The Emerald City

Three gay men, Frank O'Dowd, Steve Bie, and Gene Stavis, came together during the mid-1970's in New York City to form Truth, Justice, and the American Way, Inc. As a company, they produced a show for community access cable television called The Emerald City which covered a variety of issues in the gay community. The program aired in New York City on Manhattan Cable's Channel J beginning in March 1977 and was syndicated in San Francisco. Originally an hour long show, it switched to a half-hour in the fall of 1977. The Emerald City ran from 1977 to 1978 and had both gay and non-gay commercial sponsors.