Sidmouth based Talking Newspapers goes digital and gets new chairman
NEW chairman of Sid Vale and Eastern Devon Talking Newspaper is Graham Mallaband, one of the newspaper’s editors.
He takes over from David Raistrick, pictured left with Graham at the Manor Pavilion Theatre, Sidmouth, where the weekly digest of news is recorded for the visually impaired before they are distributed across East Devon to the Dorset border.
David has been chairman for four years and continues as producer. Graham continues as editor of one of the seven teams that produce tapes for 90 people in the area.
It is proving to be another busy year for the group. In February, after many years of producing cassette tapes for listeners, the Talking Newspaper moved to digital production, which significantly improves the sound quality of the recordings.
A sizeable financial investment had to be made in new equipment to enable the change and, said David, the driving force behind the digital move, TN is grateful to Sidmouth Conservative Club, the Sid Vale Association’s Keith Owen Fund and Waitrose for their donations and support.
The TN provides a weekly digest of local news and a quarterly magazine is available, free of charge, to those living in East Devon with visual impairment. More information about the group can be obtained by calling Graham on (01395) 512140.
*Colin Beaumont Edmonds, a blind resident in Sidmouth at the time, started the Sidmouth TN group in 1987. National Talking Newspapers Week starts on Monday, September 13.
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