Update May 2011
May 11, 2011
As OXTALK approaches the next phase in its life I thought you might like to receive the news about the future.
On 31 May 2011 the last cassette recording will be made, then copied and posted out. From Tuesday 7 June 2011 the weekly OXTALK news will have become a digital production ONLY. You can hear the Technical Officers sighing with relief!! They have been working hard producing both the cassettes and the flash drives for very many months. A big THANK YOU to all the TOs for despite much hair pulling they have not walked away, it has not been an easy time for them.
For approximately the last 6 months a small group of volunteers have been contacting and visiting the listeners to give them a Sound Orb [the instrument OXTALK has given to every listener so they can listen to the news on the flash drives in the future]. OXTALK had sufficient funds to do this. The volunteer trainers spent time showing the listener, sometimes with a family member or friend, how to use the Sound Orb and we are now confident that all listeners are ready for the change-over. Again a big THANK YOU to this group of volunteers. In the future new referrals to OXTALK will be given a Sound Orb if they have no other means of listening to the news. Some listeners listen to the weekly news on the OXTALK website – something you can do yourself if you wish to, www.oxtalk.org.uk , some listeners have other means of listening to the news.
Recording will be different for the Readers because there will be no side one and side two in future and Copiers copying will be so much quicker.
This change means we have cassette Copying Machines we no longer require and if you know of another Talking News group who have not yet changed to digital and would be interested in buying these machines please ask them to contact me.
Anne Ambler visits many and various groups within the Oxford area giving talks about OXTALK. Perhaps a group you are involved with would be interested in hearing Anne’s talk? To give some variety to her talk Anne wonders whether you have an anecdote or two which you will be willing for her to share with the audience – something funny or something that occurred whilst the recording was being made which could have meant disaster or resulted in the recording not being as professional as it usually is; or did something happen whilst you were copying? For either booking Anne or letting her have your anecdote please email her via mail@oxtalk.org.uk
Neil Stockton, Chair of Radio Cherwell, is looking for hospital ward visitors. To find out more please visit  www.radiocherwell.com/wardvisitor and then follow the links. Neil will be very pleased to hear from you.
A new OXTALK leaflet is being produced as the old one is now out of date!!! Will it be another 32 years before OXTALK has to make changes to the format of the weekly news and type of equipment used or is the IT world now moving on very much faster than this? What will be next?
If you have any suggestions as to how we can improve the OXTALK service please contact me.
Thank you for your continued support of OXTALK, without you the OXTALK Talking News would not be the well received and appreciated organisation it is.
My good wishes to you.
Margaret A Simpson
CHAIR – OXTALK Â Â May 2011
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