Two years of on-air sex

Dean Beck likes talking about sex. Now, two years after starting Hide and Seek, the sex and sexuality show on JOY 94.9, Beck is about to celebrate his 100th episode.

This milestone is even more impressive for a show that, surprisingly, was the first of its kind on the station.

“I thought it was really weird that a gay and lesbian radio station had never had its own show about the very thing that defines gays and lesbians — sex and sexuality,” Beck recalled.

Due to the mature nature of its content, Hide and Seek was a risky move for JOY when it began in July 2009, but it has achieved success and has had commercial sponsorship from adult store Mannhaus since the beginning. It is also the only program on JOY aired with a content disclaimer. This allows Beck greater freedom to discuss confronting subject matter, which he sees as vital to the gay community.

“So many of us are made to feel guilty, whether it’s been through religion or through parents or whatever, about our sexuality and/or expressing what we like to do socially,” Beck told the Star Observer.

“I thought there would be better health outcomes for the community if we had those conversations and people could take responsibility for their actions with basic information first.”

Beck has had four co-hosts in Hide and Seek’s two years, including current JOY breakfast radio host James Findlay, and Andrew Thorp, Beck’s current foil.

The hosts have interviewed everyone from porn stars to priests, but there are some stories Beck is particularly proud of.

“Very early on we did a two-hour special on surviving sexual assault, and to this day it’s still one of the most downloaded podcasts on JOY’s website,” he said.

“That was probably one of the toughest ones for me to do because every bit of research that I did, every time I turned another page, it was just horrendous statistic after horrendous statistic and it upset me so much that I was really struggling to get to air.”

But all in all, it’s been a fantastic experience for Beck.

Saying that some of his best feedback comes from strangers in clubs, he laughed, “It’s really nice that someone’s listening”.

info: Hide and Seek’s 100th episode will air on JOY 94.9 on Thursday, June 9 at 10pm. Special guest will be clinical psychologist Dr Pamela Stephenson-Connolly. For more info and podcasts, visit www.hideandseekjoy949.blogspot.com

Dean Beck is looking forward to another 100 episodes of Hide and Seek on JOY 94.9.

By BENJAMIN RILEY