BBC Radio Player Guide

A guide for Jaws users, written by Chorlton Workshop for hsbp.

Introduction

The BBC radio player is used on the BBC website for both listening live to radio stations, and listening again to radio programmes which have been broadcast recently. Note that the radio player always runs in a separate window. The BBC radio player uses the program RealPlayer, so this must be installed on a computer for the BBC radio player to work. You can download a free copy of RealPlayer at: www.bbc.co.uk/radio/audiohelp_install.shtml

There are many links within the bbc radio web pages that open the bbc radio player. For example you can go to www.bbc.co.uk/radio, open the Links list dialog, and open a link like Listen to radio 4.

Page structure

The page title is BBC Radio Player. The page is structured using frames, and as described below, navigating using this frame structure is sometimes useful for this page. The relevant Jaws commands are M to move to the next frame, and INSERT + F9 to open the frames list dialog.

The contents of the page include:

• Screen reader help — a list of the access keys for the page.
• Audio controls.
• Information about the programme being played.
• Two combo boxes, each with an associated Go button. These combo boxes are for changing the selection of programmes which appear in the the list of programmes, which follow the combo boxes. The list of programmes can be selected either by radio station, or by type of show — hence the two combo boxes.
• The selection criterion for the selection of programmes, eg radio 3, pop.
• A selection of programmes, which is divided into sections by headings.

Playing a programme

To play a programme, select a programme link in the selection of programmes, and press ENTER.

You can find a programme link using one of the following methods:

• Browse. You can use the headings to move between the sections of the selection of programmes.
• Use the links list dialog.
• Use find ( CTRL + F ).

Audio controls

The audio controls look like buttons, but they formatted as links. Which controls are present depends on what you are playing. The first control is always the play and pause button, and the last controls are always a pair of controls: volume down 20%, and volume up 20%. In between these controls there is a set of controls to rewind and forward which depends on the programme type:

• Listen live: no controls
• Listen again speech: rewind 15 mins, rewind 1 min, forward 1 min, forward 15 mins.
• Listen again music: forward 5 mins, forward 15 mins. The absence of rewind for music is due to copyright issues.

Access keys

All the audio controls have access keys:

Audio control	Access key
Play and pause	4
Volume up 20%	q
Volume down 20%	w
Rewind 15 mins	5
Rewind 1 min	6
Forward 1 min	7
Forward 5 mins	8
Forward 15 mins	9

Navigating to the audio controls

Instead of having to remember all the access keys, an alternative is to navigate to the audio controls, and then TAB through them to find the control you want. The Audio controls are at the start of the “audio controls and information” frame, which is the fourth frame, so to navigate to the this frame, you can either:

• Go to the top of the page, and then move to the next frame three times, eg press CTRL + HOME, then press M three times.
• Move to the “Audio controls and information” frame using the frames list dialog box ( INSERT + F9 ).

Changing the selection of programmes

1. Navigate either to the first combo box for selecting by radio station, or the second combo box, for selecting by type of show.
2. Press ENTER to go into forms mode and then select an item.
3. Press TAB to move to the associated Go button, and then press ENTER. The programmes list is then updated.

Reading the selection criterion

The easiest way of navigating to the selection criterion, is to move to the “logo” frame using the frames list dialog ( INSERT + F9 ).You can then read the selection criterion.