WRBH

WRBH 88.3 FM is a non-commercial radio outlet in New Orleans, Louisiana that primarily provides radio reading service programming for the blind and print handicapped, one of only two such stations in the United States. Services include readings of books, original programming and readings of newspapers including the The Wall Street Journal and The Times-Picayune. WYPL in Memphis, Tennessee provides similar services. The station's owners are Radio For The Blind & Print Handicapped, which is where the call letters came from. They operate at 88.3 MHz with an ERP of 51 kW. The station was founded by Dr. Robert McLean, a blind mathematician.

Founding

WRBH began as the dream of a local mathematician, Dr. Robert McClean. He was blind, but he had a vision: a FM reading radio station, with strong programming content that would improve the lives of blind and visually impaired persons for productive, fulfilling lives. In 1975, McClean began leasing airtime from WWNO and renting studio space from New Orleans’ Lighthouse for the Blind. By 1982, his efforts expanded after purchasing the 88.3 FM wavelength, officially making WRBH the United States’ first 24-hour FM reading radio station for the blind. Today, WRBH remains the USA’s only full-time FM reading radio service and is one of only three such stations in the world.