Central Kentucky Radio Eye, Inc Volunteers

CKRE Volunteers

Our Mission
Central Kentucky Radio Eye, Inc (CKRE) is a Radio Reading Service (RRS) dedicated to broadcasting the reading of newspapers and other everyday literature to those people who cannot read the printed word due to blindness, low vision or physical disability.

What We Read
We are on the air 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Our locally produced programs run from 8am to 1pm with slightly reduced hours on weekends. CKRE volunteers read the Lexington Herald-Leader, the Louisville Courier-Journal, Woodford Sun, Winchester Sun, Mount Sterling Advocate, Danville Advocate Messenger and the Frankfort State Journal. We read sports news, local magazines, short stories and health information. We also produce special health series of interest to our listenership, and we feature readings from publications such as AARP Bulletin and AARP Magazine. After CKRE completes its local programming we switch to a satellite feed from New York, providing our listeners with readings from national newspapers and current publications for the rest of the 24 hour day.

The CKRE Service
Founded by Dr. Alfred Crabb and incorporated in November 1988, CKRE began broadcasting its Radio Reading Service in November 1990. We have been in continuous service ever since and we serve a potential audience of over 1,500 radio listeners 24 hours a day, every day of the year. We have listeners throughout Central Kentucky covering an 80 mile radius from Owenton in the north to Berea in the south, and from Bardstown in the west to Beattyville in the east; and our broadcast is available in Central Baptist, UK and the VA hospitals.

As an added service to the community, we broadcast our live 2-hour reading of the Lexington Herald-Leader on Library Channel 20 on Lexington Insight Cable TV. This is available Monday through Saturday, 8am to 10am - expanding our 2-hour reading of the Herald-Leader into 80,000 residences in Lexington, Fayette County, and parts of Jessamine County.

The CKRE Staff
A small staff of three and the treasurer manage the radio station. They comprise Margaret Chase, Chairwoman & Executive Director; Sarah Nix, Office Supervisor; Joyce McGuire, Office Manager; and Dr. Daniel Fulks, Treasurer.

Our Listeners
Listeners receive our 24 hour closed-circuit broadcast on special radios that we lend to them free of charge. The majority of our listeners are over 60 years old. Most are blind or visually impaired, but we have others listeners who are print handicapped because of disabilities which prevent them from holding or turning a page. Listeners call us regularly to thank us for the work we do. We have listeners who have been with us many years, and think of us as friends who regularly "visit" with them in their homes.

Our Volunteers
Each year, volunteers contribute thousands of hours making "live" and "recorded" readings; operating the control board which gets our broadcast on the air; researching material; scheduling readers; repairing & mailing radios; answering the phone & keeping records; and helping with the newsletter & program guide. The CKRE studio is open mornings only for volunteers to come in to make their readings. Many of our volunteers are retirees and homemakers, who are able to volunteer during the week. Others who have careers or are college students, volunteer on weekends or come in early on their way to class or their place of work. And still other volunteers work on projects from their homes. Very few of our readers come from a broadcasting background, but all share a common desire to bring the printed word to our listeners. Several of our readers have been with CKRE over ten years. Every year we have a Volunteer Appreciation Dinner at which the Board of CKRE acknowledges the volunteers' many hours of help to our organization.

The success of CKRE depends directly on the loyalty, dedication and talent of both our on-air and behind the scenes volunteers. We are a very friendly group, but we operate the radio station to the very best of our ability and in a professional manner. Readers take an oral reading and pronunciation test. We expect readers to give a minimum of one hour actual reading time (or two separate half hour readings) per week. Control Board Operators will be trained, and it takes about a week to become fully confident. Once you are comfortable with the controls, many of our Control Board Operators help with other things - such as recording a program, answering the phone, packing radios to be mailed out to listeners.

We have a "sign-in" sheet for volunteer readers, so we know who is in (and who is out!) The sign-in sheet helps us to avoid volunteers waiting around to use the recording booths. CKRE also has a Listserve so that staff and active CKRE volunteers can easily communicate via group email.

Reading Skills
Recording or broadcasting live for our listeners provides an interesting and rewarding experience. We are committed to providing reading that is accurate, pleasant and intelligently presented. Readings need to be well paced, as many older listeners may have trouble understanding you if you go too fast. You should read the material as if you wrote it. However, whether you are reading live or recorded, we ask that volunteer readers do not ad lib, editorialize, or convey their opinions either by word or tone of voice.

Parking
CKRE is located on the campus of the University of Kentucky, and volunteers with CKRE are provided with parking permits for certain parking lots.

In Conclusion
Thank you for taking the time to read through this Volunteer Information. If you would like to visit us please call us at 859-257-2702 to set up at time.