Press release from Spacial:
SHERMAN OAKS, Calif. - Spacial, an award-winning maker of radio automation software, launched SAM Vibe, a powerful Internet radio broadcasting application that's fully accessible to users who are blind or visually impaired.
SAM Vibe lets broadcasters produce their own cloud Internet radio programs, whether it's news, sports, talk, or various genres of music. The software gives users the ability to upload and manage large music libraries, control scheduling and automate many aspects of program production.
Spacial created SAM Vibe to especially appeal to broadcasters who are blind or visually impaired. The software is fully compatible with text-to-speech screen readers, and can be operated using a computer keyboard instead of mouse. Additionally, the color scheme is color-blind friendly and optimized for contrast, with large fonts to make reading text easier.
"Lots of people want to be DJs but most radio broadcasting software is too complex for the average user and not designed to be accessible for people who are blind or visually impaired," says Pascal Laflamme, Managing Director of Spacial. "SAM Vibe has an easy and fully accessible interface to allow broadcasters with or without vision to create their own commercial-quality radio stations right from their PCs."
"As a media professional who is blind, I have expertise with many types of radio broadcasting software and believe SAM Vibe is a great solution for those new to Internet broadcasting," says Erin Edgar, who co-founded the Tech Access Weekly podcast covering accessible technology for the blind and visually impaired with her husband, Rodney. Tech Access Weekly created an audio review of SAM Vibe's features for low-vision and screen reader users, which can be found on the Spacial website.
SAM Vibe also makes it easy for kids to explore the craft of radio programming, and it's in use at the broadcast studio operated by SLB Radio Productions, Inc. at the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh. "With SAM Vibe, we now have an easy and intuitive way to teach kids to create and control their own broadcasts, whether for fun or career discovery," says Larry Berger, founder and executive director of SLB Radio.
SLB Radio is also evaluating SAM Vibe to manage iQ Kids Radio, its new 24/7 service launching with WQED in Pittsburgh in 2013. "Eight years ago we chose SAM Broadcaster for our studios and it has exceeded our high expectations. We're confident that SAM Vibe will also play an important role as we develop new forms of youth-based programming," Berger adds.
Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/10/09/4894168/spacial-debuts-accessible-radio.html#storylink=cpy
