marr spresentation97katyupdate
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MARRS PresentationTRANSCRIPT
What is MARRS?
The purpose of MARRS is to improve the quality of life for blind and visually impaired individuals in Western North Carolina by providing access to print information through the use of special radio units, cable TV and the internet
Mars photo
MARRS HISTORY
SERVICES
PROGRAMMING PARTNERS
RESOURCES VOLUNTEERS FINANCIAL
MARRS HISTORY MARRS, formerly RAISE, was first
established in Asheville in 1987 MARRS is part of a network of
organizations across the US providing broadcast services for the visually impaired
Broadcasts are readings of daily local newspapers
MARRS receives NO state or Federal Funding
MARRS SERVICES-WESTERN NC• 24 /7 programming of local and
national news and special features
• Listeners use special radios provided by MARRS to hear newspaper broadcasts via FM radio signals or cable channels
• Webstreaming: Live streaming and archived programs at http://www.marrswnc.org
MARRS SERVICE PARTNERS
• Programs are broadcast via subcarrier access provided by the courtesy of WCQS-FM and WNCW-FM
• Henderson County local news is available on Channel 11(the local cable system)
• Exploring opportunities with other cable carriers(Charter Cable in Asheville and Morris Broadband in Henderonville)
TYPICAL DAY BROADCAST CONTENT
12 am Evening Odyssey 1 am Good Night Owl 2 am After Midnight 3 am Best in Short Stories 4 am Nutrition and Health 5 am Chautauqua 6 am Armchair Adventure 7 am News, Weather &
Sports 7:15 Green & Growing 8 am Newspapers, St.
Paul Minneapolis 10 am Past is Prologue 11 am Take 20 for Fitness 11:20 Entertainment News
12 noon Bookworm 1 pm USA Today 2 pm Armchair Adventure 3-5 pm Asheville
News 5 pm Hendersonville
News 6 pm Asheville
Entertainment Hour 7-9 pm Asheville
News Repeat 9 pm Two on the Aisle 10 pm The Book Was Better 11 pm Reflections –
biography
MARRS PARTNERS
WNCW(88.7) and WCQS(88.1)-Public Radio
Area hospitals Pardee Home Health Care Henderson County NC Department of Social Services for the
Blind???ask Tom Low Vision Center Asheville Eye Associates Senior Living Facilities Council on Aging
LOCAL PUBLICATIONS WE READ Asheville Citizen-Times
Hendersonville Times-News
Transylvania Times
Mountain Express
Black Mountain News
The Laurel
MARRS CLIENTS
Blind ,visually impaired , or print impaired individuals in Western North Carolina can receive specialized radios at no cost to receive programming
Hundreds of units have been distributed since 1987
MARRS RESOURCES• Volunteers-Currently about 40
volunteer readers 2 locations
• MARRS Volunteers provide access to Western North Carolina newspapers
• Main office located in downtown Asheville
• Satellite office in Hendersonville
• Volunteer Board of Directors
• Part-time General Manager
MARRS PRIMARY EXPENSES
• Radios
• Rent, phone, broadcast equipment
• Broadcast tech support
• Consulting engineering services
• Consulting computer services
MARRS FINANCIAL RESOURCES Grants from local/regional
foundations
Local churches
Contributions from individuals
IMPACT OF RESOURCE LIMITATIONS
Overly dependent on volunteers to operate and manage the station
Some funds restricted Programming limited until funding
acquired for full-time general manager Outreach effort constrained by lack of
financial resources Further funding required to serve
individuals in additional Western North Carolina Counties
PAST MARRS DONORS Asheville Woman’s Club Central United Methodist Church Cummings Foundation Gannett Foundation Individuals Janirve Foundation Jubilee Lions Clubs Steelcase Foundation Volunteers
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
HOW CAN YOU HELP MARRS HELP? Make a donation
Serve as a volunteer reader
Serve as a volunteer manager
Participate as a Board member
Spread the word!