Tag: India

Uncategorized

A Thanksgiving Message to President Elect Barack Obama About the Voice of America

 FreeMediaOnline.org & Free Media Online Blog  QuoVadis Commentary, November 19, 2008, San Francisco — Free Media Online Blog is publishing an open letter to President Elect Barack Obama drafted  on behalf of current and former Voice of America employees who are concerned about the mismanagement of U.S. international broadcasting by the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG).  The BBG, which had been responsible for eliminating…

Read more
Uncategorized

Public Diplomacy experts urge Obama to stop BBG from silencing VOA

The Public Diplomacy Council, a nonprofit organization which includes former diplomats, academics and other foreign policy experts, has called on President elect Obama and Congress to take urgent action in reforming publicly-funded U.S. international broadcasting. The Council blames the bipartisan Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG),  whose members are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate to manage U.S. international broadcasting, for ignoring…

Read more
Uncategorized

Voice of America Takes A Modest Step to Restore Russian Radio Broadcasts

 FreeMediaOnline.org and Free Media Online Blog October 22, 2008, San Francisco — Voice of America (VOA) has taken a small step to restore radio broadcasts to Russia which were terminated by the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) shortly before the Russian military attack on Georgia. Responding to criticism from Congress and media freedom organizations, the BBG staff has allowed VOA to start…

Read more
Uncategorized

U.S. Public Diplomacy Head Gives Incomplete and Misleading Answers about Elimination of U.S. Broadcasts to Russia, Georgia, and India

 FreeMediaOnline.org & Free Media Online Blog Commentary by Ted Lipien, October 4, 2008, San Francisco — James Glassman, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, gave incomplete and misleading answers when asked Friday whether the elimination of vernacular broadcasts to Georgia, Russia, and India is going to hurt his “war of ideas” effort. Speaking in Washington at a National Press Club…

Read more
Uncategorized

Voice of America Director’s Position Seen As Too Weak to Defend VOA Russian Radio

 FreeMediaOnline.org & Free Media Online Blog  Commentary by Ted Lipien, September 24, 2008, San Francisco — On Monday, September 22, 2008, VOA Director, Dan Austin, in the company of VOA Chief of Staff, Barbara Brady, VOA Associate Director of Language Programming, John Lennon, and VOA Senior Project Officer, Will Marsh, met with the VOA Ukrainian, Serbian, Hindi, and Portuguese-to-Africa services.  Austin announced that the…

Read more
Uncategorized

Wrong Time to Give Up Voice of America Broadcasts to India

THIS POST CAN BE REPUBLISHED with attribution to FreeMediaOnline.org.  FreeMediaOnline.org & Free Media Online Blog September 16, 2006, San Francisco — In a show of bipartisanship, two powerful members of Congress sent a letter to the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) demanding that the BBG reverse its decision to terminate Voice of America (VOA) radio programs in Hindi to India. The BBG is…

Read more
Uncategorized

Model Interactive Website Touted As Replacement for Voice of America Radio to Russia Attracts No Comments from Users

 FreeMediaOnline.org & Free Media Online Blog Commentary by Ted Lipien. September 12, 2008, San Francisco — The model website, which the staff of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) says will be used to create a new interactive platform as replacement for broadcasting VOA radio programs to Russia, has solicited no comments from international users despite being up for a few weeks.  All VOA…

Read more