Figure 1. A small transistor radio for listening to Typeradio at Typo Berlin 2004. The frequency was 95.3 FM
With online forums such as Typophile and Typographica, will
Typeradio ever become integrated in the typographic internet
landscape? “At the moment, definitely not,” Jacobs replies. “Typeradio
is an experiment and should remain an experimental playground.
We do this for our own fun. I also don’t believe that a
radio channel could fulfill the same task as an online forum like
‘Typographica.’ You go to type forums once a week to stay up-to-date
with the type news. Typeradio—the way we see it—doesn’t
have a news value. We also concentrate on a different public. We
want to make type accessible to people outside the type community.
Radio is a perfect medium for doing this. Broadcasting on
local FM frequency is therefore important; by accident you reach
unexpected listeners.”
Figure 2. Radio Host Donald Beekman prepares to start the Typeradio engine at Typo Berlin 2004.
Jacobs’ take on the future of Typeradio brought up the issue
that plagues all volunteer projects. “The big problem with initiatives
like these is always the same: money. It’s lucky that we are
located in Holland, home of governmental funds. We just received
a bit of money from the Dutch government to proceed with Typeradio.
That helps a lot and it keeps the energy up. We are now
planning ahead. As soon as I know more, I’ll let you know.”
www.typeradio.org | www.underware.nl | www.typeworkshop.com