The KPBS Radio Reading Service is a self sustaining operation. Though a part of KPBS, most of the Reading Service's annual $70,000 operation budget is dependent on public donations. So we really could use your help!

When making your charitable donations or planning your estate, please keep the KPBS Radio Reading Service in mind. We can accept gifts in the form of appreciated stock, bequests, charitable trusts, gifts of retirement assets, gifts of life insurance and checks.

If you would like to speak to the service's Program Manager regarding personal donations, bequests or sponsorship opportunities, call 619-594-8110. If you would like to send a donation, checks can be made payable to the KPBS Reading Service and mailed to:

KPBS Reading Service

5200 Campanile Dr.

San Diego, CA 92182

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Why can't I hear the Reading Service on a regular radio?

In consideration of potential copyright issues, the Reading Services delivers programming over a source closed to the general public. The closed access channel used to do this is called a sub-channel or closed radio frequency. A specially tuned radio, obtained throught the Reading Service, is needed to receive the the sub-channel. Unfortunately, the radios aren't usually sold through general retail outets but can be obtained directly through the Reading Service after an application is completed.

Who qualifies for the service?

Anyone who has difficulty reading print or is unable to do so. That would include those who are blind, have partial vision, a physical disability, a debilitating illness, Alzheimer's or other condition. We have a wide range of listeners but the majority of our audience are seniors who have limited vision and varying degrees of difficulty in reading small print. Especially the small font sizes typical in newspapers and other publications. The program is open to any age though we warn parents to monitor their children's listening times as some of our readings contain adult content (like our book readings). The sub-channel radio service usually only reaches cities and communities of San Diego. While use of the sub-channel radio is limited to qualified recipients in San Diego, our password protected live web stream is open to all qualified individuals, regardless of location.

Will the radio service work in my area?

If you live in San Diego or nearby surrounding cities and communities of San Diego, there's a good chance it will. Generally our signal doesn't reach more than 60 miles outside of San Diego. If you are wondering if our signal would reach your area, here's a test you can do to see if the service might work for you or someone else: check to see if you can receive KPBS-FM, 89.5 (for some in La Jolla that may be 89.5 or 89.1) on a standard radio. KPBS-FM is a public broadcasting station with news, information and interview programs -- it is our sister station and is not the Reading Service. If you are able to get KPBS-FM, you probably will be able to receive the signal of the KPBS Radio Reading Service using our special radio. Unfortunately, if you are unable to get KPBS-FM, you probably will not be able to receive the signal of the Reading Service. However, besides our live web stream, there is an alternative source: Newsline San Diego delivers newspaper readings over the phone using a synthetic voice. No special equipment is necessary other than a regular touch-tone phone. The service, which is not affiliated with KPBS, is offered free of charge through the San Diego County Library. Their number is 858-694-2108.

How does the radio work?

It works like any other radio with the biggest difference being that by using a single switch on the unit, the reading service automatically broadcasts without any tuning involved. All of our radios have an earphone plug Earphones aren't provided though most regular headsets will fit. If the earphones don't fit, an inexpensive 3/4 inch earphone adapter can be purchased from Radio Shack or any other major electronic retail store.

How long can the radio be used?

As long as you wish. The sub-channel radio needed to hear the service is the property of the KPBS Radio Reading Service and is considered a lifetime loan (regardless of whether a donation was made to cover the cost of the receiver or not). If the radio is no longer used at any point, we ask that someone return it so that another new listener may use it. The radios can be returned by mail, free of postage, or dropped off.

How do I get the service?

Fill out our application and mail it in so we can send the necessary custom radio. We can send you an application/information packet if you leave your name and address on our voicemail line: 619-594-8170. Anyone can fill out the application, not just the individual who wants the service. A medical professional's authorizations is not needed. If you would like a web password in addition to the radio, the application will have an area for you to check off to get both.

Who runs the Reading Service?

The Radio Reading Service is a part of KPBS, San Diego's public broadcasting station. A single staff member, Program Manager Keoni Cabral, heads the Reading Service. Nearly 150 volunteers perform the actual local readings. In addition, paid student assistants provide office support a few hours each week. The service is located in the same building as KPBS at San Diego State University.

How is the Reading Service funded?

KPBS provides some of our support but we rely heavily on the generosity of civic groups, philanthropists and individual donations. When making your financial gifts or planning your estate, please keep the Reading Service in mind.

How long has the service been around?

Since 1975. The service started with a handful of volunteers and less than 10 listeners. We now serve a few thousand listeners throughout the San Diego community and our diverse volunteer roster includes nearly 150 volunteers. There about 125 similar reading service throughout the U.S and a few other internationally.

How do I volunteer and what's involved?

Prospective volunteers must meet our general requirements, pass a brief reading audition and come in to our KPBS Reading Service studios at San Diego State University for their reading assignments. Most of our volunteers read live newspapers aloud, with some recording other local publications. Please see our volunteer section for more information.

Since you're on 24 hours a day, are volunteers there around the clock?

No. We only broadcast locally through the day and switch over to other reading service networks in the afternoon. Our volunteers are generally here at various times between 9:00 a.m and 4:00 p.m, seven days a week.

How do I contact the Reading Service?

Call 619-594-8170. To volunteer, please read the instructions on our volunteer section before calling. Mailing address:

KPBS Reading Service

5200 Campanile Dr.

San Diego, CA 92182

With the help of nearly 150 readers, volunteers are essential to our service. Prospective volunteers must meet our general requirements, pass a brief reading audition and come in to our KPBS Reading Service studios at San Diego State University for their reading assignments. Our unique program is a beneficial tool for many and one to which we hope you'll consider lending your voice.

Getting Started

When we have reading positions open up, the first thing we do is contact prospective volunteers from our Volunteer Waiting List. Interested in being added to that list? Here's the process: First, read through our volunteer requirements and background information. If you meet the specified requirements and are still interested, then read the subsequent 'Waiting List Directions' for contact instructions.

Note: Length of waits are difficult to predict, at times varying from a couple of weeks to a few months or longer. Though a first step towards becoming a reader for our program, not all who add their names to our waiting list are ensured future volunteers positions.

Reader Requirements

One year minimum commitment in the same assignment -- This helps us cut down on the amount of turnover and time spent on bringing in as well as training new volunteers. Thus, our volunteer program wouldn't be a good fit for those with work or class schedules that will soon change, those planning to move out of town in the next year, those looking for work whose availability could change upon finding employment, etc.

Minimum Age = 21 -- Many of our listeners prefer hearing adult voices reading materials aloud. In addition, with changing class schedules each quarter or semster, high school and college students are usually not able to meet the one year requirement mentioned above.

9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., or 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. -- Able to come in to our Radio Reading Service studios at KPBS on the campus of San Diego State University two to three times a month for either a weekday or weekend shift of 9:30 am - 12 noon or 12 - 2 pm (a few reading spots are just for once a month or as occasional subs). SDSU is located off Interstate 8 in the College Area just before La Mesa.

Most common assignments

(1) On call or regular live newspaper readings with a partner on either The San Diego Union-Tribune (9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.) or the Los Angeles Times (12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.), trading off every other article, up to five minutes at a time.

(2) Solo 30-minute to one-hour recorded readings of other local publications. Shifts start at either 9:30 a.m. or 12:00 p.m. for these readings as well. Though they typically last no more than one hour, volunteers who read alone for pre-recorded publications still must be available to occasionally fill in for an additional one to two hours (following their recording), providing fill in assistance on live newspaper readings in an adjacent studio if one of two readers there wasn't able to come in at the last minute (rare).

Have home Internet access & email -- This requirement is due to the fact that training materials, reader backup lists, many volunteer communications, etc. are provided online.

Have a local 619, 858 or 760 phone number -- This is because many readers start off as on call or substitute readers and their phone numbers are shared with other regular readers. If given a choice, to avoid the cost of toll calls, most readers would skip over out of town prefixes when given a list of subs, calling instead just those with local numbers.

Willing to find own temporary replacements -- When unavailable to come in for scheduled readings (except in cases of personal emergencies). This is done using an on-call reader mass email list available online at a password protected site.

(1) Readers who can't come in go to a private website we've provided with a list of more than 25 email addresses of 'sub' readers.

(2) The entire email list is copied, then pasted into the 'bcc' section of a personal email then sent out in mass requesting a fill in reader.

(3) The first on call reader to respond fills in; one last mass email is then sent updating everyone that the opening has been filled.

Able to have a regular assignment -- Those who start off as on call readers should be willing to move into a regularly scheduled position (no more than 2 - 3 x a month) if one becomes available. Some readers start off on call, others begin with regular assignments, depending on what is open at the time. If you start off as an on call or 'sub' reader, you should be willing to move into a regular slot if one eventually becomes available (though subs often move into regular spots, future regular positions aren't guaranteed).

Regular out of town travel does not exceed more than a few times a year -- Many of our volunteers travel occasionally, which is fine, and line up their own subs using our online sub email system when they know ahead of time they'll be out of town. Traveling regularly, say every month or even every other month, would not work with our scheduling.

Whew! Still interested after reading all this? Great, thank you for hanging in there! Since you got this far, it looks like you could be a good fit for our program. So let's go ahead and add you to our volunteer waiting list.

Volunteer Waiting List

To be placed on our Volunteer Waiting List, please call and leave us a voicemail with the information requested below. As our program is run primarily by a single part-time staff member and in order to help run our operations more efficiently, we will not be able to respond to your initial message of volunteer interest. Instead, upon receiving your voicemail, we'll automatically enter you into our database. If a reading spot opens up in the future that matches your availability and our needs, we'll follow up and contact you with more details at that time. We're sorry that in most cases we won't be directly responding (unless there is a current opening). We hope you understand that this process saves us a great amount of time over the long run, freeing us up to better focus on operating our service. Note: The last thing from the list you'll leave on our voicemail is a quick reading sample. This gives us an idea of the kind of reading you might be best suited for, should we have an opening for you in the future.

(1) - Call 619-594-8170

(2) - At the intro. message, Press 1

(3) - At the next message, Press # again

(4) - After beep prompt, include the following information on our voicemail:

(a) - Your name, and let us know you're interested in volunteering.

(b) - Mention you've visited our website and meet all of our volunteer requirements.

(c) - State which shift(s) below you're available and on which day(s) of the week:

- Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday

- 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

- 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

- If flexible, let us know you're available any shift on any day.

(d) - Provide up to 2 phone numbers of the best places to reach you, including cell # if you have one.

(e) - Email address.

(f) - Please read aloud the below pronunciation list, followed by the SPAM reading sample (for tips on what we're looking for, see the bottom of this section):

• façade
• Ehud Barak
• Chechnya
• Mogadishu
• arduous
• Rod Blagojevich
• choreography
• exasperate

(g) SPAM Reading Sample: "Sure, to many folks, SPAM is a joke, immortalized in Monty Python routines. But that doesn't mean the all-American mystery meat doesn't taste great, or so some say. The modern-day obsession with health, the "Tofuization' of America has taken much of the fun out of eating."

Done! You can hang up.

Whether we're able to make use of your kind offer to read for us in the future or not, you've already been a big help in patiently reading through all of this, leaving us your message and adding your name to our waiting list, which we appreciate in a big way. Thank you so much!

Reading Tips

Style of reading: casual, conversational with a lot of inflection and a nice slow (but not too slow), steady pace. Try not to sound like a news anchor. Pretend you're reading to someone you know in your living room. Inflect a bit more on adjectives, things or phrases that stand out, etc. You shouldn't get caught up and concentrate too heavily on inflection though. Your reading should flow smoothly without frequent hesitations.

Relax. We're not looking for a perfect reading, especially since this material wasn't composed to be read out loud. Overall, we're looking for good pronunciation and a reading style that's easy to follow.

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