RIS funds dried up; set to shut down
Pittsburgh:Pittsburgh-based Radio Information Service (RIS) - a non-profit reading service to those with visual imparements - has run out of money and will be off the air next Friday. Since 1976, the service has been available through WDUQ's Sub-carrier frequency over special receivers one could rent from the non-profit.
"The money is gone - more than gone," WDUQ general manager Scott Hanley told the Tribune-Review. WDUQ took over the operation of RIS in 2005. RIS's 200 volunteers were notified by email on Monday that the station would be shutting down while the 1000 - 2000 listeners learned on Sunday.
Reading services like RIS all across the country have been struggling since losing government funding over the last decade. RIS's budget of $300,000 earlier in the decade was cut to nearly $200,000 last year and the funding from foundations had dried up due to the economy problems.
Despite these plans, WDUQ and the RIS Board of Directors are hoping to keep the service running as best as possible through the help of volunteers.
Readers’ Forum
Asking this purely as a technologist —— given all the text-to-speech functionality built into today’s PC hardware/software which will read whatever is on the screen to the user, as well as the plethora of audiobooks from libraries and podcasts available now for literally no cost, is there really a need for this sort of service anymore ?
Erie BlogWatch - August 07, 2009 at 6:05 pm
The simple answer is, “probably not”. However, as a former RIS volunteer reader, I seem to recall the feeling of serving as “company” to the listener. It’s not quite as personal to use text-to-speech or other such machinery, but certainly does aid in the need. It also seems to me that RIS radios were leased out at a very affordable rate, so that made have made the service more accessible.
Eric - August 07, 2009 at 7:43 pm
The rate was a reasonable $40 a year BUT there were scholarships available for those really in need. RIS served not only the visually handicapped but those unable to actually hold printed material such as those with MS, ALS and some dystrophies.
While alot of material “may” be available as text-to-speech material — the comfort of having a specific time for a specific publicaton was a comfort to many. The fact that THAT day’s paper (and grocery ads) was available immediately isn’t likely to be replaced by text to speech materials. Many of the magazines that came from the national feed are not commonly available on the internet.
I was one of the first readers/volunteers back in 1976-77.
Now I work in an social services organization where some of our clients are users of this service.
msg - August 07, 2009 at 9:07 pm
This is beyond sad. What can anyone say about this loss? Let’s hope an alternative presents itself sometime soon!
Richard Emery - August 08, 2009 at 09:54 am
How about this as a solution…volunteers turn to something like http://www.talkshoe.com and read the paper. I don’t know, but there has to be ways that blind Americans could reach that site. It wouldn’t cost a thing for these folks. Just a thought.
Trapper - August 09, 2009 at 12:55 am
Eric & MSG, thanks for replies. That was the sort of perspective I was looking for.
Erie BlogWatch - August 09, 2009 at 09:09 am