually and across social platforms. Central to Los Angeles, iHeartMedia will commemorate “50 Years of Pride in LA” across its local stations including, Real 92.3, 104.3 MYFM, KOST 103.5, 102.7 KIIS-FM and ALT 98.7. Each station will feature daily vignettes voiced by on-air personalities, artists, celebrities, and members of the LGBTQ+ community focused on the history of the LGBTQ+ movement and Pride celebration. Additionally, every Friday in June, LA radio stations will hold weekly Virtual Pride Parties streamed live on the station’s YouTube channels, and on “Pride Radio” featured on the iHeartRadio app. Details for all virtual Pride events will be announced on the iHeartMedia Los Angeles radio stations through the month, and can be found now www.1043myfm.com, keyword LA Pride.
To further celebrate Pride, iHeartRadio Los Angeles and CSW will launch a podcast entitled, “LA Pridecast” and premiere its first episode in June. Hosted by iHeart’s 104.3MYFM’s Lisa Foxx, the monthly podcast will feature informative and entertaining conversation that explores the issues and topics relevant to the LGBTQ+ community and its allies. Each episode will feature an in-depth conversation with a different member of the Los Angeles community who will share their personal stories of positivity, hope, and truth to help others recognize the beauty in differences as well as the often-overlooked similarities. Additional details will be announced in the coming weeks.
“iHeartMedia’s Pride Celebrations amid COVID-19 are amazing and we are excited to be a part of continuing to keep Pride Month alive,” said CSW Executive Director, Madonna Cacciatore. “Although we will miss not gathering in-person, we are happy to finally launch our new digital initiatives and engage the LGBTQ+ community beyond the month of June. During these challenging times, we have again been inspired by the resilience and unity our community has shown and are honored to bring these celebrations into the homes of the LA community and around the country.”
iHeartMedia Division President, Los Angeles, Kevin LeGrett, said: “iHeartMedia Los Angeles is proud and excited to partner with CSW to give our community this outlet to celebrate PRIDE month! Our ability to utilize our platforms in this way, to make sure we all have an opportunity to celebrate unity and pride during such unprecedented times has become a passion project for our team. We are also excited to grow this partnership over the next several years and to continue our support of the LGBTQ+ community in new and exciting ways. #iHeartLAPride”
#iHeartLAPride, celebrating 50 Years of Pride in LA is presented by Bud Light Seltzer. Unquestionably PROUD.
iHeartRadio’s Pride Radio virtual PRIDE events are in partnership with Ready, Set, PrEP, a nationwide program led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services providing PrEP medications at no cost to thousands of individuals who qualify.
Christopher Street West engages with JJLA LLC in the event production and management of LA Pride. For more information on JJLA, visit www.jj-la.com. All talent is being coordinated by JJLA in collaboration with ABC7.
To amplify virtual Pride celebrations for individuals in Los Angeles, KABC and iHeartMedia will partner to promote Pride content from each company across all of their respective platforms.
About Christopher Street West (CSW) & LA Pride
Christopher Street West (CSW), a 501(c)3 non-profit, organized the world’s first permitted parade advocating for gay rights on June 28, 1970, as a response to and in commemoration of the Stonewall Rebellion on Christopher Street in New York City the year prior. Since then, we have built a rich history as an active voice for the LGBTQ+ community across the Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. Today, we continue to produce the globally-recognized LA Pride Parade and Festival every June in the City of West Hollywood. We also organize a number of events throughout the year with our non-profit, philanthropic, community, and corporate partners. Visit lapride.org for more information.
About KABC Los Angeles
ABC7 Los Angeles is Southern California’s No. 1 local news and information source. ABC7 is a leader in digital and social audience engagements and was the first station in the Los Angeles market to regularly broadcast news in high definition and also the first local television station in the United States to surpass 2 million Facebook followers. The station’s offices and studio are located in Glendale, California.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abc7la/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ABC7
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ABC7/
About iHeartMedia
iHeartMedia (NASDAQ: IHRT) is the number one audio company in the United States, reaching nine out of 10 Americans every month – and with its quarter of a billion monthly listeners, has a greater reach than any other media company in the U.S. The company’s leadership position in audio extends across multiple platforms, including more than 850 live broadcast stations in over 160 markets nationwide; through its iHeartRadio digital service available across more than 250 platforms and 2,000 devices; through its influencers; social; branded iconic live music events; other digital products and newsletters; and podcasts as the #1 commercial podcast publisher. iHeartMedia also leads the audio industry in analytics, targeting and attribution for its marketing partners with its SmartAudio product, using data from its massive consumer base. Visit iHeartMedia.com for more company information.
Media Contacts
Erika Satler
MWWPR on behalf of LA Pride
[email protected]
Mark Umbach
MWWPR on behalf of LA Pride
[email protected]
