Communication Center: Radio Talking Book
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Non-Minnesota residents: to find a RTB-type service in your area, visit http://www.iaais.org. Radio Talking Book (RTB) - What is it? Radio Talking Book (RTB) is a closed-circuit reading network broadcasting twenty-four hours daily to more than 7,500 handicapped persons (with a potential of 35,000) in Minnesota and South Dakota. Through satellite distribution, thousands of listeners nation-wide receive RTB broadcasts via their local radio reading services. Receivers are available on loan without charge to those who are eligible and who want to keep up to date with the latest word in newspapers, magazines and best-sellers. The purpose of the Radio Talking Book is to provide current newspapers, magazines and the latest best selling books at the same time that they are available to the print reading public. Materials chosen reflect the broad spectrum of interests and information currently available to all consumers. The Radio Talking Book provides these materials in an unabridged form. Programs are heard on closed-circuit radio receivers loaned, free of charge, to eligible listeners. Designed for ease of operation, the radios are tuned to the signal serving the listeners’ community and are operated by turning one dial. Radio Talking Book is such a unique idea that it has served as a model for similar programs in over 100 communities across the country. Radio Talking Book is not available to the general public, nor is the signal available to them on their conventional radios. Seven hundred volunteers work with the Center staff to help provide textbooks and job related materials in braille or on audio tape, prepare broadcasts for the Radio Talking Book, record daily newspapers for subscribers to Dial-In News and repair and deliver audio equipment to new listeners. Any Center volunteer may sample programming by borrowing a receiver for a short period of time. Click here to learn more about volunteer opportunities. Magazines and NewspapersThe Radio Talking Book network broadcasts many current local and national newspapers and magazines each day. The Radio Talking Book network does not edit or censor any of these publications, so you get all the news as it is printed. Click here to examine our current complete program schedule. The Twin Cities newspapers are broadcast daily. Auxiliary broadcast studios in Fergus Falls, Duluth, Rochester, St. Cloud, and Mankato provide local newspapers for those cities and their surrounding communities. A partial list of some of the newspapers and magazines broadcast includes:
See the Radio Talking Book Program Guide for a complete program schedule. All books broadcast on the Radio Talking Book are available for loan to eligible Minnesotans on audio cassettes from the Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library in Faribault. The phone is 1-800-722-0550 and hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. RTB on the WebThe Radio Talking Book is now streamed on the Internet. People can access it at the Radio Talking Book Login webpage. You will asked for a password to activate it; that password is available from our staff at 651-642-0885 or toll-free at 1-800-652-9000. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Please use our Information Request form. |
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