From: martin@datacomm.ucc.okstate.edu (Martin McCormick)
Subject: Re:  RICV radio (for the blind) - need info
Organization: Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1993 13:11:44 GMT

In article <9301051600.AA23710@cs.utexas.edu> wmartin@STL-06SIMA.ARMY.MIL (Will Martin) writes:
>Is anyone out there affiliated in any way with any of these radio
>reading services for the blind? I'm wondering what their attitude is
>toward listeners who do not get the receivers from them, but instead
>have tunable SCA receivers from other sources, like the FM Atlas people.

I haven't been affiliated with such a service since 1978, but I'll tell you
and the group what I know.
	I was with the Oklahoma Radio Reading Service for the Blind and
Physically Handicapped for several years as a technician and subscriber.
	From a practical standpoint, we were glad if we didn't have to
hassle with supplying a subscriber with a receiver, but there is a slight
legal issue, (ever is it so in our legally poluted society.)
The books, periodicals, etc which are read on those services are copyrighted.
The operators of the reading service must get permission from the copyright
holders in order to read this material.  One of the reasons why copyright
permission is usually given is that the publishers don't believe that they
will miss out on any sales or subscription fees by allowing the material
to be read on tape or onto a SCA system.  By definition, the only people
listening to the SCA broadcast are print hapdicapped users.  The system is
considered to be a closed-circuit system.  If everybody and his dog can buy
a radio and listen to the latest readings from "Playboy" or "psychology,
Today," why go out and buy it?
	If the publishers thought that the general non-print handicapped
public was regularly listening to it, they would probably make the radio
reading service stop using their material.  We used to have pretty good luck
with most publishers, but occasionally, we would hit a bad one.  I remember,
once, that the "Wall Street Journal" refused to let us read it on the air
because somebody was affraid that the reader would color the reading in
such a way as to distort the meaning.  As far as I know, nobody ever refused
us because of purely monnitary reasons.

>I get the impression they actually discourage such an audience, which
>doesn't make any sense to me, since they are not being paid by the
>blind listeners so it isn't a matter of anyone "stealing" service...

That's true, in most cases.  In some parts of the country, there were or
maybe still are some reading services which charge a small subscription fee
to attempt to cover the costs of the program.  I seem to recall that the
"Washington Ear," in the Washington, D.C. area used to do this.

Some text deleted.

>I was wondering if this attitude was general or if this local group is
>unusually parochial. Any comments?

Many of the people involved with radio reading services are not radio people,
at all.  They are librarians or civic-minded persons who are charged with
the responsibility of producing the audio material and administering the
program.  The technical aspects of the operation are handled in vastly
different ways depending upon the relationship between the agency which
supplies the program material and the provider of the subcarrier.  Our system
started out leasing time on a commercial FM broadcasting station in Oklahoma
City and one in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  After the Oklahoma City station went belly
up and suffered six separate fires in their studio and transmitter facility,
one night, in 1975, we knew we needed to find another transmitter to lease.
	We leased time on another commercial station for a few years until
they dumped us in favor of a phinancial data service.  After that, we started
leasing time on a public radio station in the Oklahoma City area.
	In other states, the radio reading service is operated in the same
building as a public radio station and the folks who run it are hired by the
university.

If anybody reading this message is interested in contributing time to such
a service, you might contact your state's service agency which deams with
these things and see if they could use your voice or technical tallent.

	I hope this long miandering narative has been of some interest.

Martin McCormick WB5AGZ   Stillwater, OK
O.S.U. Computer Center Data Communications Group
Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave