What’s RPH All About?

The initials RPH in our call sign stand for Radio for the Print Handicapped of NSW. We are a special purpose radio station, with more than half our funding supplied by Government sources.

There’s no other radio station quite like an RPH station – perhaps that’s your reason for asking about volunteering with us!

RPH provides a radio reading service for people who cannot see, handle or understand printed material. We do so in one way or another for 17 hours a day. That’s the sole reason we’re here.

There are RPH stations around Australia and in New Zealand.

Volunteering Opportunities

We offer volunteering positions as they become available in the following categories:

• Reception, including handling telephone enquiries and a variety of office tasks.
• Office work, including checking of material for broadcast,
• Addressing Program Guides for mailing, etc.
• Reading newspapers “live” to air.
• Reading and recording books and magazines for later broadcast. *
• Announcing – at RPH Sydney the Announcer is also the producer of the live-to-air program.*
• Panel operating/producing pre-recorded programs and digital file transfer (computerized). *

* A free training program is provided for these categories.

At present there are only limited availabilities for readers and announcers, as the number of volunteers now exceeds 200, but we are always pleased to discuss other important volunteer availabilities that assist us to perform well. This helps to establish a relationship with the station.

What Happens at the Audition?

An audition is a test of voice, ability to read with accuracy (without any dramatics), without comment of any kind at all, and capacity to convey the printed word in a meaningful way.

It consists of material selected by the station, including recent news stories selected from Sydney newspapers, an “at-sight” item and a list of words, including many names of people and places currently in the news. So you don’t have to bring any material with you.

A number of people are invited to each audition, which begins with a brief introduction and a full explanation of what’s expected from your audition. Each prospective volunteer is taken to a studio where their audition is recorded. We make two studios available for this purpose to make sure there is as little delay as possible. The auditions are then heard by a small selection panel.

Practice helps. So before you attend the audition, spend a few hours a day reading from a newspaper, out loud. You’ll find it takes concentration – it’s not as easy as it sounds!

As soon as possible after the audition, we write and advise the result. Normally it is only a matter of three or four days before the letters go out. And if you don’t pass the audition, we’ll tell you why, so you can try again!

If You Pass an Audition – What Happens Then?

You will be invited to attend an induction training day which will give you a good insight into the way the station operates. Give you some basic hints and advice about the best way to read on air – voice production, breathing etc, plus etiquette for working at 2RPH. We will explain the way shifts are filled and about station Policy. After which you a complete, live to air, newspaper reading shift.

This could take up to three hours, including the preparation period. All on-air people are required to prepare the material for broadcast. Please understand that this preparation period is of extreme importance to the effectiveness of the broadcast. This means that the rostered time is usually at least one hour before the actual time of going on air. Having become involved in preparation, you then move into the studio with the announcer and two readers to observe how things are done.

You will then receive a copy of the Volunteers’ Manual. Your responsibilities to the station as a volunteer, and those of the station to you are listed, together with a range of procedures. It also includes a copy of the RPH Protocol, the rules by which all RPH stations are governed.

The next step is your first on-air shift, where you will work with two well-experienced volunteers – one the announcer, the other a fellow reader.

We will then accept you as a member of the team of volunteers, and the Volunteer Co-ordinator will list your name and availability prior to adding you to the roster. When a shift becomes available, it will be offered to you.

You may be invited to train as an announcer, or be selected to record a book or magazine – but only when you have become proficient as a live-to-air reader.

What Else Should I Know?

We ask volunteers to apply themselves to their tasks in the same way they would if they were to be paid for their services. That is: we ask you to arrive at the stipulated time for the shift (which is always in advance of the on-air time to allow for preparation and for any last-minute briefing that may be necessary.

We seek to have a friendly, co-operative environment – it makes for better broadcasting.

We ask that in addition to the “no comment” rule, you do not make personal calls of any kind on air.

When you first start…

We ask that you remain for the full period – first, helping with preparation, and then sit in the studio and watch a full shift to its completion. Following this, we will roster you on a shift with two volunteers who are well experienced.

There are often other jobs to be done at the station and we welcome your interest and assistance with any of these if you are interested.