[Swprograms] DEATH OF VOA ENGLISH ACCELERATING

[Glenn Hauser <wghauser@xxxxxxxxx>]

This appears to effectively announce the impending end of VOA broadcasts in
English, although it remains unclear exactly what VOA English broadcasting will
consist of on the road to the end.

This has wide implications also for the decades-old VOA news operation. For
example, will the reporting of VOA correspondents be aimed exclusively for the
consumption of remaining VOA language broadcast services, and will the
reporting that does continue to
flow from correspondents be "dumbed-down" to adjust to assumptions made about
the ability of people in target areas to absorb it?

Of course, the wider questions continue to be asked -- why is VOA broadcasting
in English being destroyed using the "War on Terror" as the excuse? (A VOA
source, Feb 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.:

MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS ON THE BUDGET REQUEST FOR FY 2007
Date: Mon, 06 Feb 2006 10:29:59 -0500
From: IBB Notices Administration <notices@xxxxxxx>

Today, the President`s budget request for fiscal year 2007 has been sent to the
Congress. In light of all of the press reports about the tight budget
environment, you are all aware of the pressures on the
discretionary budget and the post-Katrina and Iraq conflict requirements that
have helped to shape it.

In spite of this difficult budget environment, the Administration`s FY
`07 request contains a 4.3 percent increase for the BBG ? and a 5.3
percent increase for the Voice of America. This increase specifically
recognizes the importance of VOA`s broadcasting to Iran and Afghanistan as well
as the role television increasingly plays in what we do.

In a clear vote of confidence in the role of VOA`s satellite television in the
war on terror, the President`s budget provides close to $10 million to upgrade
VOA`s television production facilities. The budget funds FY `06 expansion of
VOA television to Iran --- where Persian television news programming is being
increased from 30 minutes to four hours --- and radio and television expansions
in Afghanistan. 

The FY `07 budget continues radio broadcasting to Zimbabwe (previously funded
by USAID) and adds a Spanish television news magazine show that would air five
days a week.

To fund these and other war-on-terror related enhancements, we will be
facing significant reductions in other areas. With increased emphasis
on television and the continued drop in shortwave radio listening
worldwide, we foresee a significant reduction in transmission operations
devoted to shortwave broadcasting. 

The budget projects elimination of News Now English radio broadcasting in FY
`07, but Special English and English to Africa will not be affected by the
cuts, and VOA`s popular Internet site will become the major English outlet for
our worldwide news-gathering operation.

Other proposed program reductions include the elimination of VOA
Croatian, Turkish, Thai, and Greek. VOA Georgian and VOA and RFE/RL
radio broadcasts in Macedonian would also be eliminated. VOA would
continue to broadcast in Macedonian via television, and RFE/RL would
maintain its radio broadcasts in Georgian. This budget request also
proposes that VOA pursue a television-only strategy in its Albanian,
Bosnian, Serbian, Russian and Hindi services. RFE/RL would continue to
serve radio audiences in Albanian, Bosnian, Serbian and Russian.
However, RFE/RL would eliminate six hours of its Russian radio
broadcasts as it realigns to pursue an UKV (FM) broadcast strategy in
Russia. None of the VOA reductions would take place until fiscal year
2007.

The proposed language service reductions are not a reflection of the
quality of the programming of these services. In many cases, these
programs are better than ever. And not all of the proposed budget cuts
would come at the expense of the language services. More than half of
the budget reductions assumed in the FY `07 request result from
reductions in IBB support and engineering. This budget is about
positioning our international broadcasting effort for the future. In
order to set VOA and other BBG services on a path for growth and
enhanced impact, we must respond to changing viewing habits, adopt new
technology, and efficiently respond to the nation`s most immediate and
vital national security challenges.

The Administration`s FY `07 request for $671.9 million for the BBG will fund
technological innovation as well as highly visible programs in support of the
war on terror, and it continues to cement international broadcasting`s key role
in the overall U.S. foreign policy effort. These are programs where VOA`s
successful implementation will be highly anticipated and, as it has in the
past, we are confident that VOA will succeed.

We know that this budget will also bring hardship to the agency. It
assumes a loss of positions in parts of the agency, and gains in others, in
2007. To address some of the hardship of realignment, we will try to implement
personnel reductions by voluntary means as much as possible. We are seeking
buyout authority and early out authority to try to soften the impact on
affected employees. We would like to stress, however, that there will not be
any elimination of VOA positions associated with this budget until fiscal year
2007.

As you know, the submission of the President`s budget request to the
Congress is just the beginning of this process of charting the agency`s course
for FY `07. Of course, none of the proposed reductions may be implemented until
the agency`s final budget is fully vetted by the Congress and signed into law.
Until that time, agency management will do its best to keep you informed of our
progress in gaining personnel authorities necessary to help moderate the
potential impact of the proposed budget reductions inherent in the budget
request (via DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also GERMANY

BROADCASTING BUDGET TARGETS WAR ON TERROR   
BBG Press Release  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. (via DXLD)

In addition to the press release issued by the BBG, this internal memo went out
Monday to VOA personnel, from Alex Belida, a former VOA correspondent who has
been acting as Managing Editor of the VOA News: 

By now, you should have all seen the notice issued by the Board of 
Broadcasting Governors about the 2007 budget request sent to Congress 
for VOA and the other U.S. funded, non-military broadcasters. Although there is
more money for VOA, it is mainly targeted at Iran and Afghanistan.  VOA will
also take over funding of the Zimbabwe 
broadcasts, previously financed through USAID, and there will be an 
expanded Spanish TV news show.

There will be cuts. None involve the News Division. The biggest one 
indirectly affecting us is the elimination of VOA News Now radio 
broadcasts. At a meeting of Division Directors this morning, David 
Jackson also indicated the English TV projects will also be phased out. 

Special English and English-to-Africa will be unaffected.

Several other language services are being eliminated: Croatian, Turkish, Thai,
Georgian, and Greek. Other services will drop radio and continue only in TV:
Macedonian, Albanian, Bosnian, Serbian, Russian and Hindi. 

Of course, this is all part of a proposal, which must still be debated 
by Congress. So nothing is yet final.  In no case will any reductions 
take place until Oct. 1, 2006.

We have no additional details at this time. I would just urge all of 
you to continue concentrating on producing the best possible news 
products that you can, remembering the needs of our client services and
understanding there are certain things that Central News alone can do for the
house (via DXLD)


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