SuicideGirls began in 2002 in the San Francisco Bay area and quickly gained a following for its subject matter: nudes of punk rock, emo and alternative women. The music connection was implicit, but asserted itself earlier this year when videos featuring the Suicide Girls by Probot and Louis XIV began airing.
The site employed a Friendster-style profile and discussion model (even before Friendster did), and its accessible-seeming models, who keep online diaries and interact frequently with subscribers, made the site popular.
SuicideGirls began staging public events, such as its burlesque show and varioust strategic marketing projects, to increase awareness of its site, which does not show sex or penetration.
Broadcasting giant Clear Channel owns Indie 103 and the station is programmed by L.A. firm Entravision, which is predominantly a Latino marketer. The station targets a niche that appreciates punk to new wave and grunge, excluding 1980s pop. Clear Channel, which controls some of the most heavily-formatted stations in the country, has said repeatedly it has nothing to do with the alternative programming of Indie 103 but is only responsible for selling 12 ads per hour.
Indie 103 is mirrored in Newport Beach and San Diego. Like “classic alternative” Jack FM, which is springing up in major markets across the U.S. and Canada, the “Indie” model is being closely watched by Clear Channel for the buying strength of its niche.
Other celebrity hosts on 103 include Might Mighty Bosstones’ frontman Dickie Barrett, former Sex Pistol Steve Jones, original MTV VeeJay Nina Blackwood and Rob Zombie. Suicide Girls Radio airs between midnight and 2 a.m. Sunday nights.