The International Broadcasting Bureau
The 1994 International Broadcasting Act (Public Law 103-236) consolidated
all non-military, U.S. Government international broadcast services under
a Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) and also created the International
Broadcasting Bureau (IBB). The Broadcasting Board of Governors includes
the United States Information Agency
Director (ex officio) and eight presidentially-appointed members.
The IBB is composed of the Voice of America (VOA), WORLDNET Television
and Film Service, and Radio and TV Marti, and an Engineering Directorate
that maintains transmitting facilities and provides support for all of
IBB's broadcasting elements. Two non-profit, grantee corporations--Radio
Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and Radio
Free Asia (RFA)--operate under the oversight of the Broadcasting Board
of Governors. The Board provides yearly funding grants specifically approved
by Congress to maintain RFE/RL and RFA.
Voice of America
The Voice of America
(VOA) broadcasts almost 700 hours of programming on shortwave
and medium wave to an estimated audience of 86 million each week. Broadcasting
in 52 languages, including English, VOA reaches a large cross-section of
the world's populations who tune to the international airwaves for news
and information. In addition, VOA provides programming in 46 languages
to more than 1,100 AM, FM, and cable "affiliated" stations around the world.
These "affiliated" stations greatly expand VOA's audience beyond the 86
million tuning in on shortwave and medium wave direct broadcast frequencies.
The VOA Charter: Maintaining Accuracy and Objectivity
From the first broadcast on February 24, 1942, VOA has always prided
itself on providing its audience with accurate and objective programming.
The VOA Charter, which became law in 1976, is the single-most important
piece of legislation against which all VOA programming is measured. It
reads:
The long-range interests of the United States are served by communicating
with the peoples of the world by radio. To be effective, the Voice of America
(the broadcasting service of the United States Information Agency) must
win the attention and respect of listeners. These principles will therefore
govern Voice of America (VOA) broadcasts.
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VOA will serve as a consistently reliable and authoritative source
of news. VOA news will be accurate, objective, and comprehensive.
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VOA will represent America, not any single segment of American society,
and will therefore present a balanced and comprehensive projection of significant
American thought and institutions.
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VOA will present the policies of the United States clearly and effectively,
and will also present responsible discussions and opinion on these policies.
VOA Programming: From News to Features
News and news-related programs account for a large percentage of
VOA's broadcast schedule. Each day, writers and editors in VOA's Washington,
D.C., newsroom; VOA correspondents at twenty-three news bureaus worldwide;
and a network of 100 "stringers," or part-time reporters, write and update
approximately 180 news stories. VOA also draws information from a variety
of independent sources, including international wire services, international
monitoring services, and U.S. print and electronic media. Every news story
is checked by at least one editor, and in accordance with VOA's "two-source"
rule, all independent sources are cross-checked against a second source
to confirm the facts.
Although news ranks high in VOA's programming line-up, listeners
also enjoy call-ins, features, Americana programs, English- teaching segments,
and music shows. VOA's language services produce and broadcast regionalized
programs that specifically address the interests of their respective listening
audiences.
Aside from its news and other programming, all VOA language services
broadcast a daily editorial that states the U.S. Government's position
on various issues. The editorial also fulfills VOA's obligation under its
Charter to "present the policies of the United States....."
VOA TV
On October 25, 1996, VOA broadcast its first simulcast radio and TV
program--a one-hour Farsi broadcast--from a new TV studio at VOA's Washington,
D.C., headquarters. Programs in Arabic, English, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish,
and Thai followed.
WORLDNET Television and Film Service
WORLDNET, the U.S. Information Agency's global public affairs, information,
and cultural television network, was launched in 1983 to present a balanced
picture of American society. This daily, 24-hour service is downlinked
via satellite to U.S. embassies and cultural centers and to hundreds of
television stations and cable systems around the world. Its programs originate
from state-of-the-art studios in Washington, D.C.
Programs
WORLDNET's programs promote American cultural, business, scientific
and technological developments, and report on the institutions and principles
that are the key to democracy- building around the world. WORLDNET also
televises feature magazines, documentaries, and live call-in and public
affairs programs in Arabic, English, French, Mandarin, Russian, Polish,
Serbian, Spanish, and Ukrainian.
"Dialogue," a live, interactive video conference, is the cornerstone
of WORLDNET programming. Through interviews and round-table discussions,
the program gives U.S. and international business leaders, government officials,
journalists, and opinion makers in academia the opportunity to discuss
issues of global concern. Guests have included Vice President Al Gore,
First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, former President George Bush, playwright
Arthur Miller, management expert Peter Drucker, and members of Congress.
Other WORLDNET programs include, "Newsfile," a weekday news "feed" of important
national and international stories; "Window on America," a weekly magazine
program; "Doing Business," which presents U.S. products to consumers overseas;
and "Esta Noche en WORLDNET," is a six-hour block of Spanish and English
programming for audiences in Latin America.
Office of Cuba Broadcasting
The Office of Cuba Broadcasting directs the operations of Radio Marti
and TV Marti-two broadcast operations that provide Spanish- language news,
features, and entertainment programs to listeners and viewers in Cuba.
Both stations are named for nineteenth century Cuban political activist,
journalist, and author, Jose Marti, who is best known for his pursuit of
freedom for his homeland. In character with Marti's principles and beliefs,
Radio and TV Marti programs promote freedom and democracy in Cuba by providing
accurate and unbiased information that is unavailable to the Cuban people
in their own media.
Radio Marti
President Ronald Reagan laid the groundwork for the radio service on
October 4, 1983, when he placed his signature on the Broadcasting to Cuba
Act (Public Law 98-111). Two years later on May 20, 1985, Radio Marti broadcast
its first program. According to the legislation, the station must follow
all Voice of America standards by presenting a variety of news and information
in an accurate and objective manner. News and news-related programming
make up half of Radio Marti's schedule.
Radio Marti broadcasts seven-says-a-week, 24-hours-a-day on medium
wave (AM) and shortwave. Audience reports indicate that the station is
the most popular radio station in Cuba, despite the Cuban government's
efforts to jam its broadcasts.
TV Marti
TV Marti telecast its first program on March 27, 1990. The service,
broadcasting four-and-a-half hours daily, consists of half-hour nightly
newscasts during the week; a weekend newscast summarizing the most important
events of the week; and special programs about public affairs, culture,
music, sports, and entertainment. TV Marti also broadcasts commentary and
information about events in Cuba and elsewhere that promote freedom in
that country.
The antenna and transmitter for TV Marti are mounted aboard a balloon
that is tethered 10,000 feet above Cudjoe Key, Florida.
The Office of Engineering and Technical Operations
The International Broadcasting Bureau's Office of Engineering and Technical
Operations maintains a complex network of satellites, relay stations, and
leased facilities to carry the radio and TV broadcasts of the Voice of
America, WORLDNET Television and Film Service, Radio and TV Marti, Radio
Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and Radio Free Asia. Working with such organizations
as Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Russian Intersputnik, the Office of Engineering
has developed a complex satellite network to carry VOA- and RFE/Rl- produced
programming to AM, FM, and cable broadcasters worldwide and to carry WORLDNET
TV programming to U.S. Information Service posts where it is distributed
to local broadcasters and cable outlets. IBB Engineering maintains satellite
links for Radio Marti's AM broadcast signal to its transmitter in Marathon,
Florida, and for TV Marti's signal to its transmitter at Cudjoe Key, Florida.
The Office of Engineering operates IBB relay stations and leases
transmitter facilities from other broadcasters to broadcast VOA and RFE/RL
programs over shortwave and medium wave. Satellite circuits carry programming
to relay stations where it is then rebroadcast to the Bureau's listening
audiences. Shortwave remains an important broadcast medium, especially
in areas of the world where local media is limited or restricted. Medium
wave, or AM, broadcasts enjoy wide popularity in Europe, the Middle East,
the Orient, and Africa. In addition, leased transmitter facilities supplement
the coverage provided by IBB's own relay sites. The Greenville, North Carolina,
and Delano, California, relay stations, which regularly broadcast VOA programming,
also carry Radio Marti's shortwave broadcasts to Cuba.
International Media Training
The U.S. Information Agency established the International Media Training
Center in 1985 to develop and coordinate workshops and to arrange academic
study at U.S. universities for foreign journalists. Topics covered include
station management, radio engineering, journalistic ethics, and reporting
and writing. Since the Center began operation, it has trained more than
5,000 media personnel, including broadcasters, print journalists, technicians,
and executives, from more than 130 countries. Many of the Center's programs
are a cooperative effort with colleges and universities throughout the
United States.
The Information Superhighway
Since January, 1994, information about the Voice of America has been
available to users of the Internet, the computer network composed of universities,
industrial research organizations, commercial enterprises, and government
ministries around the world.
VOA's public Internet server offers up-to-date VOA program schedules, frequency lists, digitized
audio from many VOA language programs, Chinese Service program scripts,
and other information about VOA, Radio and TV Marti, and WORLDNET Television
and Film Service. The server also includes the VOA News and English Broadcasts
newswire, which carries the texts, in English, of correspondent reports,
news backgrounders, features, and documentaries prepared by VOA's newsroom
and broadcast by VOA's language services. In 1996, VOA began offering World
Wide Web services, including audio streams encoded in Progressive Networks'
RealAudio format. The VOA World Wide Web site includes most of the information
found on the FTP and Gopher servers along with a photo tour of VOA.
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