2RPH (a.k.a. Radio for the Print Handicapped) is an Australian

radio reading service A radio reading service or reading service for the blind is a public service of many universities, community groups and public radio stations, where a narrator reads books, newspapers and magazines aloud for the benefit of the blind and vision-im ...

that reads newspapers and magazines for the benefit of those who have difficulties reading for themselves. It is the Sydney station of the RPH Network. The 2RPH Sydney and 3RPH Melbourne were available free to air (no smartcard required) on the

Optus Aurora Optus Aurora was a free-to-view satellite television platform in Australia, which aimed at providing television and radio services to remote and black spot areas using the Optus C1 and B3 satellites. The service was available in all areas, usin ...

radio platform via

Optus C1 This is a list of the satellites operated by Optus, an Australian telecommunications company. The satellite communications facility is located at Belrose on Sydney's Northern Beaches. Optus' satellites are divided into 4 classes A, B, C and D. As ...

before the switch over to the more restrictive VAST platform. Now only the

3RPH 3RPH is a community radio station owned and operated by Vision Australia as part of the Vision Australia Radio network. The station broadcasts a radio reading service to Melbourne, Victoria, with repeater services in Warragul and Warrnambool, ...

Melbourne service is the only RPH service available free-to-air on

History

The need for a radio reading service was realised in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

in 1983 with the establishment of 2RPH as a ''Community Benefit Organisation'', incorporated as a Co-operative Society. The station began operating on 18 April 1983. The first broadcast frequency was off the main broadcast band (1629 kHz), and was thus unsuitable, as many people could not receive the station. The problem was partly resolved by a move to a more suitable band location (1539 kHz, in 1991), and further in 1993 when the

Commonwealth Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government ...

provided the station with transmission facilities previously used by commercial station 2WS. These facilities are still in use and provide a strong signal to most parts of Greater Sydney and some suburbs outside the metropolitan area.

Audience

Though specifically designed for the vision-impaired, elderly, and infirm, its accessibility and clear announcers are used by

English as a second language English as a second or foreign language is the use of English by speakers with different native languages. Language education for people learning English may be known as English as a second language (ESL), English as a foreign language (EF ...

instructors to help their students understand the printed materials read from.

Programming

Volunteers prepare, produce, and present all the programs, including readings from magazines and other publications, which are pre-recorded. Many of these recorded programs are re-broadcast by RPH stations in other parts of Australia and the

Radio Reading Service A radio reading service or reading service for the blind is a public service of many universities, community groups and public radio stations, where a narrator reads books, newspapers and magazines aloud for the benefit of the blind and vision-im ...

in New Zealand. 2RPH is the largest supplier of programs to the national network feed. Applicants for on-air work must pass an audition carefully designed to demonstrate their skills at reading aloud. Volunteer positions are often available for behind-the-scenes duties.

References

External links

* Radio stations in Sydney Radio reading services of Australia Radio stations established in 1983 {{Australia-radio-station-stub

History

Audience

Programming

See also

References

External links