Oldest Radio Program in the Country for Visually Impaired, Homebound Residents Celebrates 50th Anniversary

“The Radio Home Visitor” on WRKC at King’s College—the oldest radio reading service of its kind in the United States—will celebrate 50 years of serving the blind, visually impaired, and homebound community of Wyoming Valley since its debut on Sept. 2, 1974.

“The Radio Home Visitor” is a daily reading of Wyoming Valley newspapers that is broadcast daily on WRKC at 88.5 FM from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Rev. Thomas F. Carten, C.S.C., ’78, not only created the program as a student to obtain college credit, but he also wanted to reach residents that he felt were underserved by other radio stations. He originally told classmates and his instructor the endeavor might last a year.

However, Father Carten’s affiliation with the show continued after he became a Holy Cross priest and eventually a King’s College faculty member in 1979. He retired to the University of Notre Dame in 2013 and died on Christmas Eve in 2020 at the age of 78.

David Yonki was a student at King’s from 1973 to 1977. He recalled that his classmates who managed what was a “progressive rock” station at the time were skeptical of a show that appealed to an older group, but Father Carten won them over.

“He persuaded them that radio was not only about jazz, Mott the Hoople, and Jethro Tull, but also about community,” said Yonki.

Pat Fadden was affiliated with WRKC as a student from 1973 to 1975 and remembered the enthusiasm Father Carten created for the program. “Once one of us got involved, we all got involved,” he said. “It was great. Tom encouraged it and got people interested.”

Father Carten was celebrated for his ministry as well. “He was a priest, and he never thought he was better than anybody,” said Fadden. “He was open and honest. He was just the kind of person we needed at the station.”

“He gave the most sensible homilies I ever heard in my lifetime,” said Yonki. “He would give a three-minute sermon and would knock it out of the park.”

Sue Henry, WRKC’s general manager, also remembered Father Carten’s devotion to the program, and the care he took bringing local news and information to thousands of residents over the years. “He was a consistent voice in the lives of many,” she said. “He brought comfort to countless people who were able to feel connected to the community through his efforts.”

Scott Alexander ’22 currently hosts the show with support from the staff, students, and alumni of the College.

“It’s amazing,” said Fadden. “We never thought it was going to last. It was going strong then and it’s still going strong.”