Nashville’s oldest GLBT weekly renames, gains new look

Nashville’s oldest and largest GLBT weekly newspaper, Xenogeny, a Greek name meaning “a creative difference,” will get a new look and a new name for 2006 as it retools itself as an entertainment weekly to focus on the growing GLBT Nashville nightlife.

Xenogeny, will be replaced by Inside OUT Nashville (iOUT) ). The first issue will be on stands on Monday, January 16. 

The newspaper has been a part of Middle Tennessee’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community for more than 11 years. The weekly will also expand distribution to a state-wide network during the first week of each month to include Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga and Memphis. The rest of the month iOUT will be distributed to more than 125 locations throughout Middle Tennessee. iOUT shares many distribution stands with the monthly GLBT publication, Out & About Newspaper.

Linda Welch, owner and publisher of Inside OUT Nashville, said the new name better reflected the purpose of the publication, which has been redesigned to give GLBT Nashvillians an “inside” in-depth look at GLBT nightlife, including feature interviews with entertainers; an expanded GLBT club, bar, restaurant and shopping listing that includes a vivid description of each business; movie reviews and photos from interesting GLBT events of the previous week.

Welch will appear on the GLBT news and information show, Out & About Today on NewsChannel 5+ (cable channel 50), this weekend to talk about her new publication. The show airs Saturday night at 9:30 and Sunday night at 10.

“We have designed a very clean, easy-to-read publication that captures the essence of Nashville’s GLBT nightlife,” she said. “

Welch said each week will feature a local cover model that would showcase Nashville’s GLBT community. If you are interested in appearing as an iOUT cover model, interested individuals should submit your photo to iOUT@comcast.net.

“We have a variety of cover portraits that are very cool, very slick, and very sexy,” She said. “I think the readers will see really, really beautiful images that capture who the model is and what he or she represents in a very fun, vibrant and sexy way.”

Shane Burkett, senior director of strategic marketing of SBResults, came up with the name iOUT, which tested high in marketing surveys with readers. Together Welch and Brent Meredith, editor and creative director for Out & About Newspaper, designed the new logo and creative look and feel of the new weekly.

Tennessee has several GLBT publications which includes the monthly Family & Friends in Memphis; the mid-month Mid-South Press in Memphis; The monthly Triangle News in Memphis; Out & About Newspaper, a monthly state-wide paper based in Nashville; the weekly Church Street Freedom Press in Nashville and the entertainment weekly Inside OUT Nashville.

For more information visit www.insideoutnashville.com.