On behalf of the CBC, we am pleased to update you on our ongoing initiative to make public radio accessible to a wide range of Canadians.
As you may know, CBC launched a pilot project earlier this year to publish text transcripts of our daily current affairs program, The Current, online, with the help of a grant from the Broadcasting Accessibility Fund. Since that launch, we are thrilled to report that The Current’s transcripts have been viewed by 20,000 people.
As part of this project, CBC also posts one American Sign Language (ASL) interpreted radio documentary from the show every month.
We are excited about the number of Canadians that are engaging with the transcripts, and want to ensure that this initiative continues to reach those that can benefit the most from the project. The growing library of transcripts now have the potential to appeal to a large and diverse audience, including English language learners, rural Canadians and post-secondary students. We are looking forward to engaging with those communities, in addition to the deaf and hard of hearing community.
Links to the transcripts are located on The Current’s Past Episodes page. They’re easy to view and easy to share with others who may benefit from the transcripts.
Here are more details on the project, including:
· A press release detailing the anticipated audience and impact of The Current’s transcription project.
· A blog post on The Current’s website about the wide and diverse audience potential of this project.
