HIGH GEAR

JULY 1976

J.J.'S GRAND OPENING

Page 22

HIGH GEAR TO HELP

BLIND RADIO

CLEVELAND

On

Wednesday, July 28, at 2:30 p.m. the Radio Reading Service of the Cleveland Society for the Blind will feature an interview with High Gear staffer Al Morrill their "Community Resources" program in an attempt to identify interest in regular readings from this journal.

on

Only special McMartin receivers fine-tuned to the CRRS sub-carrier of WXEN-FM can pick up the broadcast. These are loaned by the Society only to the blind or physically handicapped unable to hold a book for reading. Currently there are 1000 receivers distributed throughout

Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake and Lorain counties, but this number is expected to quadruple within the year as broadcasts are expanded to a 60-mile radius.

Broadcasting 17 hours on weekdays, 9 hours on Saturday and 12 hours on Sunday, CRRS boasts 150 volunteers who read several suburban papers as well as major city, county and national news publications. A variety of other programming is also scheduled.

A new-comer to blind broadcasting, CRRS is becoming known for its innovative programming. Readings of High Gear would undoubtably be a first in this field. And, although 65% of their audience is elderly, retired persons, a recent survey indicates they want no censorship in what they hear.

Bob Waterstradt, Program Development Specialist, will conduct the interview which was arranged when Al contacted Lorry Merrill, Manager of the Service, and suggested that blind gays, and those gays closeted by their blindness, might need this contact with their community. Such readings would also provide means of reaching another segment of the straight public with gay realities.

The program is of a call-in format to facilitate listener response.

Photos by Al Morrill