In this interview Mary Patierno, co-founder and executive producer of Dyke TV discusses Dyke TV, a groundbreaking public access program produced in New York City by and for lesbians. Pateirno talks about the program’s history and its goals. She mentions some of Dyke TV’s important news stories and recollects some of the interviews the show conducted with women artists, activists and public figures. Patierno stresses the importance of preserving other Dyke TV footage that currently remains in storage. In addition to providing more detail about the structure of the episodes, Patierno discusses her experience creating the show, the circumstances surrounding the show’s founding, and the show’s legacy as the first lesbian content on television.
*Note: The interview was recorded using an online call service.
Edited excerpt from an interview with Mary Patierno, cofounder of Dyke TV with Linda Chapman and Anna Maria Simo. In this excerpt, Mary describes the From the Archives segment that was sometimes included in Dyke TV programs.