Radio Reading Service Podcast
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About WVTF's Radio Reading Service
WVTF Public Radio recognizes that approximately 20,000 individuals in its listening area have some type of print disability. Sight difficulties cover a wide spectrum that ranges from total blindness to the inability to distinguish standard newsprint without a magnifying device.
The Radio Reading Service (RRS) is a public service of the Virginia Tech Foundation and operates on WVTF's subcarrier, a "hidden" portion of the station's signal that cannot be picked up by regular FM radios. Through fundraising and other support efforts from the Voice of the Blue Ridge, a local, non-profit United Way agency, the RRS provides FM-SCA receivers on a permanent loan to qualified persons.
Each day of the year, listeners can enjoy a program mix of readings from current national newspapers and magazines supplemented with a wide variety of local publications, thanks to volunteer readers. Listeners require a subcarrier receiver in order to access the signal. The process of qualifying if simple. The RRS requires that a receiver application form be completed by the listener, a portion of which must be completed by a medical professional or public welfare agent to verify need.
The RRS is a free service relying on a volunteer base of more than 100 dedicated, "on-air" readers. There is no set volunteer schedule. Some people prefer to work weekly, while the majority make themselves available on an on-call basis. To explore volunteer opportunities, contact RRS Director Ben Martin. E-mail: BenM@vt.edu.
Hometown News is a chief area of importance to those with visual impairments. In response, the RRS volunteers read from 12 area papers and three National papers. Other air time is devoted to readings from more than 50 magazines.
LOCAL PAPERS
Bedford Bulletin, Danville Register & Bee, Fincastle Herald, Lexington News-Gazette, New Castle Record, Salem Times-Register, Smyth County News, Southwest Virginia Enterprise, Roanoke Times, Roanoke Tribune, Vinton Messenger
NATIONAL PAPERS
New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal
PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS
AP Update - Nes, Weather and Sports from the wire services of the Associated Press
A Man's View - Articles from Esquire, Men's Health and Men's Journal
Commentary Encore - A re-broadcast of the previous week's Commentary programs
Take Twenty for Fitness - Ten minutes of exercise for the sedentary and those in wheelchairs, working into ten more vigorous minutes, all designed to lift heart and spirit
The Feminine Viewpoint - Contemporary issues for women from Minnesota Woman's Press, MS. Magazine and other publications
Apple A Day – Medical advances and information from Diabetes Forecast; Diabetes Self-Management; Harvard Medial School Health Letters; Health, Prevention and the Voice of the Diabetic magazines.
TV-ality – Featuring a soap opera update and other articles of interest to video buffs from the New York Times and local papers.
Business Commentary - News of the business world from Kiplinger Washington Letter, Corporate Report-Minnesota, Forbes, Fortune and the Wall Street Journal
Search and Discover – Science fact, fiction and fantasy from Air and Space, Discover and Science News
The Sunday Comics – Comics from the Twin Citie’s editions
Art Fare – A smorgasbord of art from home and abroad
The U.S. and US – Exploring the diverse origins of the American people
Kiosk Internationale – A program of international news and commentary from foreign publications, including New Internationalist, International Herald Tribune, New Statesman, Focus on Africa and World Press Review
Access Talk – First and third Sunday of each month. What is new in the world of access technology, Main Menu highlights and Access Technology from the viewpoint of the ACB.
Business News – From the financial pages of Twin Cities newspapers
Suspense – Short mystery stories from Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen mystery magazines
Design Today – a program of home style and trends taken from publications such as Martha Stewart Living, Architectural Digest and more
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