Hi,

In Phoenix Arizona, the radio reading service is broadcast on a subcarrier
like that in Chicago.  In San Francisco California, the radio reading
service is broadcast on the sap channel of one of the television channels.

David


On Sat, 2 Jan 1999, Steve Richardson wrote:

> I found this article quite interesting, as the radio reading service
> described is almost identical to the one I work at in  Brisbane.  The one
> small exception is that we broadcast on an a.m. frequency which can be
> picked up by any radio.  I would be interested to know if there any other
> such services in North America and any other parts of the world that this
> mailing list gets to.
>
> At 06:55 31/12/98 -0600, you wrote:
> >Radio station reads newspapers for the blind
> >
> >   December 28, 1998
> >
> >   BY BRENDA WARNER ROTZOLL STAFF REPORTER
> >
> >   Every day, 40,000 Chicago area residents wake up and listen to the
> >   local newspapers being read nearly cover-to-cover on radio station
> >   CRIS.
> >
> >   Only radios with a special crystal can pick up its signal, carried on
> >   a special FM subfrequency. Those radios are free to people who are
> >   blind, visually impaired or physically unable to hold a newspaper and
> >   turn its pages.
> >
> >   ``CRIS Radio gives me a knowledge of what's in the news, what other
> >   people are seeing and talking about,'' said John Erickson, a bond
> >   strategist in private assets management for LaSalle Bank, who has been
> >   blind since he was 12.
> >
> >   For Jimm Stephenson of Matteson, a retired mental health technician
> >   who can only make out a little large type with the aid of a magnifying
> >   glass, it's a chance to hear what columnists are saying and what's in
> >   the comics, horoscopes and feature sections.
> >
> >   At various times of the day, news, sports, features, columns,
> >   editorials, business news and even ads from area newspapers large and
> >   small are read by some of the 200 regular volunteers. There are a few
> >   programs from New York.
> >
> >   ``I appreciate the homeyness of it,'' Stephenson said. ``They make
> >   mistakes and mispronunciations and they get lost and have to find
> >   their place again. It's like a friend has come over to read for you.''
> >
> >   Chicagoland Radio Information Service, the full name of CRIS Radio,
> >   started June 1, 1980, soon after columnist Ron Alridge asked in print
> >   why the third largest city in America did not have a radio reading
> >   service. Broadcasters and performers, business executives and members
> >   of the Central Lions Club got together to develop CRIS.
> >
> >   In the beginning, there were six hours of broadcasting, five days a
> >   week. Today CRIS is on the air 24 hours a day, seven days a week,
> >   mostly reading newspapers but also offering locally produced health
> >   and cultural programs. There's news on computers, food, fashion,
> >   everyday living and the day's television listings. Once a month there
> >   is an audio description of a popular movie.
> >
> >   CRIS also is carried at various hours on Chicago Access Network
> >   Television cable channels 19 and 21, and full time on channel 32 of
> >   21st Century Cable of Chicago.
> >
> >   Every FM station has a subfrequency. Most of them rent theirs out for
> >   ethnic or special-interest use. WBEZ donates its to CRIS, which
> >   broadcasts from cramped quarters off the Pedway beneath the Chicago
> >   Cultural Center. Funding comes from Lions Clubs and private and
> >   corporate donations. Most equipment was donated by broadcasters.
> >
> >   People who qualify for a free CRIS radio receiver or want to volunteer
> >   or make a donation may call the station at (312) 541-8400. Others who
> >   want to buy a set for $55 may call Cosmo Com Corp. in San Francisco at
> >   (650) 737-9686.
> >
> >
> >VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
> >To join or leave the list, send a message to
> >[log in to unmask]  In the body of the message, simply type
> >"subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
> > VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
> >http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html
> >
> >
> >
> Kind regards
>
>         Steve
>
>
> VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
> To join or leave the list, send a message to
> [log in to unmask]  In the body of the message, simply type
> "subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
>  VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
> http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html
>
>


VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
To join or leave the list, send a message to
[log in to unmask]  In the body of the message, simply type
"subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
 VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html