Fun and Informative Radio for the Blind

By Brian McCallen, LightHouse guest blogger

Want to enjoy your favorite entertainment and informational programs at the click of a mouse? Well, look no further than the American Council of the Blind’s ACB Radio.

ACB Radio offers five channels of programming. The MainStream airs “spoken-word content by the blind, for the blind” and for listeners interested in important issues affecting the blind. ACB Radio Cafe is the place to hear new and well-known blind musicians play and sing your favorite tunes. The best in old-time radio dramas and comedies is on Treasure Trove. ACB Radio Interactive (ACBRI) is the source for more music, variety and your requests. Blind and visually impaired presenters from around the world host ACBRI, and the service is for anyone interested in great and unpredictable interactive Internet radio. ACB Radio World brings you blindness-related programming in languages other than English, along with live and special-interest shows.

In addition to the five channels above, ACB Radio offers a blog on show and website updates, programming on-demand and more. ACB offers plenty of choices for your radio-listening pleasure!

Accessing ACB Radio is easy. First, go to www.acbradio.org. At the left side of the home page under “CONTENTS,” click on either MainStream, Cafe, Treasure Trove, Interactive or World. You’ll be transferred to the site for that particular ACB radio station. On each station’s page, select the audio player and associated dial-up or broadband live stream that you wish to use. The live stream opens up and you’re listening to talk and tunes in just seconds.

On a side note, you may access a station’s page at any time by clicking on “Listen,” which is also located under “CONTENTS,” and tapping the appropriate link (e.g., “Connect to ACB Radio Main Stream for the talk of the blind community”). There’s also a “Downloads” page where you can download the required audio players, along with a special ACB Radio Tuner for Windows and Macintosh systems. The link for the “Downloads” page is located in the “CONTENTS” menu.

ACB’s Treasure Trove took me on an awesome adventure back in time to the old days of radio. The station was easy to access, and I enjoyed listening to suspenseful and exciting episodes of Batman, Gunsmoke and The Shadow from the 1940s and ‘50s.

Listen to ACB Radio today. It’s informative, entertaining and, most of all, FUN!