Our blind and visually impaired listeners look forward to receiving their weekly copy of The Mardler – Talking Newspaper. Drawing on news items from the North Norfolk News, this audio production is delivered directly to listeners’ homes by the Royal Mail under their Articles For The Blind scheme.
We have a number of Editor/Producers, each reporting to the Chief Editor and taking responsibility for their assigned week’s edition. They each have a pool of volunteer Readers to draw upon and these must be booked as the year progresses. There are usually three or four Readers to manage per edition. A Sound Engineer is allocated to take care of the technical aspects of the recording.
Early on Thursday morning there is a trip to the newsagent to acquire a copy of the the North Norfolk News. This is literally dissected, creating piles of news clippings. These articles are read and sorted with some ending on the clipping room floor. Occasionally we have to correct the grammar and spelling and highlight any names that are difficult to pronounce.
The next job is to create a script. This explains to the Readers and Sound Engineer who is to read what and in which order. This script breaks down the recording task into bite-sized chunks to allow the Sound Engineer to edit out any mistakes and to allow the Readers to proof read their next articles.
On Friday morning the Editor/Producer provides a file of news clippings to each Reader and talks through the recording script. As the recording progresses notes are made to identify any coughs or stutters to help the Sound Engineer to clean up the audio. We aim to produce an entertaining, informative and error free recording.
By midday the recording is usually complete. The Readers are thanked, the studio tidied and secured.
To take on this role you will need access to a computer with word processing software and a printer. You will be comfortable communicating via telephone and email with other volunteers. A good level of literacy is called for together with an ability to work in a team. The recording studio is up a flight of stairs. Full training and support will be provided.