Director of WDET's Radio Reading Service accepts Award for HD Radio Innovation at 2009 CES
Kim Walsh, Director of the Detroit Radio Information Service (DRIS) at WDET, was among a select group honored at the Wonder Vision Awards during a private reception January 9 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Accepting on behalf of the International Association of Audio Information Services (IAAIS), Walsh who is president of the nonprofit trade group, received the award from Stevie Wonder and Mike May, president of the Sendero Group, as part of their quest to give recognition to products that contribute to greater accessibility. They cited IAAIS' efforts in print accessibility and its release of first-ever standards for vision-free digital radios.

"We are extremely proud of this significant honor. The IAAIS StAR Committee produced the "Standards for Accessible HD Radios" in record time," says Walsh. "And our collaboration with DICE Electronics and others ensured that prototypes of the first fully accessible HD Radio were available to ogle at three separate CES booths along with Braille literature."

Celebrating 30 years of audio information excellence, DRIS is dedicated to providing timely printed matter and consumer information to the blind, physically disabled, and cognitively disabled residents of southeastern Michigan and to providing quality programs designed to help those individuals lead enriched, productive and independent lives. For more about DRIS, visit dris.org or contact dris@wayne.edu.

WKAR Presents “Songs for the Season” in December
WKAR-TV offered a video holiday greeting to the community this December with the premiere of "Songs of the Season", produced with the MSU Children’s Choir.

The program was recorded in January 2008 at the WKAR studios. Mary Alice Stollak directed the choir who performed songs such as “White Christmas,” “The Wassail Song,” and “The Christmas Song.”

Backstage segments included interviews with Stollak, several choir members and Jim Forger, dean of the MSU College of Music. The program was conceived by WKAR-FM Classical music announcer Jody Knol, whose daughter Adria was a member of the choir. Knol, along with co-producer Joe Barnhart, had previously produced WKAR’s concert with fortepianist Malcolm Bilson. He suggested the idea of the concert to WKAR’s station/program manager, Kent Wieland.

The program was aired by other Michigan stations and distributed nationwide through NETA (National Educational Telecommunications Association).

WNMU Supports Young Readers Through Reading Rainbow Competition
Northern Michigan University's WNMU-TV/Marquette is currently presenting the 14th annual "Reading Rainbow Young Writers and Illustrators Contest". The contest is for children from kindergarten to third grade who are encouraged to write and illustrate their own stories.

Entries from WNMU's coverage area will be judged locally and the winners submitted to the national level. 12 local winners will recieve prizes. Deadline for entries is April 4.

Reminder: BCS Monthly Training
Broadcast Compliance Services (BCS) assists MAB member stations in meeting EEO outreach requirements through its broad outreach program enabling broadcasters to post and list job openings with thousands of contacts nationwide.

As part of this service, BCS offers monthly conference call training on a weekly basis. Click here for participant information and a schedule as well as complete information on this MAB member service.

For more information on other valuable MAB Member Service, visit the member services section of the MAB web site here.