KU News Release

Audio-Reader adds Florida and California stations

LAWRENCE — Radio reading services for the blind in Tallahassee, Fla., and San Diego, Calif., are the newest locations to join the Kansas Lions Sight Foundation Satellite Network, offered by the University of Kansas’ Audio-Reader Network.

This fall, KPBS in San Diego and WFSU in Tallahassee joined 12 other cities as members of the satellite network. Audio-Reader provides readings of newspapers, magazines, books and other current printed materials 24 hours a day, seven days a week throughout Kansas, western Missouri and beyond.

Many radio reading services lack the resources to broadcast continuously, so the satellite network allows members to rebroadcast portions of Audio-Reader programming to sight-impaired listeners in their region of the country. The Tallahassee service will rebroadcast Audio-Reader’s USA Today highlights, and the service in San Diego will transmit Audio-Reader’s overnight programming.

Other cities already using Audio-Reader’s satellite network are: Birmingham, Ala.; Des Moines, Iowa; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Houston, Texas; Jackson, Miss.; Lancaster, Pa.; Orlando, Fla.; Trenton, N.J.; and Wethersfield, Conn. The satellite network also enables Audio-Reader to broadcast in the Kansas towns of Garden City and Pittsburg and in Maryville, Mo.

In 1990, Audio-Reader became the first radio reading service to uplink its signal for satellite distribution, creating the Kansas Lions Sight Foundation Satellite Network. The network finances the annual transmission fee to operate this satellite network.

“Audio-Reader has been a leader and innovator in the radio reading service field, and as more services around the country use our programming to fill local slots, we reach more listeners and increase the efficiency of our efforts,” said Janet Campbell, director of Audio-Reader.

Audio-Reader went on the air in October 1971. The service celebrated its 35th anniversary this month. For more information, call (785) 864-4600 or 1-800-772-8898, or visit the Audio-Reader Web site.

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