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Reel-to-Reel Tape Digitization

In the process of conducting interview, Media and the Movement has encountered a number of activist-journalists who have private collections of their media output, but don’t have a way to preserve these materials.  This situation is particularly acute with radio recordings from the 1960, ’70s, and ’80s, which typically  appear on outdated formats such 1/4″ and 1/2″ film.  In most cases, owners of tape do not even have the hardware to listen to the recordings.  Thirty to forty years after their creation, many of these recordings are also in fragile condition and in danger of being lost to heat, humidity, and mildew.

With the support of several interviewees, Media and the Movement has launched a pilot project to digitally preserve and replicate audio recordings from the activist radio stations WAFR and WVSP.  As we continue to make progress with this second phase of our project, we will make digitized audio available here on our site.