2003

International Broadcasting Bureau

Voice of America

Office of Cuba Broadcasting

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Radio Free Asia

Middle East Television Network

ANNUALREPORT

BROADCASTING BOARD OF GOVERNORS

“. . . WITHOUT U.S. INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING,

Table of Contents

Overview 2

Voice of America 4

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 6

Radio Free Asia 8

Office of Cuba Broadcasting 10

International Broadcasting Bureau 11

Satellite Television 12

Rebuilding Iraq and Afghanistan 14

Reaching the Middle East and Iran 16

Reaching China and North Korea 18

Health Coverage Around the World 20

Profiles of Governors 22

To the President of the United States and the Congress of the United States:

The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) respectfully submits its

eighth annual report, summarizing the activities of U.S. international,

nonmilitary broadcasting: the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/

Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, the Middle East Television Network,

the Office of Cuba Broadcasting and the International Broadcasting

Bureau, which houses support services for the broadcasting entities.

The report is required by Section 305 (a) of Public Law 103-236, the

U.S. International Broadcasting Act of 1994.

The BBG, a bipartisan, presidentially appointed board, assumed sole supervision of

U.S. international broadcasting, in accordance with the 1998 Foreign Affairs Reform and

Restructuring Act (P.L. 105-277).

New ways of reaching vital audiences with accurate news and information became

more important than ever in 2003. Along with radio and the Internet, the BBG focused

on satellite television, particularly to the Middle East and Iran, areas of high national

security interest to the United States. Satellite television will be to worldwide audiences

in the future what shortwave radio was in the past. We also firmly established a voice in

the media war being fought for the attention of Arabic and Persian speakers with Radio

Sawa and Radio Farda.

Overall, the BBG is using all available technologies to reach over 100 million people

in more than 60 languages, fulfilling its mission “to promote and sustain freedom and

democracy by broadcasting accurate and objective news and information about the

United States and the world to audiences overseas.” Without U.S. international broad-

casting, the voice of freedom and democracy would be muted.

Respectfully submitted,

Kenneth Y. TomlinsonChairman, Broadcasting Board of Governors

THE VOICE OF FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY WOULD BE MUTED.”

Kenneth Y. TomlinsonChairmanBroadcasting Board of Governors

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B R O A D C A S T I N G L A N G U A G E S

Afan OromoAmharicEnglish to AfricaFrench to AfricaHausaKinyarwandaKirundi

NdebelePortuguese

to AfricaShonaSwahiliTigrigna

Central AsiaKazakhKyrgyzTajikTurkmenUzbek

Latin AmericaCreoleSpanish

ArmenianAvarAzerbaijaniBelarusianChechen

CircassianGeorgianRussianTatar-BashkirUkrainian

AlbanianBosnianBulgarianCroatianCzechEstonian

GreekHungarianLatvianLithuanianMacedonianPolish

RomanianSerbianSlovakSlovene

East AsiaBurmeseCantoneseIndonesianKhmerKoreanLaoMandarinThaiTibetanUyghurVietnamese

Near East &North AfricaArabicKurdishPersianTurkish

South AsiaBanglaDariHindiPashtoUrdu

Eastern & Central Europe

ROUND-THE-CLOCK, day in and day out,the Broadcasting Board of Governors(BBG) advanced the cause of freedom anddemocracy by broadcasting uncensored,accurate and objective news and informa-tion to millions of people around theworld in their own languages. Within the public diplomacy realm, the BBG performed its journalistic mission onbehalf of the American taxpayers.

With a budget of $503,341,000 the BBGcommunicated with a worldwide audienceby radio, television and the Internet. Itplayed an important role in explaining thewar on terrorism, helped counter misper-ceptions and untruths about the UnitedStates and provided valuable information

about health, science, education, politics,the rule of law and the status of women.

The BBG sustained and in many casesexpanded audiences in key target areas,including the Middle East, Central andSoutheast Asia, Iraq, Iran, North Koreaand Cuba, as well as in major marketssuch as China, Russia and Africa where 40 million VOA listeners live. The Voice ofAmerica (VOA), Radio Free Europe/RadioLiberty (RFE/RL), Radio Free Asia (RFA),Radio/TV Martí, Radio Sawa and RadioFarda were at the center of the world’snews events—from the war in Iraq and the capture of Saddam Hussein to theSARS epidemic in China and the ColumbiaSpace Shuttle disaster.

Eurasia

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OVERVIEW

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BBG GovernorsKennethTomlinson (left) and Norman Pattiz(right) withSheikh AbdullahBin Zayed,Minister of Information,United ArabEmirates.

The BBG created a Middle East TelevisionNetwork, which in early 2004 launchedAlhurra, a full-service satellite televisionchannel with newscasts, current affairstalk shows, news updates and other infor-mation programming.

Radio Sawa, the 24/7 Arabic-language sta-tion, became the region’s leading interna-tional broadcaster in many markets in lessthan two years. It both attracted a largeaudience and fulfilled its core news mis-sion. In Iraq, Radio Sawa—on FM, medium-wave (AM) and digital audio satellite—wasthe most-listened-to station as the countryemerged from decades of dictatorship.

In order to reach a new generation of lis-teners, the BBG dramatically refocusedand expanded programming to Iran, where

70 percent of the population is under 30.In July, VOA launched News and Views, a 30-minute, nightly, Persian-languagenews show that immediately attracted a strong audience. The show joined twoother VOA-TV weekly Persian products: a 90-minute call-in show and a youth news-magazine. Rounding out the picture, RadioFarda, the 24/7 station, broadcast morethan eight hours of daily news along withmusic and cultural programs. Its websitehas received more than 10 million hitssince launch. VOA Persian continued itscoverage aimed at elite listeners.

From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, the BBGadded topical programs, updated formats,revitalized its products and improvedtransmission to ensure its strategic goalswere met.

Broadcasting Board ofGovernors

International BroadcastingBureau

B R O A D C A S T I N G E N T I T I E S

BBG MissionStatement

To promoteand sustainfreedom anddemocracy bybroadcastingaccurate andobjectivenews andinformationabout theUnited Statesand the worldto audiencesoverseas.

Middle EastTelevision Network

THE VOICE OF AMERICA broadcast via radio, TV, and theInternet in 55 languages in 2003 to an estimated 94 million people each week. VOA provides its audience with around-the-clock, reliable news, balanced reporting, and informative fea-tures. With a network of AM, FM, and TV affiliates as well asdirect broadcasts, VOA focuses on countries that lack a strong independent media.

VOA’s TV programs, broadcast via a satellite network, include original and acquired material that reflects a broadspectrum of American life along with discussions about U.S. foreign and domestic policies.

VOA audiences also are able to access the latest news andinformation on the Internet at www.VOANews.com. Contin-

uously updated, English and foreign-language text ispresented with photos, audio, and video. Subscrip-tions to cyberjournals—daily or weekly VOA emailpublications—are another popular web feature.

Created in 1942, VOA now has a central newsroomwhich writes more than 150 news reports a daybased on information from more than 140 correspon-dents and freelance reporters around the world. VOAlanguage services use these reports as a basis forprogramming. VOA English-language broadcasts areheard worldwide. VOA’s News Now, a fast-paced mixof news and features, is available around the clockon satellite and the Internet as well as on shortwaveduring select times. There is also a 24-hour satellitestream devoted entirely to American music.

VOA provides programs to 1,300 affiliate radio and televisionstations around the world via satellite downlinks and MP3 files.

Employees: 1,212

FY 2003 Budget: $146.1 million

Weekly Hours Broadcast: Almost 1,000

Languages: 55

FIRSTS:

■ The Persian Service added Newsand Views, a nightly30-minute Persian- language news andinformation TV pro-gram transmitted to Iran via satellite.

■ The UrduService revampedits radio program-ming format to create a music and news mixcalled Radio Aap ki Dunyaa (YourWorld) to appeal toyounger audiences.

■ VOA launched daily programs inShona, Ndebele and English forZimbabwe wherePresident Mugabecracked down on media.

■ Jurnal VOA airsevery weekday for 30 minutes onnationwide televi-sion in Indonesia.

VOA Director David Jackson

VOICE OF AMERICA

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Governor StevenJ. Simmonsmeets withUrdu-speakingVOA staff.

Photos From Top to Bottom:

VOA Azerbaijanibroadcasters in one of VOA’sWashington, D.C.,studios;

VOA photo-journalist covers a human-intereststory in Nigeria;

VOA SwahiliService journalistVincent MakoriinterviewsPresident Bush in July at the White House.

THE VOA CHARTER

The VOA Charter, signed into lawin 1976, states:

1. VOA will serve as a consis-tently reliable and authori-tative source of news. VOAnews will be accurate, objec-tive, and comprehensive.

2. VOA will represent America,not any single segment ofAmerican society, and will therefore present a balanced and comprehensive projectionof significant Americanthought and institutions.

3. VOA will present the pol-icies of the United Statesclearly and effectively, andwill also present responsiblediscussions and opinion onthese policies.

“I have been listening to VOA/Ukrainian for a long time. . . . Your programs are very valuable. They are wonderful. You open the door to the world for us.”

A VOA listener

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RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY (RFE/RL)broadcast in 34 languages in 2003. It increased itsefforts to reach predominantly Muslim communi-ties in Southwest Asia, the Caucasus and CentralAsia, while preparing to end broadcasts to sevencountries of Central and Eastern Europe.

RFE/RL is committed to promoting democratic values and institutions by disseminating timely,accurate and objective news, information, andanalysis. RFE/RL focuses on local and regionaldevelopments in countries engaged in a transitionfrom totalitarian control and countries where economic chaos, censorship and government intim-idation threaten democracy. RFE/RL maintainsbureaus throughout its broadcast region andemploys more than 1,500 freelancers worldwide.

RFE/RL broadcasts more than 1,000 hours of pro-gramming a week from its operations center in

Prague, Czech Republic. Its corporate head-quarters are located inWashington, D.C.

RFE/RL transmits its pro-grams by shortwave, AM and FM. Increasinglyimportant are RFE/RL’sInternet websites and itsemail distribution servicesthat provide people aroundthe world with news.

Employees: 602

FY 2003 Budget: $75.8 million

Weekly Hours Broadcast: More than 1000

Languages: 34

FIRSTS:

■ RFE/RL gained headlinesworldwide with the dis-covery of documents thatimplicated the Belarusiangovernment in illegal armstrade with the governmentof Saddam Hussein.

■ The Bulgarian Service, in a joint production withBulgaria's largest privatetelevision broadcaster, bTV, launched a weekdaytelevision news program,Blitz. It grew to becomeBulgaria's most popularmorning news program,with a 43 percent marketshare in its time slot.

■ The Uzbek Service, working with the AmericanBar Association’s CentralEuropean and Eurasian Law Initiative, launched a radio drama (Know YourRights) to teach Uzbek listeners about their rightsunder the law.

■ Twenty-four Afghan students completed a six-month radio journalismtraining program in Kabul.

RFE/RL President Thomas Dine

RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY

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Governor JeffreyHirschberg(right) speaks to RFE/RL serv-ice directors in Prague with RFE/RLPresident Dine.

Clockwise from top left:

RFE/RL UzbekService correspon-dent with Iraqiartist SameeraAbdulwahab in Baghdad;

RFE/RL BishkekBureau journalistinterviews the First Lady ofKyrgyzstan, Dr.Mairam Akayeva;

Radio FreeAfghanistan corre-spondents broad-cast from RFE/RL’sPrague studio;

Televised RFE/RLroundtable discus-sion in September2003 in theUkrainian city ofLviv to discuss“The Future of theYouth of Ukraine.”

“I appreciate a lot your service for Afghans. . . . It is really an independent radio. And the people are all happy about providing of news and events by this news agency around the country.”

Radio Free Afghanistan listener

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RADIO FREE ASIA (RFA) broadcasts daily in nine languages to listeners in Asia whose own govern-ments restrict freedom of information and expression. RFA broadcasts accurate and timely news and informa-tion, along with a range of voices and opinions from within Asia, showing by example what freedom of expression really means.

RFA focuses primarily on events occurring in its targetcountries. Through shortwave transmission and theInternet, RFA broadcasts in Mandarin, Cantonese, Uyghur,three dialects of Tibetan, Burmese, Vietnamese, Korean,

Lao, and Khmer.

All broadcasts origi-nate from RFA’sWashington, D.C.,headquarters withbureaus in HongKong, Taipei, PhnomPenh, Dharamsala,Bangkok, Seoul, andAnkara. News reportsand call-in programsallow callers toexpress views andexchange ideas.

RFA follows the strictest journalistic standards of objectivity, integrity, and balance. Informing East Asian listeners from all social strata and maintaining credibilityamong them are RFA’s top priorities.

Employees: 262

FY 2003 Budget: $27.2 million

Weekly Hours Broadcast: 252

Languages: 9

FIRSTS:

■ Doubled broad-casting to four hoursto North Korea, whoseStalinist regime main-tains tight control over media.

■ Added two new call-in programs for listeners in China,including one thatallowed a dialoguebetween Chinese and Tibetans.

■ Broke stories aboutthe Chinese govern-ment’s crackdown onminority Uyghurs andthe existence of a sys-tem of forced labor inthe Xinjiang province.

■ Reported on a string of deadly accidents in China’scoal mines.

RFA President Richard Richter

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RADIO FREE ASIA

An RFA KhmerService reporteron assignmentduring electionsin Cambodia.

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Clockwise from top:

RFA TibetanService reporterinterviews theKarmapa, a leadingfigure in TibetanBuddhism;

RFA President Dick Richter withMandarin Servicereporter PeterZhong, holding athank-you bannersent to Zhong by avillage in China;

RFA’s Korean Service director(right) interviewsHwang Jang Yop,the highest-rankingNorth Korean official yet to defectto South Korea;

RFA-sponsoredpolitical conferencein Cambodia;

RFA Khmer Service reporter on assignment during Cambodia'selections.

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“I listen to RFA every day despite all the noise that interferes with my listening. Sometimes I can hear clearly, sometimes I can’t. But now I understand—this is the real voice of a free democracy.” A Chinese listener, talking about jamming

ESTABLISHED IN 1990, the Office of Cuba Broadcastingoversees the operations of Radio Martí and TV Martí. Both stations broadcast accurate and objective news andinformation on issues of interest to the people of Cuba.Radio Martí broadcasts news, music, and a variety of feature and news analysis programs seven days a week, 24 hours a day on shortwave and AM. TV Martí produceseight hours of original programming daily, including seven30-minute newscasts a day. Programs focus on news,sports, entertainment, and features on life in the U.S. andother countries. Other programs include commentary andinformation about events in Cuba and around the world topromote the cause of freedom in Cuba.

Employees: 163

FY 2003 Budget: $24.8 million

Weekly Hours Broadcast: 328

Languages: Spanish

OFFICE OF CUBA BROADCASTING

FIRSTS:

■ TV Martí beganbroadcasting 24hours a day onHispasat, the direct-to-home satellitebroadcaster based inSpain. Dish ownersin Cuba can accessTV Martí for free.

■ Broadcast livePresident Bush’saddress outliningnew initiativestowards a demo-cratic transition in Cuba.

■ Provided live,play-by-play cover-age of the majorleague baseballgames, including the World Series.

■ Covered thearrests and plight of75 Cuban dissidentswho were sentencedto prison terms of upto 28 years by theCastro government.

OCB DirectorPedro Roig

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Journalists atRadio/TV Martí

collect the latestnews from Cuba.

“Congratulations, how great it is to know that Cuba is well informed of events that take place within andoutside our country.” A listener

THE INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING BUREAU providesadministrative, marketing, engineering, technical, policyand program support to the Voice of America and Radio/TVMartí. It also provides transmission services for all the BBGbroadcast services.

IBB stays on the cutting edge of technology, managing acomplex network of domestic and overseas transmittingstations as well as satellite and other Internet delivery systems. This network relays U.S. government-funded programs to transmitting stations and to AM, FM, short-wave, and cable broadcasters worldwide.

The IBB Office of Policy staff write the U.S. government editorials heard daily on VOA broadcasts and produceother public affairs programming.

Employees: 964

FY 2003 Budget: $215 million (includes IBB and BBG) IBB Director Seth Cropsey

INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING BUREAU

FIRSTS:

■ Established com-prehensive broad-cast coverage of Iraq by acquiring FM transmitters in key Iraqi cities,improving medium-wave signals andenhancing satel-lite coverage.

■ Installed twohigh-powered medium-wave trans-mitters as well asFM transmitters inAfghanistan to allowU.S. internationalbroadcasting toblanket the country.

■ Implemented email distributionprograms in Iranand China, twocountries where governments blockInternet sites.

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Left: IBB satellite

antennas.

Right: IBB engineers work

on antennaequipment at a

transmitting station for U.S.

internationalbroadcasting.

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Broadcasters forAlhurra preparefor the station'slaunch.

DURING 2003, preparations were under way to launch Alhurra, the 24/7Arabic-language television network.Alhurra, operated by the Middle EastTelevision Network (MTN), is U.S. interna-tional broadcasting’s single most ambi-tious undertaking since the creation of theVoice of America more than 60 years ago.

Although the television medium is distinctly different from the first VOAbroadcast over shortwave in German, the mission remains the same: to broad-cast accurate, timely and relevant newsand information about the region, theworld and the United States to a broad,Arabic-speaking audience, thereby advancing both freedom and democracyin the Middle East and long-term U.S.national interests.

Alhurra aims to reach 300 million Arabs,many of whom are skeptical about theUnited States and its policies. A growingnumber of potential Alhurra viewers ownsatellite dishes, which allow them to seethe daily programming: news updates,

news magazines, current affairs programs,talk shows, documentaries and otherinformational features.

Based outside Washington, D.C., in FairfaxCounty, Virginia, Alhurra will eventuallyemploy over 200 people, includingreporters across the Middle East. With astart-up budget of $62 million—and $40million extra for Iraq-specific program-ming—Alhurra is part of the BroadcastingBoard of Governors’ vision to expand U.S. international broadcasting’s reach,embrace new technologies and attract distinct segments of the market.

VOA’s major TV initiatives in 2003 includeNews and Views, a nightly, 30-minute show in Persian with a strong audience; a weekly news feed in Hindi on India’snumber-one cable news provider with a reach of 30 million; and Jurnal VOA, a 30-minute, weekly show in Indonesian with a reach of 118 million.

Altogether, VOA has television products in more than 20 languages, includingMandarin, Indonesian, Serbian, Bosnian,Albanian, Croatian, Russian, Ukrainian,English, and French-to-Africa.

Across the ocean, Cubans were givenmore access to TV Martí when the signalwas placed on the Hispasat direct-to-homesatellite service.

RFE/RL’s South Slavic and Albanian andUkrainian Services produce weekly televi-sion newsmagazines.

In an ever-changing world, television isexpected to be as widespread as radiothroughout the BBG’s target audiences.

A NEW ERA IN U.S. INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING:SATELLITE TELEVISION

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Clockwise fromtop left:

The host of theVOA IndonesianService’s newsprogram JurnalVOA in the studio;

BBG ChairmanTomlinson (left) with Mary CatherineAndrews, Director,White HouseOffice of GlobalCommunications,and MouafacHarb, MTN News Director;

Anchors forAlhurra practicebefore the stationofficially goes on the air;

OCB studio technician in TV Martí’s Master Control;

RFE/RL round-table on the statusof the Kazakh language held inKhabar TV’s studios in Almaty,Kazakhstan.

“I’m very happy listening to your television broadcasts. They bring me alot of information from abroad. I want you to expand broadcasting in Indonesia.”

A VOA -TV viewer

REPORTERS from U.S. international broadcasting were at the forefront in covering the war in Iraq and its aftermath,providing up-to-the-minute stories on themost significant news event of 2003. TheVoice of America had four reportersembedded with the U.S. military at thetime of the invasion of Iraq; one of themany Radio Sawa reporters in Iraq broad-cast live from Baghdad as bombs first fellon the city, and Radio Free Iraq’s reporternarrowly escaped death as his convoy wasbombed in Kurdistan, Iraq.

With the fall of Iraq, the reporting didn’tstop. The Arabic-language Radio Sawaquickly became the most-listened-to station across the country. Available onFM in major cities and AM throughout thecountry, the 24/7 station provided its hugeIraqi audience with six hours of news andcurrent affairs programs each day.Programs dealt with issues affecting Iraqis,including reconstruction, political and

social events, education, and health. VOA’s Kurdish Service also attracted abroad audience by quadrupling its broad-casts, which included news, call-in showsand high profile interviews.

In Afghanistan, where new AM and FMtransmitters afforded U.S. internationalbroadcasting unparalled reach across the country, Dari- and Pashto-speakingjournalists focused on general news,reconstruction and democracy-building.Between them, VOA and Radio FreeAfghanistan blanketed the country, providing “news you can use” in a seamless, 24-hour unified service. Listener rates were high.

Among the innovative programs: live coverage of the Afghan ConstitutionalLoya Jirga, on-air health tips, public service announcements on landmine safety, daily call-in shows, roundtables on women’s issues, the economy and education. BBG broadcasters also trainednumerous Afghan journalists

BROADCASTING’S KEY ROLE:REBUILDING IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN

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Embedded VOAjournalist coversthe war in Iraq.

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“We Love VOA/Pashto so much thatwe miss our dinner and eveningprayers but not the VOA Pashto program. During Ramadan when wehad to go to the Mosque, we had theVOA/Pashto broadcast recorded sowe could listen to it later.”

A listener in Afghanistan

Clockwise fromtop left:

VOA Dari Servicebroadcaster covers the LoyaJirga in Decemberin Kabul,Afghanistan.

Loya Jirga dele-gate Wakil Dar,representingAfghan refugees in Pakistan,answers questionsfrom listeners in RFE/RL’s Kabul studio;

VOA reporterembedded withthe U.S. militarycovers the inva-sion of Iraq;

The Staff of RadioFree Afghanistan'sKabul Bureau.

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“As for your news, it is 100 percent fair. . . . God bless you in your mission to spread the word of truth.” A Radio Sawa listener

ACROSS THE MIDDLE EAST, Radio Sawacontinued to attract audiences, particu-larly where listeners could tune in to Sawaon FM. The Arabic-language station wasthe number one broadcaster in Iraq andthe leading international broadcaster infive countries, where it is heard on FM.

In the summer of 2003, ACNielsen surveysreported Radio Sawa had an average listenership of 32 percent of the generalpopulation 15 years and older in Jordan,Kuwait, Egypt, Qatar, and the United ArabEmirates. Radio Sawa was regarded as areliable source of news.

Radio Sawa has a unique format whichcombines news and information withWestern and Arabic music, and special features that engage its audience like“Sawa Chat” and “Ask the World Now.” The station was launched in March 2002.

In Iran, U.S. international broadcasting has reached out to Iranians with a varietyof products. Around the clock on short-wave and AM, Iranians can tune in toRadio Farda, broadcasting eight hours of

news, analysis, interviews and opinion,along with Western and Persian popmusic, most of which is banned in Iran.Radio Farda provides news and streamingaudio at www.radiofarda.com.

VOA’s Persian Service broadcasts fourhours daily, with programs devoted prima-rily to news, analysis and interviews withU.S. policymakers and regional experts.

VOA-TV’s News and Views, a nightly 30-minute Persian-language television program, began on July 6, 2003, and immediately gained a dedicated audience.Produced in Washington, the showincludes local and world news stories,analysis of issues and events, reports from inside Iran, features, and cultural and special interest programs.

VOA-TV has two other shows: RoundtableWith You is a 90-minute, weekly, TV-radiosimulcast call-in show aimed at opinionshapers and the educated public. NextChapter is an innovative, weekly, hour-longTV magazine show, aimed at Iranian youthwho make up some 70 percent of the 68million Iranians.

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WITH NEWS AND INFORMATION: REACHING THE MIDDLE EAST AND IRAN

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Iranian film star ShohrehAghdasloo(fourth fromright) appears on VOA’s innova-tive program Next Chapter. The actress is pictured here with the show’s staff.

“Iranians at home and abroad cannotthank you enough for the service you are providing to the Iranians inthis very important and crucial timein the country's history. You ... areproviding our people with a windowto the free world.”

A Radio Farda listener

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Clockwise fromtop left:

Radio Fardabroadcaster in the service’sWashington, D.C. studios;

GovernorBlanquita WalshCullum talks witha News and Viewsanchor on the set;

VOA’s popularprogram NextChapter providesnews and enter-tainment targetedto a large youngaudience in Iran.

Reza Pahlavi (left), son of thedeposed Shah of Iran, is inter-viewed on VOA’ssimulcast call-inshow, RoundtableWith You;

Young Radio Sawajournalist broad-casting from thestudios in Dubai,United ArabEmirates.

“VOA is the beginning of spring for us. . . . It brings hope to the air. You are extremely popular in Iran.” A News and Views viewer

CHINA, the world’s most populous nation,governed by rulers leery of freedom anddemocracy, and its neighbor North Korea, controlled by an absolute dictatorpossessing nuclear material, remain daunting challenges for the U.S. and itsinternational broadcasters.

Despite these challenges, the Voice ofAmerica and Radio Free Asia have provedadept at garnering audiences with solidreporting, innovative delivery systems and new technologies. Altogether, theservices reached China and North Koreain Mandarin, Uyghur, Cantonese, Tibetan,and Korean. Both China and North Koreajam shortwave broadcasts and blockInternet sites, forcing U.S. internationalbroadcasting to develop multiple trans-mission methods.

In 2003, RFA launched two new call-in programs for listeners in China andopened toll-free listener hotlines to makethem available in all four languages. VOA-TV increased placement inside China for a

variety of programs on American culture,science, health and the English language.VOA’s China Service also emails news bul-letins every day to more than 2.4 millionsubscribers inside China and uses mirrorsites to evade blocked website addresses.

Extensive, accurate, and reliable news cov-erage was the key to success. VOA provid-ed extensive coverage of the transfer ofpower to Hu Jintao, religious persecutionof Christians inside China, and U.S.-Chinarelations. RFA broke stories dealing withforced labor in the Xianjiang AutonomousRegion, industrial safety problems, thecrackdown on Internet use, and the highcost of economic development on thesocial safety net for the old and the poor.

North Korea, with tensions rising over itsnuclear program and a rapid escalation inthe number of refugees fleeing to China,was a priority area in 2003. RFA and VOAdoubled their broadcasts—to a total ofseven hours daily—to the tightly con-trolled country. Despite harsh penaltiesfor anyone caught listening to foreignbroadcasts, defector interviews indicatedU.S. international broadcasting plays amajor role in keeping North Koreansinformed. Both services reported extensively on defectors’ lives with programs such as VOA’s North KoreanDefector’s Odyssey.

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CHALLENGES OF U.S. INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING: REACHING CHINA AND NORTH KOREA

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VOA KoreanService jour-nalist interviewsSenator SamBrownback at the North Korean FreedomDay Rally onCapitol Hill

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Clockwise fromtop left:

BBG GovernorEdward Kaufmanmeets withChinese officials;

RFA KoreanService reporterinterviews formerSouth KoreanForeign MinisterSoon-Young Hong;

BBG GovernorsJoaquin Blaya andEdward Kaufmanvisit GuangdongTV in Guangzhou,China;

RFA KoreanService directorinterviews LordDavid Alton, ahuman-rightsactivist;

The hosts onVOA’s Mandarin-language programCultural Odyssey.

“Listening to Radio Free Asia programs is like drinking the water of life. RFA is a lifeline.”A listener in North Korea

HIV/AIDS, SARS, POLIO,malaria, tuberculosis and anti-microbial resistance—these are just some of thehealth topics covered in-depth by U.S. internationalbroadcasting. In the global village, bound together by airline travel and porous borders, fighting disease is acritical element in improvinglives. People need the kind of accurate information provid-ed by the BBG to help preventand treat illness.

HIV/AIDS, which infects about 40 million people

worldwide, with 26.6 million of those in Africa, is covered extensively with programs such as VOA Central AfricaService’s multi-part series entitled, “AIDS:Spread the Word Not the Virus.” InBangladesh, VOA broadcast a 12-partseries of interviews with doctors, AIDSpatients and government officials. VOASpanish broadcast the World AIDS DayConcert on December 1, 2003. Call-inshows hosted by RFE/RL’s Russian Servicedealt with AIDS, as did RFA’s MandarinService, which broadcasts to China wherethe government has long denied the pres-ence of the disease. “In reality, AIDS ismuch worse than SARS,” Dr. Gao Yaojie,China’s best-known AIDS activist, told RFA.

The rapid spread of SARS (Severe AcuteRespiratory Syndrome)—and China’s initial failure to publicize the epidemic—dominated the health agenda in early2003. In February 2003, well before SARSbecame a public health issue worldwide,

RFA and VOA broke stories of a fast-spreading pneumonia-type illness thatclaimed lives. The services kept up nonstop coverage, interviewing doctorswho dared speak out, patients, and inter-national and U.S. health officials. They provided chilling details, including storiesof hospitals gouging their impoverishedSARS patients. The websites providedimportant information on the disease.VOA’s English-language programs coveredstories such as the impact of SARS on thetourism and airline industries and waysfor tourists to prevent the spread of SARS.After massive international criticism,China agreed to cooperate with the WorldHealth Organization (WHO).

The drive to eradicate polio worldwidewas another priority. In Nigeria, VOA’sHausa Service began an intensive cam-paign to counter some Muslim leaders’claims that the vaccine was contaminatedand caused AIDS. In Bangladesh, VOA’sFan Clubs were recruited to join the PolioEradication Campaign and, in Afghanistan,broadcasters produced special dramas toencourage use of the vaccine.

As improper use of antibiotics makes themless effective against diseases like pneu-monia and tuberculosis, VOA produced aseries on how best to use antibiotics sothey maintain effectiveness. The campaignto promote proper use of antibiotics waspicked up by U.S. broadcasters.

SPREADING THE WORD: HEALTH COVERAGE AROUND THE WORLD

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VOA’s CentralAfrica Serviceprovides impor-tant AIDS pro-gramming suchas its multi-partseries “AIDS:Spread the Word,Not the Virus.”

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Clockwise from top:

VOA Bangla ServiceFan Club membershave joined theService in a highlyeffective campaignfor a polio-freeBangladesh. Thefan club membershere are in Dhaka at a VOA-sponsored seminar.

VOA stringer inter-views a pregnantteenage refugee ina camp in Rwanda.

Ethiopian BizuneshTeshome (center),who is disabled,wrote the winningarticle in the VOAAmharic Service’syouth AIDS contest;

Photo taken by an RFA Hong KongBureau staffer during the out-break of the SARS epidemic;

Attendees at anAIDS conference inAugust sponsoredby RFA at its headquarters inWashington, D.C.

"It’s my only solace. . . . I can’t live without radio." A young, disabled VOA listener in Ethiopia

Kenneth Y. Tomlinson is a former directorof the Voice of America and has morethan 35 years of journalistic experience.He began his career as a reporter for theRichmond Times-Dispatch in 1965. In1968 he joined the Washington bureau ofReader’s Digest, then served as a corre-spondent in Vietnam, and eventually inParis, where he covered events inEurope, Africa, and the Middle East. In1982, President Ronald Reagan appoint-ed Tomlinson Director of VOA, where heserved until 1984. After his tenure atVOA, Tomlinson returned to Reader’sDigest to serve as managing editor. Hewas subsequently named executive editor of the Digest in 1985 and editor-in-chief in 1989. He retired from Reader’sDigest in 1996. He has served as thechairman of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science(1985), as a member of the U.S. Boardfor International Broadcasting (1986-1994), and on the Board of Directors ofthe Corporation for Public Broadcasting(2000-present).

Joaquin F. Blaya is chairman of BlayaMedia, Inc. Since emigrating to theUnited States from Chile 36 years ago,Blaya has held a number of senior man-agement positions with media compa-nies. He has served as chairman ofRadio Unica, a Spanish-language radionetwork, and as CEO of the TelemundoGroup, Inc., the nation’s second-largestSpanish-language television network.Blaya also served as president ofUnivision Holdings, Inc., the nation’slargest Spanish-language media com-pany. Before coming to the UnitedStates, he worked in several marketingand media firms.

Blanquita Walsh Cullum serves as thepresident of the National Association of Radio Talk Show Hosts (NARTSH).Every year since 1995, she has beennamed by TALKERS magazine, the tradepublication for the industry, as one ofthe Top 100 broadcasters in talk radio.Her nationally syndicated program,Newsbeat, is heard coast-to-coast on theRadio America Network. She is the presi-dent and founder of the Young AmericanBroadcasters Program. Cullum, the firstHispanic woman and the first radio talkshow host to serve on the BBG, is also amember of the National Moment ofRemembrance Commission. Cullum fre-quently appears on national television.She began her broadcasting career over25 years ago in San Antonio, Texas. She also has worked for the CoorsCorporation and the National Bureau ofthe Census. She served as White Houseliaison to the Federal EmergencyManagement Agency.

D. Jeffrey Hirschberg is a partner atKalorama Partners, a consulting andlegal practice. He was director of theCorporate Responsibility Practice atHowrey, Simon, Arnold and White, LLP.Hirschberg retired from Ernst & Young

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Kenneth Y. TomlinsonChairman

Joaquin F. Blaya

Blanquita WalshCullum

Governor Joaquin F. Blaya meets journalistsin Sao Paulo, Brazil.

BROADCASTING BOARD OF GOVERNORS

in 1999 as vice chairman/governmentalaffairs. Previously, he worked as a private attorney in both Washington,D.C., and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. From1972–1980, Hirschberg worked for theU.S. Justice Department as a specialattorney and deputy chief of the crimi-nal division’s special litigation section.He also prosecuted civil and criminalmatters as an assistant U.S. Attorney inMilwaukee. Hirschberg has broad political and international experience.He currently serves as a director of theU.S.-Russian Investment Fund and theU.S.-Russia Business Council.

Edward E. Kaufman is president of PublicStrategies, a political and managementconsulting firm based in Wilmington,Delaware. Since 1991, he has been a Senior Lecturing Fellow at DukeUniversity, teaching in The School ofLaw, Fuqua School of Business, and The Sanford Institute of Public Policy. He is co-chair of the Duke UniversitySchool of Law’s Center for the Study of the Congress. He is a trustee of theChristiana Care Corporation and is amember of the Board of Directors ofChildren and Families First and WHYY.Kaufman was formerly chief of staff toJoseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE).

Norman J. Pattiz is founder and chair-man of Westwood One, America’s largestradio network. Westwood One owns,manages or distributes the NBC RadioNetwork, CBS Radio Network, theMutual Broadcasting System, CNNRadio, Fox Radio Network, MetroNetworks, Metro Traffic and ShadowTraffic. He serves as a member of theUniversity of California’s Board ofRegents and California’s 21st CenturyInfrastructure Commission. Pattiz is a past president and executive board member of the BroadcastEducation Association and a trustee of the Museum of Television & Radio and the Hollywood Radio & TelevisionSociety. Pattiz is the primary benefactorof the Hamilton High Academy of Musicand the Norman J. Pattiz Concert Hall. He is a member of the Council onForeign Relations.

Veronique Rodman (appointed December 2003) is the director of publicaffairs at the American EnterpriseInstitute for Public Policy Research(AEI), a Washington-based think tank.Before joining AEI in 1999, Rodmanworked for many years in broadcasting.From 1982-1995, she served as a pro-ducer of ABC-TV’s This Week With DavidBrinkley. As a television news consult-ant, she helped launch Fox News Sunday.Rodman also worked as vice presidentfor the Cosmetic, Toiletries andFragrance Association Foundation, and as program coordinator for theSAIS-Novartis Prize for Excellence inInternational Journalism. Born andraised in Egypt, Rodman also worked forSecretary of State Henry Kissinger andfor CSIS’s Congressional LeadershipGroup on International Communication.Earlier she was assistant director for“The World of Islam” festival in London.

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D. Jeffrey Hirschberg

Edward E. Kaufman

Norman J. Pattiz

Veronique Rodman

GovernorNorman J.Pattiz, dis-

cusses BBGMiddle East initiatives at

a meeting in Prague.

Steven J. Simmons is chairman and CEOof Patriot Media and Communications,LLC, a cable television company formedin 2002. It offers over 80,000 customersdigital programming, high speed Internet access and other advancedcommunications services. Simmonschairs the Cable TV Entrepreneurs Clubof 22 present and former cable CEO’s,previously served on the National CableTV Association Board, and was voted aCable TV Pioneer. From 1982-1994, hewas chairman and chief executive officerof Simmons Communications, Inc. (SCI),which served cable subscribers in 20states with over 50 offices nationwide.Prior to starting SCI, Simmons servedalmost four years as an assistant andthen as associate director on the WhiteHouse’s domestic policy staff, which followed his four years as assistant andthen associate professor, and author ofcommunications law articles at theUniversity of California.

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell servesas an ex-officio member of the bipartisanBoard. Powell was the former Chairmanof the Joint Chiefs of Staff and served as National Security Advisor underPresident Reagan. A decorated veteranof the United States Army, he served twotours of duty in Vietnam. Powell servedas executive assistant in both the Energyand Defense Departments and as seniormilitary assistant to Defense SecretaryCasper Weinberger. He retired from theU.S. Army in 1993. In 1997, Powell helpedfound America’s Promise, an organiza-tion dedicated to building the characterand competence of the nation’s youth.He currently serves as chairman of the organization, as well as serving as a member of the Board of Trustees of Howard University and of the Board of Directors of the United NegroCollege Fund.

Robert M. Ledbetter, Jr. (2000–2003) isvice president and general manager ofWTVA Inc., which operates WTVA-TVand has programming or sales agree-ments with WLOV-TV and WKDH-TV in Tupelo, Mississippi. He also is VicePresident of WMDN Inc., which operatesWMDN-TV and has a local marketingagreement with WGBC-TV in Meridian,Mississippi. He was a news director and news anchor at television stations in Meridian, Jackson, and Tupelo,Mississippi, before assuming televisionmanagement responsibilities in 1978.

BROADCASTING BOARD OF GOVERNORS

24

Steven J. Simmons

Secretary of StateColin L. Powell

Robert M. Ledbetter, Jr. (2000-2003)

Governor Veronique Rodman talks with a journalist from VOA’s French-to-Africa Service in the new VOA newsroom.

VOICE OF AMERICA330 Independence Avenue, S.W.Washington, DC 20237Telephone: (202) 401-7000; Fax: (202) 619-1241Internet: http://www.voanews.com

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BROADCASTING BOARD OF GOVERNORS STAFFBrian T. Conniff, Executive DirectorBruce Sherman, Deputy Executive Director/Strategic Planning ManagerCarol M. Booker, Legal Counsel/Ethics OfficerKelley Lehman Sullivan, Chief Financial OfficerSusan Andross, Congressional CoordinatorJohn Giambalvo, Management and Program AnalystJames Morrow, Program Review and Strategic Planning OfficerJoan Mower, Communications Coordinator

Broadcasting Board of Governors330 Independence Avenue, S.W.

Washington, DC 20237Telephone: (202) 401-3736

Fax: (202) 401-6605email: publicaffairs@ibb.gov

Internet: http://www.bbg.gov