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Broadcasting Board of Governors 2008 Annual Report

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BBG 2008 Annual Report table of contents From the Board 4 BBG Overview 6 Election Coverage 8 Crisis Coverage 12 Threats to Journalists 17 Voice of America 18 Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 24 Office of Cuba Broadcasting 28 Radio Free Asia 32 Middle East Broadcasting Networks 36 International Broadcasting Bureau 40 Broadcasting Board of Governors 43 Financial Highlights 46 2 broadcasting in: Global Eastern/ English Central Europe (including Albanian Special English & Bosnian English to Africa) Croatian Greek Africa Macedonian Afan Oromo Montenegrin Amharic Romanian French to Africa Serbian Hausa Kinyarwanda Eurasia Kirundi Armenian Ndebele Avar Portuguese to Africa Azerbaijani Shona Bashkir Somali Belarusian Swahili Chechen Tigrigna Circassian Crimean Tatar Central Asia Georgian Kazakh Russian Kyrgyz Tatar Tajik Ukrainian Turkmen Uzbek Latin America Creole East Asia Spanish Burmese Cantonese Near East/ Indonesian North Africa Khmer Arabic Korean Kurdish Lao Turkish Mandarin Thai South Asia Tibetan Bangla Uyghur Dari Vietnamese Hindi Pashto Persian Urdu Cover: Alhurra Television’s coverage of the U.S. elections drew praise for its balance and professionalism and attracted viewers such as this one in Sadr City in Baghdad. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim) Left: Logging on in Jakarta, Indonesia (AFP Photo/Bay Ismoyo 2009); Right: Men listen to a battery-operated radio for the results of the country’s elections in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe in March 2008. (AP Photo) 3 4 From the Broadcasting Board of Governors In compliance with Section 305(a) of Public television in well-established markets like Iran, and Law 103-236, the U.S. International Broadcasting capitalizing on proven delivery platforms such as Act of 1994, we, the members of the Broadcasting shortwave and medium wave (AM) radio to reach Board of Governors (BBG), are pleased to submit isolated places such as North Korea. From Alhurra the BBG’s annual report for 2008. Television’s new online streaming video to VOA and RFA’s presence on the microblogging site Twitter, This report summarizes the activities of U.S. new technologies are providing our audiences more government-funded, civilian international ways to find and interact with BBG content. broadcasting, encompassing the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the The BBG and its talented and dedicated broadcast- Office of Cuba Broadcasting, Radio Free Asia, ers are committed to carrying out our mission by Middle East Broadcasting Networks, and the providing people around the world news and International Broadcasting Bureau. information that offers a window to America and to their own societies. As detailed in the pages that During 2008 BBG broadcasters continued to follow, we strive to protect and promote the fragile serve as vital sources of news and information institution of a free press around the world, without and forums for civil discourse around the world. which democracy and civil society cannot flourish. The year brought many challenges, including the ongoing war in Iraq, violence against protestors in Tibet, a devastating cyclone in Burma, economic Our Mission: deterioration in Zimbabwe and resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan – all triggering government To promote freedom and democracy crackdowns on the media and highlighting the and enhance understanding through fragility of press freedom around the world. multimedia communication of The BBG’s 2008-2013 Strategic Plan emphasizes accurate, objective, and balanced our dedication to promoting freedom and democracy and enhancing understanding through the broadcast news, information and other of accurate news and information. The plan renews programming about America and our commitment to engaging strategic audiences the world to audiences overseas. in dialogue using the most effective broadcast technologies. This means expanding use of new media and Inter- Cambodian election workers count the votes at a polling station net broadcasting to reach younger and more diverse south of Phnom Penh, July 2008. (AP Photo) audiences, utilizing popular media such as satellite 5 Strategic Plan • Enhance program delivery across all relevant platforms. BBG broadcasters and program oversight and support services – the Voice of America (VOA), Radio • Build on BBG reach and impact within Muslim societies. The agency’s 2008-2013 Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), the Office of strategic plan affirms • Help audiences understand the principles and practices of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB-Radio and TV Martí), Radio objective journalism as the democratic, free and just societies. Free Asia (RFA), the Middle East Broadcasting BBG’s core activity and Networks (MBN-Alhurra Television and Radio Sawa), emphasizes the continuing • Employ modern communication techniques and technologies. and the International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) – importance of broadcasting • Facilitate citizen discourse. achieved significant progress on their strategic in a world where extremism goals in 2008. and authoritarianism • Engage the world in conversation about America. militate daily against The United States election cycle provided rich material • Develop and motivate the agency’s workforce to meet the freedom and democracy. for BBG broadcasters to engage the world in conver- changing conditions of U.S. international broadcasting. The plan’s implementation sation about America and explain the democratic process. BBG coverage of ongoing stories as well strategies are the steps • Optimize broadcasting operations. the BBG needs to take as flashpoints around the globe demonstrated the to accomplish its mission. • Preserve credibility and ensure overall programming responsiveness and professionalism of its skilled These include: excellence. reporters and their ability to utilize new media strategies to reach key audiences. • Broaden cooperation within U.S. Public Diplomacy. Left: VOA Croatian Service broadcaster Ivica Puljic at the Democratic National Convention. Right: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (R) in the studio with RFE/RL’s Radio Farda’s Golnaz Esfandiari and Mossadegh Katouzian (L). Broadcasting Board of Governors International Broadcasting Bureau (Grantee) (Grantee) (Grantee) 6 Online Media Challenges rights reporting to mark the 60th Anniversary of the New technology also helped improve efficiency during and Opportunities U.N. Declaration on Human Rights. 2008. The BBG implemented a new financial manage- ment system to improve financial and procurement Two panel discussions coordinated by the BBG Audio and video of both discussions are available on processes, as well as new data and content management this year explored the challenges and opportunities demand at www.bbg.gov. systems to improve the sharing of news and information inherent in the rise of new media. The increasing The BBG is rapidly adapting to this new environment between BBG languages and media. sophistication of web censorship by authoritarian by increasing its focus on new media to capitalize on governments creates significant challenges, according In July, responsibility for production of all Radio Farda the opportunities for news gathering and dissemina- broadcasts to Iran, which had been a VOA and RFE/RL to panelists at the BBG’s September workshop on tion presented by these platforms. We are also censorship in the Internet age. Several speakers high- joint venture since the station was launched in 2002, stepping up anti-censorship efforts by partnering was consolidated under RFE/RL. lighted the struggle inside China, one of the world’s with NGOs, human rights groups and universities. most sophisticated censors, where technology allows Independent auditors gave the BBG an unqualified the government to create an illusion of openness Management Improvements “clean” opinion for the fifth straight year, reflecting the while still exerting control by filtering specific content. and Efficiencies Agency’s strong management and performance A second panel discussion, co-sponsored with George standards. Further information on the Agency’s Washington University, focused on the role of new In this dynamic media environment, the BBG continued to financial statement and performance standards can media in international news coverage, discussing the regularly assess the effectiveness of its transmission be found on page 46 of this report and online at impact of mainstream media’s retrenchment from technologies and resources to serve priority audiences, www.bbg.gov. foreign reporting. Stepping in to fill some of the void matching evolving media preferences to meet new pro- are citizen journalists, armed with cell phones, text gramming requirements. The BBG shifted certain broad- messages, small digital cameras and blogs, according cast resources from shortwave to more popular media to the panelists, who focused discussion on human such as AM, FM, TV and Internet where appropriate. BBG Funding Overview ($ thousands) BBG Global Audience 800,000 (BBG unduplicated weekly audience in millions) MBN 700,000 175 Broadcasting 155 600,000 Capital Improvements 130 140 140 500,000 OCB 100 100 400,000 RFA 300,000 RFE/RL 200,000 IBB 100,000 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 VOA 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 The BBG is an independent federal agency that oversees a network of government and non-government media organizations broadcasting in 60 languages to a worldwide weekly audience of over 175 million people. 7 8 BBG broadcasters responded to the unprecedented global interest in the U.S. presidential election by providing unmatched multimedia
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