Youngstown Radio Reading Service

Youngstown Radio Reading Service carries the feel of a local public-service conversation. It is not trying to sound slick. It is trying to be useful. The show brings in people who work close to the ground in eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and the Mahoning Valley, then gives them enough time to explain what they do and why it matters. Recent episodes move through senior care, workforce participation, child care, maternal health, infant mortality, parish history, and mental wellness. A discussion with Joe Wojtek from Comfort Keepers focuses on helping older adults and families navigate home care, Medicaid, VA programs, county grants, senior levy programs, and home modifications. A Chamber and Goodwill conversation follows the local community needs assessment, especially the barriers that keep people from work or make it hard to stay employed. Transportation comes up. Child care comes up. So does the need for more child care workers and more employers willing to help with costs. The health episodes are especially practical. Kathy Hergenrother from Mahoning Valley Pathways explains work across Trumbull, Mahoning, Columbiana, and Jefferson counties, including maternity deserts, community health workers, and documented health outcomes for participants. Another conversation with Dr. Sherry Harper-Woods and Troy Woods connects Mental Health Awareness Month with mind, body, soul, pastoral counseling, social work, and spiritual direction. The show also makes space for memory and identity, as in the conversation with Father Edward Patrick Noga about St. Patrick’s, Youngstown, Slovakia, and local faith life. The interviews can wander, but the wandering is part of the character. A guest’s answer becomes a clarification, then a local example, then a phone number or next step. The tone stays warm even when the subject is serious. For listeners who want civic information without hard edges, Youngstown Radio Reading Service offers steady, accessible conversations about the people and services holding a community together.