In 2016, the Talking Information Center (TIC) in Marshfield, MA created and broadcast a program to share the November ballot questions. The International Association of Audio Information Services (IAAIS) heard this broadcast and has awarded TIC the Consumer Information Program of the Year for “Massachusetts Voter Information Guide”.
TIC, the nonprofit reading service which broadcasts 24-hours a day to thousands of visually impaired and otherwise print impaired listeners throughout the state (and Massachusetts Reading Network’s South Shore affiliate) has won many awards over the past 40 years of broadcasting. The Consumer Information Program award for quality audio production was presented to TIC at the IAAIS Convention in Jacksonville, FL held June 1-3, 2017.
“We are particularly proud of this recognition because we felt that the visually impaired and reading disabled community should have easy access to our ballot questions and time to think them over before the vote,” explained Jim Bunnell, Executive Director of TIC. “Essentially, we received the voter information handbook in the mail and our Production Director jumped into action, having it on the air less than an hour later, including music and edits, which gave our listeners plenty of time to make it to the polls to cast their vote. Winning this award really shows the power of radio.”
About IAAIS
International Association of Audio Information Services (IAAIS) is a volunteer-driven membership organization of services that turn text into speech for people who cannot see, hold or comprehend the printed word and who may be unable to access information due to a disability or health condition.
Since its formation in 1977, IAAIS (formerly the Association of Radio Reading Services) has assisted, represented and set standards of good practice for audio information services worldwide. The organizational name was updated in 1999 to reflect the advent of new technologies for producing and delivering audio and an increased need for reading services throughout the world. IAAIS currently represents 140-some services and developing services. Member services can be found throughout the United States and in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Africa. Many IAAIS members in the United States are associated with public radio stations, colleges, universities or libraries.
For more information about IAAIS, visit https://iaais.org.
The Hub of the Massachusetts Reading Network
TIC, a proud member of IAAIS, is the hub of the Massachusetts Reading Network, broadcasting to all of Massachusetts as well as southern New Hampshire and Connecticut.
TIC programming may be accessed several ways: via live audio stream at http://www.ticnetwork.org; by utilizing a specially tuned radio receiver; through AudioNow by calling 712-832-7025 from a home or cell phone; or by smartphone app. Listeners with smartphones may download the free TIC app by typing “Talking Information Center” in Apple or in the Google Play store for Android devices.
In 1977, Ed Perry, the founder of radio station WATD-FM in Marshfield, MA, donated his Subsidiary Carrier Authorization signal for use as the first radio reading service in New England. Operating similarly to other broadcast networks, TIC has affiliates throughout the state of Massachusetts that provide inserts of local news and information that is of interest to listeners in their area. The Executive Office of Elder Affairs and the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind oversee TIC, which is located at 130 Enterprise Drive, Marshfield, MA 02050. For more information visit www.ticnetwork.org or call (781) 834-4400.
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