Radio service faces closure
The situation has become desperate for a radio service that provides entertainment and information for the disability community.
Levin’s Radio Reading Service has been providing news and entertainment for the ‘‘print disabled’’ since 1987. A printdisabled person is anyone who cannot see, hold, understand or access printed literature.
If the service cannot secure funding, it is expected to close by the end of January.
NZ On Air stopped its funding of $110,348 last June after giving notice in June 2016.
Radio Reading Service chairman Tom Frewen has not been able to find funding that matches the amount provided by NZ On Air.
‘‘Everybody is in search of money these days and we aren’t exactly a priority,’’ he said.
Frewen thought NZ On Air had its priorities wrong.
‘‘It’s kind of galling for us to see similar amounts of money for video that just disappears on the internet ... all NZ On Air are now interested in is making video.’’
Since the funding cut, the service has relied solely on volunteers. Frewen estimated about 70 people volunteered their time to the service but he thought it was unfair to expect them to work for free.
NZ On Air’s head of communications Allanah Kalafatelis said the agency provided annual funding for disability services, such as captioning and audio description on the main television channels.
‘‘There are other, arguably better, options today that were not available when the Radio Reading Service began [more than] two decades ago,’’ Kalafatelis said.
With a limited budget, NZ On Air could no longer justify the investment, particularly when the service’s audience was small.
She said NZ On Air encouraged the service to expand its reach, but despite the efforts of the board members the service was ‘‘not clearly valued by the vision-impaired community’’.