WXXI’S REACHOUT RADIO RECEIVES THE 2012 PROGRAM OF THE YEAR AWARD FROM THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF AUDIO INFORMATION SERVICES

WXXI Public Broadcasting

280 State Street. PO Box 30021

Rochester, New York 14603-3021

585/325-7500

wxxi.org

Kristin Tutino, Publicist: 585/258-0253

For Immediate Release

Rochester, New York (June 10, 2013) – Reachout Radio, WXXI’s 24-hour reading radio service for people who are print-handicapped, received the 2012 Program of the Year Award from the International Association of Audio Information Services (IAAIS) for an episode of ViewPoints at theIAAIS Annual Awards Banquet held June 8, 2013 in Minneapolis, MN.  ViewPoints is a weekly series that highlights technology and services designed to help those with vision loss. Downloading & Reading Books on a Smart Phone was the episode that received the honor.

Hosted by husband and wife team Peter Torpey and Nancy Goodman Torpey, Downloading & Reading Booksshares information about smart phone apps that make books accessible to people with vision loss. To listen to the podcast, visit: http://bit.ly/18TWpHo.

As retired physicists and self-proclaimed "geeks," Peter, who is blind carries the heavy tech load and Nancy, who is sighted provides the warmth and color commentary. The Torpeys, who live in Penfield, are both retired from Xerox. While working for the company, Peter tested the quality control of color printers and worked to develop all the equipment he needed to do his job independently. Listeners hear much of Peter’s life experiences on ViewPoints.

ViewPoints began on WXXI Reachout Radio in January 2011. In 2013 the Torpeys began producing the program independently under its new name Eyes On Success. Presented by WXXI through IAAIS Program Share, the series is now carried on radio reading services across the US and Canada, as well as via three Internet streaming services. The podcasts have been heard around the world in over 80 countries and on all the inhabited continents. 

“We heard from a listener in another country who loved Viewpoints,” said Ruth Phinney, WXXI Reachout Radio Program Director, “because ‘there just aren’t enough blind people where I live’ to get the information and assistance about accessible technology that he needed.”

WXXI Reachout Radio is a radio reading service that provides 24-hour readings of local and national newspapers, magazines, and books for people who are visually impaired, blind or have a physical disability which prohibits the holding of printed material, or have a learning disability such as dyslexia. WXXI Reachout Radio is closed-circuit and is accessible through a specially-tuned radio provided free of charge to eligible applicants. The service is provided in partnership with ABVI-Goodwill Industries of Greater Rochester.

The International Association of Audio Information Services is an association of independently operated, volunteer-driven services that use audio technology to turn print into speech, bringing the words alive. IAAIS encourages the establishment and preservation of audio information/radio reading services as a cost-effective means of providing people with date-sensitive information and programming developed to enrich the lives of consumers.

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WXXI is the essential, life-long educational media resource for the Greater Rochester area. WXXI puts the community first with programming that stimulates and expands thought, inspires the spirit, opens cultural horizons and promotes understanding of diverse community issues. The formal affiliation between WXXI and the Little Theatre, established in December 2011, enables the two organizations to work more efficiently by pooling resources and strengths in a number of areas including back-office operation and improved fundraising capabilities.  Log on to wxxi.org for more information about our services and programs.