Popular Gay & Lesbian Radio Duo Derek and Romaine Return

New York, NY, Jan 4, 2016 - After twelve years as a popular gay/lesbian duo on satellite radio, Derek Hartley and Romaine Patterson will launch a new streaming service on Monday, January 4, 2016. DNR 2.0 will feature a live two hour broadcast each weekday at 2 p.m. PT/5 p.m. ET available by subscription through their website www.DerekAndRomaine.com. Past shows will continue to stream throughout the day and be available in a download archive on the site.

"After more than a decade together, Romaine and I are excited to launch this new adventure together," says Derek Hartley, an author and columnist who first joined Romaine Patterson on air in April 2003. "We've been together so long it feels more like a marriage than a working relationship and creating this new show has almost been like renewing our vows."

"We are doing this new show because our longtime listeners really demanded it," added Romaine Patterson, known nationally for her LGBT activism before transitioning to radio show host, "We have all become like a family over the years and we have to keep the family together!"

The new streaming service coincides with a re-launch of their website with an emphasis on building community, familiar territory for the duo. Prior to joining the world of radio, Derek Hartley developed content around online communities in the 1990s at America Online and early LGBT media venture PlanetOut, while Romaine Patterson worked for the media watchdog GLAAD.

"Obviously the internet has changed a great deal in the last twenty years, but the core principles of connecting people remain the same. Our show has always been built around our community of listeners and now we can reflect that more acutely with DNR 2.0." says Derek. The new website features group chat rooms so listeners can meet and discuss topics from the show while it plays, both live and on demand. Listeners can also create personal profiles, upload photos and search the site to connect with other listeners.

In addition to the new show, Derek and Romaine will continue the DNR Cruise, the successful group travel venture they launched together in 2013. Their fifth cruise leaves from Seattle for Alaska on August 28, 2016 and a sixth cruise in February 2017 will be announced next month. "When our listeners get together, they have a great time," says Romaine, "Whether it's on one of our cruises or a pride event or Gay Days Anaheim, they all become fast friends. The best part of what we have built over the years is the connection people have been able to make with each other through our show."

DNR 2.0 will initially be available exclusively through the mobile-enabled Derek and Romaine site with a smart phone app currently in development scheduled to launch in February. "We know many of our fans are disappointed that we aren't coming back to our old home in satellite radio, especially the truckers and commuters who depended on us to be there for them every day," says Derek, "But for our listeners that used to listen to our show online or on demand, our new format will be familiar territory and because of the latest technology our new show will be available to virtually everyone, no matter where and when they want to listen. We hope everyone gets back in the habit of listening to us every day in 2016."

Known for their familiar DNR logo design, which purposefully draws humorous comparison to the medical directive Do Not Resuscitate, Romaine insists people not take the connection too literally. "When our show was cancelled back in June, people thought Derek and Romaine was over. But it wasn't. We're just getting started."