Imagine a world without local news from your surrounding area not covered by TV or radio when you are totally blind or your level of sight disables you from reading your local newspaper. This is where your local talking newspaper comes into its own with a weekly 45 minute digest of news from the geographical area in Birmingham in which you live. On top of this is a sound magazine which covers a full spectrum of generally longer length items relating to the local and visually impaired communities with interviews, quizzes, recipes and notice boards all thrown in for good measure.
Our present listeners seem to like what they receive:-
“One of your team members suggested that I could benefit from your help. And boy, have I realised how much information I have been missing. Please carry on your good work. I applaud you all.
Mrs. R. Sutton Coldfield
We have been “in business” since 5 November 1976 when you could say that as it was Guy Fawkes Night, we started with a bang. We sent out about 70 tapes back in the beginning and today we despatch over 500 per week. However, we do feel many who would be eligible for the delights of Birmingham Talking Newspaper have not yet joined our ranks, so we really welcome new listeners.
We have made arrangements with the Birmingham Post and Mail, Sutton Coldfield Observer, Sutton Coldfield News, Forward and the Sunday Mercury to use material from their columns together with a number of other newspapers, periodicals and magazines for our own magazine. We thank each and every one for their agreement and support.
We record weekly at Josiah Mason College in Erdington for our North and Central editions and at the University of Birmingham in Selly Oak for our South edition. Across the whole of Birmingham, about 20 teams of about five or six people meet to prepare and record each edition. Three separate editions for each of the geographical areas are recorded in the two locations each week on Thursdays and Fridays. The magazine is recorded on average once a fortnight at Josiah Mason College and recorded in advance of the news not being so time critical in its production. There are around 80 to 100 volunteers so, if you’ve done the maths, you will probably realise some people belong to more than one team.