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[HCDX] Official US International Broadcasting Cuts and Additions
All-I received the following email from the public affairs office of the US
Broadcasting Board of Governors (the group tasked with overseeing US
International Broadcasting efforts). I hope you find this useful.
Chuck Yarbrough
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<http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=10DB1F1:2CE45DB> Broadcasting Budget
Targets War on Terror
Washington, D.C., 02/06/2006
The proposed fiscal year 2007 budget for U.S. international broadcasting
calls for an overall increase of 4.3% from fiscal year 2006 targeted to the
war on terror and new technology. While proposed increases go primarily to
Middle East Broadcasting Networks and Voice of America (VOA), non-war on
terror related language services would see reductions and/or eliminations.
Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) Chairman Kenneth Y. Tomlinson said,
"In the post-Katrina budget environment, I believe we are fortunate to get
an increase that strengthens our role in the war on terrorism. The '07
proposed budget of $671.9 million follows a 7.5% increase for fiscal year
'06."
In recent years, the Bush Administration and Congress have wiped out the 40
percent cut in spending for international broadcasting during the 1990s
following the end of the Cold War.
For fiscal year 2007, the budget proposal calls for a 13% increase for
Middle East Broadcasting Networks and a 5.3% increase for Voice of America.
The Board of Governors' proposed $671.9 million budget includes a number of
new initiatives, enhancements and a continuation of initiatives begun in
'06. They include:
? Expanding service to Iran with a daily four-hour prime time VOA Persian
television lineup and enhancing the Radio Farda website.
? Increasing Middle East television news coverage (Alhurra) from 16 to 24
hours a day and adding customized local news content and coverage for Radio
Sawa.
? Adding a one-hour television program for Afghanistan in both Dari and
Pashto, and enhancing transmission for VOA Pashto programming to the people
of Afghanistan along the border region while adding additional FM and medium
wave capability.
Faced with the increased costs of expanding critically needed television and
radio programming to the Arab and non-Arab Muslim world, the Board has had
to make some painful choices. As a result, the budget proposes reductions in
English language programming, by eliminating VOA News Now radio while
maintaining VOA English to Africa, Special English and VOA's English
website.
The budget reflects the Board's commitment to English language programming
in the medium of the future, the Internet, and for excellence in Special
English programming. Research shows that millions more are benefiting from
Internet programming than from shortwave transmission, which VOA News Now
relies on.
Other proposed reductions include the elimination of VOA broadcasts in
Croatian, Turkish, Thai, Greek and Georgian. VOA radio broadcasts in
Albanian, Bosnian, Macedonian, Serbian, Russian and Hindi would end while
television programming in these languages would continue. Radio Free
Europe/Radio Liberty will continue radio programming in Russian and Georgian
while eliminating radio programming in Macedonian.
"Every member of the Board of Governors regrets the loss of VOA services
proposed in this budget," Tomlinson said. "The men and women who provided
these services for many years served with distinction and provided
programming that were critical to this nation's interests. However, the
Board believes that the priorities reflected in this budget proposal
represent the best allocation of funds."
The BBG is an independent federal agency which supervises all U.S.
government-supported non-military international broadcasting, including the
Voice of America (VOA); Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL); the Middle
East Broadcasting Networks (MBN); Radio Free Asia (RFA); and the Office of
Cuba Broadcasting (OCB). Through its broadcast services, the BBG provides
the United States and its leaders direct and immediate access to a worldwide
audience of over 140 million people. BBG broadcasts reach this audience in
56 languages via radio, television, and Internet. All BBG broadcast
entities, including the grantees, adhere to the broadcasting standards and
principles mandated by the International Broadcasting Act of 1994. Nine
members comprise the BBG, a presidentially appointed body. Current governors
are Chairman Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, Joaquin Blaya, Blanquita W. Cullum, D.
Jeffrey Hirschberg, Edward E. Kaufman, Norman J. Pattiz, and Steven Simmons.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice serves as an ex officio member.
For more information, contact Larry Hart at (202) 203-4559 or Joseph
O'Connell at (202) 203-4959.
To forward this email to a friend,
<http://enews.voanews.com/bin/ftaf?id=A64B2BCCDEDE1A5266F3ED3C9061B809>
click here.
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Send questions or comments: pubaff@xxxxxxx
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