In these recommendations for U.S. international broadcasting, there is sure to be a paragraph you like. "By broad consensus of its members, the Public Diplomacy Council strongly recommends to the new Administration and Congress an urgent reform of America’s publicly funded international broadcasting." Text available as the Word document "Reforming U.S. International Broadcasting for a New Era," at the Public Diplomacy Council, 17 November 2008. See also Kim's comments. Posted: 20 Nov 2008 Permalink

RFE-RL's Uzbek husband-wife team. "In 2005, when the government of Uzbekistan cracked down brutally on unarmed protestors in the eastern city of Andijan, [Uzbek journalist Umida] Niyazova was one of the few independent witnesses to whom the media could turn. She became a vital source of information. After the massacre, she started working as a freelancer for Radio Free Europe. She hosted a biweekly program, taking listeners into the homes of women whose male relatives had been killed, jailed or forced into exile by the government of Islam Karimov. Her own husband, who operated a private television station, had been driven out of Uzbekistan. State authorities closed the station and froze his bank account. He now works for Radio Liberty in Prague." Toronto Star, 19 November 2008. Posted: 20 Nov 2008 Permalink

For the new administration, two cheers for VOA. "The international buzz caused by President-elect Obama earlier in the month offers him an opportunity to revive what had been a valuable American resource for so many years. In short, the reputation of the Voice needs to be revived and treasured -- not squandered as it has been by the Bush Administration the past eight years." Murray Fromson, Huffington Post, 19 November 2008.
     "The members of the Broadcasting Board of Governors have made many mistakes over the past decade. As President, you will have the unique opportunity to reverse those mistakes. And if you do, America’s Voice can once again be heard loudly and clearly throughout the world and regain its place as the beacon of liberty to the world. If, by some remote chance, you do say 'yes, we can,' it would surely be a Happy Thanksgiving for many Voice of America employees." "QuoVadis," Free Media Online blog, 19 November 2008. Posted: 20 Nov 2008 Permalink

Kurt Weill wrote a song for VOA, 65 years ago. "Fugitives," at the Merkin Concert Hall in New York, is based on composers whose work was condemned by the Nazis. "In some ways the most dramatic moment of the evening was a song Weill wrote for Voice of America to be broadcast into Germany in 1943. The text, by Walter Mehring, is the plea of a woman who fell in love too heedlessly and longs for the day she can rid herself of a cruel and faithless lover, a clear analogy with Germany and the man it once idolized, Hitler. [Soprano Kate] Lindsey sang it with shattering force." Howard Kissell, New York Daily News, 18 November 2008. Posted: 20 Nov 2008 Permalink

VOA's jazz history is still in the news. "For the first time in his life [U.S. ambassador to Russia John Beyrly] heard jazz when he came to the Soviet Union in the 1970s. He said that his family used to listen to classic or pop music and never to jazz. All Leningrad citizens listened to jazz at the time. ... 'I want to say that in the Soviet time the American radio “The Voice of America” was broadcasted in your country. The Soviet government was trying to jam the broadcasts, though, people listened to it. I think it influenced your people. So, due to your country I fell in love with jazz!'" Восток Медиа, 17 November 2008.
     VOA "was the regularly scheduled broadcasts of Willis Conover, the music maestro who spread the love of American jazz around the world. During the worst of times in the Soviet Union I remember Russian musicians taping Conover's daily programs and then transcribing the music to sheet music for jam sessions of their own." Murray Fromson, Huffington Post, 19 November 2008.
     "In Pune, plasma technologist Max Babi talks about Pune Jazz Club which he helped form seven years ago. ... 'Short wave radio drew me to jazz in 1959 when I was 10. I fell in love with Voice of America’s Jazz Hour and Music USA. Attending Jazz Yatra in Mumbai in 1978 transformed my love for jazz into a regular passion,' says Babi." The Times of India, 17 November 2008. Posted: 20 Nov 2008 Permalink

Sports, picnics on a piece of VOA history. "Butler County [Ohio] officials told trustees Tuesday, Nov. 18, they were one step closer to adopting the final plans for the enhancement of Voice of America Park. A $20 million, 10-year Park Enhancement Plan, which was presented to trustees Tuesday, includes 23 multipurpose playing fields — for soccer, lacrosse, football or other sports — softball and baseball complexes, play structures, restrooms, concession stands and even an amphitheater and several picnic shelters." Western Star (Lebanon OH), 18 November 2008. Adjacent to Miami University Voice of America Learning Center, subject of previous post, both on the old VOA Bethany shortwave transmitting station site. Posted: 20 Nov 2008 Permalink

CRI gets five FM outlets in Liberia. "The Government of the People's Republic of China has turned over to the Liberian Government, newly renovated and expanded facilities of the Liberia Broadcasting System. Wednesday's ceremony also marked the formal launch of the China/LBS Radio Project, under which the Chinese Government has provided a 10-thousand kilowatt FM transmitter to boost the station's radio transmission throughout the country. A second transmitter has also been provided by the Chinese to relay English programs produced by China Radio International throughout Liberia. The transmission will also provide 3-hours of radio programming in Chinese." Government of Liberia press release, 19 November 2008. "Starting today, listeners in Liberia will be able to hear China Radio International's programs on five FM different stations in the West African country." CRI News, 19 November 2008. Liberia was the location of a major VOA shortwave relay site, until it was destroyed in 1990 during the civil war in that country. Posted: 20 Nov 2008 Permalink

New web offerings from Turkey's international broadcaster. "Turkey's state-run television and radio network TRT on Thursday began broadcasting news in 30 different languages on its website. The languages that the website "www.trt-world.com" uses include languages such as English, Turkish, French, German, Chinese, Arabic, Albanian, Azeri, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Persian, Georgian, Spanish, Greek, the Urdu and Tatar." Xinhua, 20 November 2008. Posted: 20 Nov 2008 Permalink

Is BBC compensating for something? "BBC World News has created an oversize microphone at Berlin Hauptbahnhof to draw attention to the channel’s 'probing and courageous' journalism. ... Alongside it is the strapline 'you can’t bury a powerful question'. Passers by can also access a 30-second TV commercial on their Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones. ... The microphone is also appearing in a series of advertisements currently running in a cross-media campaign in Germany." Broadband TV News, 19 November 2008. Posted: 20 Nov 2008 Permalink

How to present news online. "The Web site for BBC News may be the best example of how journalistic organizations can deliver context in the digital environment. A news story about the Russia-Georgia crisis, for example, is displayed alongside a list of links to a map of the region, a country profile, an explanation of the crisis, a summary of Russian foreign policy, and related news articles and video footage. All online BBC News stories are presented in this manner, giving consumers multiple ways to learn about and understand an issue." Bree Nordenson, Columbia Journalism Review, November/December 2008. For international broadcasters, the difficulty of presenting news is compounded by the need to do in multiple languages, most of which are not the native language of the broadcasting country. Posted: 20 Nov 2008 Permalink

Just tune to channel 527,443: Israel tries YouTube in Arabic. "The Foreign Ministry has launched a YouTube channel in Arabic which is meant to bypass Arab media and give Israel's version of current events directly to Arab viewers, Haaretz has learned. The ministry's Arab media department chief Ofir Gendelman told Haaretz on Wednesday that they seek to reduce Israel's dependency on Arab media channels, who tend to give Israeli spokespersons relatively limited airtime. ... Gendelman says that the channel will update more frequently, and that the Ministry considers adding English subtitles." Ha'aretz, 19 November 2008. Posted: 20 Nov 2008 Permalink

Replace the VOA newsroom with a Facebook account? "'We have not done the creative conceptualizing,' [biographer Walter] Isaacson said. 'We are still using Voice of America and Radio Free Europe instead of getting the people who created Facebook and Google to come up with new ways to use social networking.' He explained that the reliance on old institutions created for a different set of global problems 'shows a lack of creativity' in today’s society. He added that the administration of President-elect Barack Obama must address pressing problems in creative ways." Daily Princetonian, 19 November 2008. Posted: 20 Nov 2008 Permalink

Some bureaucrat in Iran read five million websites, then banned them. "Iran has blocked access to more than five million Internet sites, whose content is mostly perceived as immoral and anti-social, a judiciary official was quoted as saying on Wednesday." AFP, 19 November 2008.
     "Well-known Iranian blogger Hossein Derakhshan has been arrested and is being interrogated several weeks after his return to Iran, reports today the conservative news website, Tabnak, run by the former commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, Mohsen Rezai. ... Derakhshan, who would regularly visit the U.S. to participate in conferences on the media and give interviews to Iranian as well as American news outlets such as New York’s Daily Sun and Voice of America’s Persian Service as a blogger critical of Iran, turned especially anti-American when, following an entry in his blog that he was residing in Brooklyn, New York, he was told by US authorities in November 2005, that he could not reenter the country because he had no residence visa." Iran Visual News Corps, 19 November 2008. Posted: 20 Nov 2008 Permalink

Frittering her time Twittering? "I was pleased to see today via the always classy-looking State Department blog DipNote, that Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, Colleen Graffy, is Twittering a public diplomacy mission to Bucharest." Alyssa Rosenberg, Government Executive FedBlog, 19 November 2008. Posted: 20 Nov 2008 Permalink

The best public diplomacy is less public diplomacy. And other advice for the new administration. From review of Peter W. Galbraith, Unintended Consequences: How the War in Iraq Strengthened America's Enemies: "Galbraith's ideas for repairing the damage include giving the UN more of a role in nation-building (and the United States less), deemphasizing the spread of freedom, using less public diplomacy and more one-on-one negotiations with countries we don't like." Cluade R. Marx, Boston Globe, 18 November 2008.
     "In my 2006 critique of U.S. foreign policy, I built a case that we were becoming seen as a one-hit wonder in international affairs--searching for a kind word for others to say about us or some small token of support for which we will heap out praise. Our public diplomacy reflected this search to be the world's American Idol. ... I, an American citizen, see no value in the U.S. being viewed as the Number One country in the world. Number One brings on so many challenges. And frankly it just doesn't hold." Nancy Snow, Huffington Post, 16 November 2008.
     "Public diplomacy — overseas cultural and information programs designed to gain support and/or understanding for our policies — should be a top priority for the incoming administration. This will require a complete reorganization of the State Department’s unwieldy and unresponsive public diplomacy structure. ... The Obama administration should ... reiterate the executive order designating State as the lead agency on foreign affairs, including public diplomacy." Guy W. Farmer, Nevada Appeal, 16 November 2008.
     "The State Department itself is in dire need of reform, and should lose an array of public diplomacy activities and assets, which it has been wasting. It should focus more narrowly on traditional diplomacy in state-to-state and multilateral settings. Meanwhile, the Pentagon, where most of the new thinking on this topic has taken place, could be called in to coordinate activities through its combatant command structures, which are the prime examples currently of U.S interagency coordination directed at different regions of the world. While Mr. Obama is riding high in the opinion polls, he may not perceive how critical this task is. But one thing is clear: No human being can sustain the political image erected by the Obama campaign when it comes to real policy choices and decisions. And when that time comes, the need for public diplomacy will become clear." Hell Dale, Washington Times, 19 November 2008. See also related paper at Heritage Foundation, 20 November 2008.
     "There’s also been discussion about what is our outreach: are we doing enough in the public affairs and public diplomacy world. There are 39 positions in the budget to expand public diplomacy and educational and cultural exchanges, again, focusing on what the Secretary sees is major needs in the time ahead." Patrick F. Kennedy, Under Secretary for Management, State Department, 18 November 2008.
     "Surveys consistently indicate a very unfavorable opinion of the U.S. in Turkey. This underlines the need to implement a broad public diplomacy strategy to win the hearts of the Turkish public." Ö. Faruk Logoglu, former ambassador of Turkey to the United States, Hurriyet, 20 November 2008.
     "Suw and I are huge fans of This American Life, a show on NPR in the US. We often listen to the podcast over breakfast on the weekends. My friend Mohamed Nanabhy says that the US government should spend its public diplomacy budget on This American Life because it’s such a good representative for the US." Kevin Anderson, Corante, 20 November 2008.
     "Historically the U. S. government has paid attention to cultural diplomacy during times of war, only to interrupt these efforts during times of peace. The success of cultural diplomacy cannot be measured, making it a difficult tactic to rely on, or invest in. After one hundred years, however, there is certainly proof of its importance – as the 'hearts and minds' literature that has recently emerged indicates. President-elect Obama appears to be aware of this, and we can only hope that he has the opportunity, and strength of character, to follow through with his plans." Monika Revilla, Cultural Diplomacy News, 18 November 2008.
     "At the end of the day, strategic communications - the sum total of the government's efforts to influence foreign opinion - is bigger than public diplomacy. It also must explain the purposes of foreign policy to Americans. Americans are understandably averse to government 'propaganda,' if propaganda means deception and manipulation. This is not the same thing as the government explaining to citizens what it is trying to accomplish with their tax dollars. Safeguards for telling the truth can be found to prevent abuse." Kim Holmes, Washington Times, 20 November 2008.
     "Instantaneous global communications make it impossible for the U.S. government to segregate information intended for domestic and foreign audiences; the Smith-Mundt Act must be amended accordingly." From "Basic Principles on Improving U.S. Public Diplomacy," Public Diplomacy Council, 17 November 2008.
     An interesting if blood-chilling proposal from the Public Diplomacy Council. It would be good for them to issue a paper to describe what content they intend us domestic audiences to receive.
     Actually, because the BBC can now restrict its broadcast archives to UK users, and its commercial website to non-UK users, this means that the new age of "instantaneous global communications" includes means for the Smith-Mundt domestic dissemination prohibition finally to be enforced. Posted: 20 Nov 2008 Permalink

"Youth" is the word to describe young people who behave as adults would want them to. "Facebook, Google, YouTube, MTV, Howcast, Columbia Law School, the U.S. Department of State and Access 360 Media are bringing leaders of 17 pioneering organizations from 15 countries together with technology experts next month in New York for the first-ever conclave to empower youth against violence and oppression through the use of the latest online tools. These young leaders will form a new group, the Alliance of Youth Movements, which will produce a field manual for youth empowerment. The field manual will stand in stark contrast to the Al-Qaeda manual on the basics of terrorism, found by Coalition Forces in Iraq. ... 'The State Department is proud to play a role in highlighting the new wave of civil-society empowerment that is happening online,' said James K. Glassman, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs." Howcast/State Department press release, 18 November 2008. Posted: 20 Nov 2008 Permalink

U.S. public diplomacy: two men on base. "I am very pleased to welcome all of you here this morning to announce our new American Public Diplomacy Envoy Ken Griffey, Jr. Ken joins Michelle Kwan, Fran Drescher, and Cal Ripken, Jr. as Americans who go out on behalf of the values of the United States – not the Government of the United States, but the values of the United States – to engage with people around the world from very special positions." special positions." Condoleezza Rice, State Department, 18 November 2008.
     "Well, we are back on U.S. soil after a very rewarding visit to Nicaragua. As I mentioned yesterday, we couldn't conduct our events in the city of Leon because of the unrest after the recent elections, but I don't believe that hampered our trip too much." Cal Ripkin Jr., Sporting News, 18 November 2008.
     It's interesting that two of the four public diplomacy envoys are baseball stars. The number of baseball-playing nations is finite: USA, Canada, countries of the Caribbean basin, Japan, Taiwan, and perhaps a couple of others. But the appeal of Ripken and Griffey is certainly apparent in places like Nicaragua. And baseball is more international than, say, U.S. football. Posted: 20 Nov 2008 Permalink

Don't send us your football video. Don't use our football video. "With satellite technology, European football games that were previously only listened to on short wave radio are now brought into the homes of non-Europeans thousands of miles away. ... Sierra Leoneans are more interested in watching a team like Manchester United playing against either Chelsea or Arsenal than supporting the development of local teams like Lions, Black pool, Edwards and Olympic." Joe Sawan, Standard Times Press News (Freetown), 18 November 2008.
     "In a session with Phil Lines, the English Premier League’s Director of Media Operations and International Broadcasting, discussion inevitably also touched on signal theft: 'I’m very worried [about piracy] going into China and anywhere the internet has grown quickly,' Lines said, explaining that lax regulation made it too easy for rogues to crack encryption codes and launch distribution businesses." asiamediajournal.com, 17 November 2008. Posted: 20 Nov 2008 Permalink

A variation of domestic dissemination. "The National Journalism Foundation would essentially serve as a re-invented Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Annual funding should increase from $200 million to $3 billion. (One percent of the total cost of the Iraq War; four percent of the federal bank bailout.) Similar to the NSF, the National Journalism Foundation would regularly award grants to individuals, organizations, and institutions that propose projects which serve to better inform the American public about their communities, government, nation, and the rest of the world." David Sasaki, PBS MediaShift Idea Lab, 17 November 2008. See previous post about similar subject. Posted: 20 Nov 2008 Permalink

Discussion of Azerbaijan's foreign radio ban continues. "Chairman of National Television and Radio Broadcasting Council of Azerbaijan (NTRBC) called on international organizations and ambassadors to respect Azerbaijan’s laws. 'If international organizations achieve broadcast of foreign radio stations in Azerbaijan, I will be sorry about it,' NTRBC chairman Nushiravan Maharramli told Trend News. ... At present, US Voice of America, Radio Liberty and BBC radio stations and Turkish TRT TV channel broadcast in Azerbaijan. The contract signed with the above-mentioned radios and TV expires at the end of the year. Frequencies of all foreign radios broadcasting in Azerbaijan are expected to be withdrawn by the end of the year. ... The broadcast of foreign radio stations and TV channels should meet requirements of world experience. 'Azerbaijan should act in accordance with the US and European experience. Can the countries making these statements permit TV channels of other countries to broadcast on their frequencies,' Maharramli said." Trend News Agency, 18 November 2008. See previous post about same subject.
     I can't think of any international broadcasters that have full-time access to U.S. terrestrial analog radio or channels. BBC World Service is full time on some public radio stations' secondary HD digital channels. MHZ Networks in the Washington, D.C., area has foreign channels on its secondary digital channels.
     In Washington, Radio France International (in French) in China Radio International (in English) purchase weekday time on WUST, 1120 kHz AM. There are similar time purchases in some other U.S. cities.
     In the United States, only U.S. citizens can hold broadcast licenses. But there are no laws against content from international broadcasting entities on U.S. stations, part time or full time. The actual restraint is market forces. Time on terrestrial television and FM stations is expensive, and many stations would be unwilling to sell it to foreign broadcasters at any price because it would disrupt the U.S. stations' formats.
     "'The U.S. does not support the decision of Azerbaijan on possible close of broadcasting of foreign radio stations in the territory of Azerbaijan. We respect the laws in Azerbaijan, however, we believe that the problem can be removed more easily than closing,' David Kramer, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, said." Trend News Agency, 19 November 2008, includes video. Posted: 19 Nov 2008 Permalink

Can a president say no to a BBC interview? "Estonian foreign politicians say President Toomas Hendrik Ilves made a mistake when he rejected a BBC offer for interview on Hardtalk during his visit to UK. Postimees writes that Estonia’s key foreign policy makers say that the offer was a unique opportunity for the Estonian President to present the case as Estonians see it and that turning it down was foolish. ... Estonian diplomats said that since the Hardtalk studio in Woodgreen is far from the centre of London and it was Friday with the usual traffic jams, there was no way that Ilves would have been able to do both things." Baltic Business News, 18 November 2008. Posted: 19 Nov 2008 Permalink

Al Jazeera opens sales office in Kuala Lumpur. "Al Jazeera Network has announced the opening of a Commercial Sales office in Kuala Lumpur to be launched in Q1 2009 to focus on serving the Asia Pacific market. The office and existing commercial division will help advertisers and business partners in the region capitalize on Al Jazeera's global reach and international brand. 'This is an important stepping stone for our commercial efforts in the region as we begin to extend our global brand. While we remain focused on bringing ground-breaking news to the world, we are venturing and expanding into new commercial areas. The Al Jazeera family of channels which now includes Al Jazeera Satellite Channel, Al Jazeera English, six Sports Channels and Al Jazeera Documentary.'" Al Jazeera press release via asiamediajournal.com, 18 November 2008. Posted: 19 Nov 2008 Permalink

More sparring about BBC Russian. "Mr Chapman seems oddly reluctant to believe that BBC employees can be subjected to intimidation. Everywhere, he is moving programmers 'closer to their audiences'. It is his intention that the Russian-language programme Early Hour, at present broadcast to Central Asia and the Caucasus from London, should instead be broadcast from Moscow. Does he really believe that, in the event of another crisis between Russia and Georgia, editors and producers in Moscow will feel able to broadcast freely?" Robert Chandler, letter to The Times, 17 November 2008. See previous post about same subject and for earlier letters to The Times.
     "Only time will tell if the letter writers’ concerns are justified. But if Russia’s Internet can attract both an unorthodox start-up like Demotix, and a venerable institution like the BBC, it suggests that the tide of change is strong, but not necessarily malignant. 'There is a balance to be had between bearing your past in mind and changing to reflect current realities' [said Sarah Gibson, head of BBC Russian]." Roland Olipant, Russia Profile, 17 November 2008.
     Somewhat related: Recent BBC "licence-fee refuseniks include Vladimir Bukovsky, a former Russian dissident." The Times, 16 November 2008. Posted: 18 Nov 2008 Permalink

BBC sells content to planes, trains, ships. "'We supply over 140 airlines per annum; sometimes one title, sometimes dozens per month, depending on the airline,' says Julia Lewis, BBC Worldwide’s sales and marketing manager for in-flight entertainment, who refers to transportation-related TV as the 'captive-audience' business. 'In addition, BBC Worldwide supplies BBC News to over 20 airlines on a daily basis. BBC World was part of the First Great Western on-board train trial in a Volo train carriage, which was extremely successful [in 2005]. Hundreds of titles are used in cruise ships around the world -- and again, BBC World can be supplied to certain ships in certain waters.'" WorldScreen.com, October 2008. Posted: 18 Nov 2008 Permalink

More star-studded galas coming soon. "The BBC World Service leads the way in this year's Foreign Press Association Media Awards with six nominations. The broadcaster is nominated for financial story of the year, sports story of the year, travel & tourism story of the year (TV and radio), radio story of the year and also has two nominations for environment story of the year." Press Gazette, 17 November 2008. "RBC-TV has been named the best news channel in Europe. It received the Hot Bird TV Award in the News nomination Monday. RBC-TV has outstripped the BBC Arabic service, Bloomberg Television, and France24 in the News nomination." Russia-IC, 18 November 2008. Posted: 18 Nov 2008 Permalink

Former CNN International MD rails against "lousy journalism." Chris Cramer, "a former BBC News executive, retired from his role as CNN International managing director last year. In his new job, he oversees Reuters’ multimedia journalism, reporting to editor-in-chief David Schlesinger. He said that while Reuters journalists were required to adhere to the group’s principles of integrity, independence and freedom from bias, the same could not be said for a number of other news providers. 'There is plenty of lousy journalism out there today, which may be why the public are so distrusting of the traditional media,' he said." Press Gazette, Press Gazette, 18 November 2008.
     Full text of his speech. "How about creating fake election messages to distort one candidates viewpoint - to advantage the other. We saw many examples of that in the recent US election. In fact do social or political campaigners - people desperate for change - need to abide by those same codes of conduct relating to integrity or the invasion of privacy that news organizations like Reuters, the BBC and CNN have to abide by?" journalism.co.uk, 18 November 2008. Posted: 18 Nov 2008 Permalink

If my math is correct: just under five blog readers per blog writer. "Nick Guthrie, editor of Dateline London, BBC, ... said 12 million adults in the US regularly contributed to blogs that found 57 million readers. ... Francis Matthew, editor at large, Gulf News, said ... 'a major problem of working online is dealing with the clutter and prejudice which is all over the place and emphasises the importance of good editors to produce reliable sites.'" Gulf News (Dubai), 16 November 2008. Posted: 18 Nov 2008 Permalink

Worldspace no longer uplinking from London. "Worldspace (UK) Ltd called in the liquidators on Friday Nov 14. The action means an immediate suspension of the Afristar channels that were being transmitted from London by WRN. The move also means that Worldspace UK’s few remaining staff have been let go, according to informed sources. London employees have received no salaries since September. Telemetry, care and control of Afristar are still being carried out. Insiders suggest that Afristar is still carrying some radio channels beamed up from South Africa." Chris Forrester, Rapid TV News, 16 November 2008. See also comments and previous post about same subject. Posted: 18 Nov 2008 Permalink

Still some (non broadcast) uses for shortwave. New Rohde & Shwarz products "provide interoperable data exchange via shortwave between allied forces. The software makes it possible to transmit text-based messages, file attachments, and IP data by using an HF modem ... to provide data transmission rates from 75 bits per second to 9600 bits per second (coded) in the shortwave channel." Military & Aerospace Electronics, 16 November 2008. See also Rohde & Shwarz press release, 14 November 2008. "In view of the gradual decline in the use of shortwave for international broadcasting, it’s interesting to note that the high frequency bands continue to be of significant use for other purposes." Andy Sennitt, Radio Netherlands Media Network, 17 November 2008. Posted: 18 Nov 2008 Permalink

VOA in the Plum Book. "The Broadcasting Board of Governors needs a Senior Advisor for the Voice of America in its International Bureau. You would report to ... Barack Obama. ... You can see [this listing] and thousands more in the new 'Plum Book,' just out Wednesday. An updated version comes out every four years, shortly after each presidential election. It lists available jobs, and in the 2008 edition, you'll find more than 7,000 of them. Four thousand of the positions require presidential appointments." MyFox National, 13 November 2008. The presidential appointments are "schedule C" jobs, given to political allies rather than through the competitive Civil Service hiring system. Each U.S. government agency gets a few schedule C's. Most of the schedule C employees I have encountered at VOA and the IBB have been hard workers, interesting company, and quickly get into the institutional spirit of protecting VOA's journalistic integrity. However, because U.S. international broadcasting can succeed only if it is credible, and it can achieve credibility only if it is independent, a senior adviser to VOA who "would report to Barack Obama" is not a good idea. Posted: 18 Nov 2008 Permalink

Al Jazeera English "working more closely with" Al Jazeera Arabic. Interview with Al Jazeera English director Tony Burman: "We are committed to working more closely with our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic. We want to expand our coverage to all kinds of media platforms to appeal to audiences who want to access our journalism on their own terms." The Peninsula (Doha), 16 November 2008.
     "Al Jazeera television, the English version, has done a ... presentation on [Connecticut art collector Leslet] Roy’s role in saving [Iraqi artist Ala] Bashir’s works, films that have been seen in 137 countries. 'I watched it at Westville Pizza because I didn’t have satellite,' Roy said of the West Rock film, which was seen in 137 countries, but is not generally known in the U.S." New Haven Register, 16 November 2008. Posted: 17 Nov 2008 Permalink

DW Chinese controversy continues to simmer (updated again). "Zhang Danhong, vice director of the Chinese Department of Deutsche Welle (Voice of Germany) recently created an uproar when she openly defended the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Since Zhang’s speech, several Chinese scholars have carefully monitored Voice of Germany (VoG), including content from its China broadcasting division and Web site. When the German Parliament recently reconvened after their summer recess, eight Chinese scholars representing various China democracy organizations wrote an open letter to the Parliament recommending complete reorganization of Voice of Germany’s Chinese Department. ... On September 19, 2008, the German newsweekly Der Spiegel published the Chinese scholars’ open letter to the German Parliament. Der Spiegel suggested that Voice of Germany needs to investigate whether its Chinese Department has provided space for the CCP’s propaganda purposes." Epoch Times, 25 eptember 2008. See also Der Spiegel on 19 September and 24 September 2008. See previous post about same subject.
     Letter to DW refers to another letter to DW about the subject. Epoch Times, 10 November 2008. Maybe I missed something, but this matter is now beyond my comprehension.
     Update: Interview with Chinese social economist He Qinglian: "An article by Radio Free Asia reported that the DW followed orders from the CCP’s Central Propaganda Department and discontinued your column. Recently, they invited you to write a column again, but you refused. Could you give a little more detail on this? He QL: In March 2005, the DW Chinese edition invited me to write two to four commentaries on China per month. The director of the Chinese edition was Matthias von Hein, and the person who contacted me was Zhang Danhong. She told me she’d seen me in Cologne, but I could not recall this. During the first four months, cooperation was smooth. Afterward, I felt there were some disagreements between Zhang and me. She wrote to me in August saying that I was not permitted to write commentaries, because the rules of DW said only directors could write them." Epoch Times, 14 November 2008. Posted: 17 Nov 2008 Permalink

Old international broadcasting. Summary of a 1931 Harper's article about international radio: “With a good set you can make fascinating journeys by radio, though you find the air surprisingly crowded and ripped with government stations’ code messages to fleets and colonies. You can pick up the music box signal of Budapest, the nightingale note used by Italian stations, the shrill bell of Fecamp, or the deep boom of Strasbourg." Jeff Davis, KE9V.net, 12 November 2008. Herper's subscribers can read the full article here. Posted: 17 Nov 2008 Permalink

Shortwave in the arts. In Royal Ballet's Infra: "On and on they come – we must be seeing the entire Royal Ballet tramp past – as Max Richter's score for string quintet and distant shortwave radio crackle rises to its melancholy climax." The Independent, 16 November 2008. At the Arts Theatre Cronulla (NSW Australia): The "very funny stage version of Allo Allo! is based on the hugely popular BBC television series. The action takes place in a small town in France during the German occupation in World War II... With a cast of 19 and a stuffed parrot doubling as a covert shortwave radio, this production is one of the biggest challenges the theatre has undertaken in recent years partly due to limited space." The Leader (Rockdale NSW), 16 November 2008. Posted: 16 Nov 2008 Permalink

Radio Netherlands resumes Arabic radio, with a "moderate sound" (updated). "Radio Netherlands Worldwide is launching an Arabic radio programme called 'Huna Amsterdam' (This is Amsterdam calling). The Arabic department is venturing into a thick jungle of satellite and radio stations with its programme of daily news and current affairs. Nevertheless, Radio Netherlands Worldwide (RNW) believes it has something to add to the media landscape. ... Fourteen years ago, the emergence of satellite stations was the reason why RNW ended its shortwave radio broadcasts in Arabic. Now, RNW sees new opportunities, via the Internet, satellite, shortwave, mediumwave and FM. ... Radio Netherlands Worldwide Director-General Jan Hoek: 'More than ever the two worlds seem to be talking simultaneously and at cross purposes, rather than with each other. The Arabic world is clearly in need of an independent moderate (Muslim) sound, one which encourages dialogue.'" Radio Netherlands, 27 October 2008.
     Update: "Radio Netherlands Worldwide is officially launching its Arabic radio programme today in the Moroccan capital Rabat. ... After the opening ceremony in Rabat, Moroccan and Dutch journalists will debate image forming and stereotypes in the Arab and Western media. The title of the debate is 'Moroccan scoundrels and Dutch contempt'." Radio Netherlands, 15 November 2008. Posted: 16 Nov 2008 Permalink

BBC World Service will reduce Russian radio by 19 hours a week (yet another letter to The Times). "The [BBC] Russian service plans to cut broadcasts by 19 hours a week. Sixty-four distinguished experts have written to The Times in protest. They are right to do so. The Russian service should rethink. It has its reasons for the cuts. Fewer and fewer Russians listen to short-wave radios. More and more get all their news via the web. Nigel Chapman, the World Service's Director, says the Russian service is simply rebalancing its output to reflect this new reality while ensuring that in-depth news programming does not suffer. Related Links But the Russian service is more than a news service for Russians. It is cultural diplomacy, funded by the Foreign Office to improve Britain's currently woeful image from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok. Bush House mandarins admit that some of the cultural programmes facing the axe had loyal followings. So keep them on the air." Leader, The Times, 7 November 2008.
     "The Russian service had a fine record of producing long format features of unique depth and diversity of opinion on matters of serious political and cultural concern. Expansion of internet services is no compensation for the loss of these features. The BBC World Service should be held to account by the press for its inexplicable actions — and everyone who realises that BBC World Service broadcasts are the best ambassadors we have for this country should make their views known." Aforementioned letter to The Times, 7 November 2008.
     "BBC World Service director, Nigel Chapman, has responded forcefully to the group ... [He] said the overall loss to the schedule was 19 hours, many of them repeats. The changes were designed to boost newsgathering and strengthen its offering in peak time and on the web in light of the withdrawal of several FM partners and changing audience habits." The Guardian, 7 November 2008.
     I haven't seen the BBC announcement about these cuts, but they were hinted at in their press release of 8 October. See previous post.
     On 7 November, the BBC World Service program Europe Today included an interview with Robert Chandler, one of the distinguished experts, and with Nigel Chapman, director of BBC World Service. Listen to mp3. Thanks to Jonathan Marks for alerting me to these interviews.
     "The letter (Nov 7) about the BBC Russian service contains inaccuracies and distorts our proposals to strengthen our output for Russia. We are all agreed on the aim of increasing and improving the impact of the service in a complex Russian media landscape where short-wave listening is rapidly declining. We have 730,000 weekly radio listeners in Russia — down from 1.3 million in 2005. Therefore we are moving resources from the non-news or obsolete parts of the radio schedule — dropping seven hours a week of news bulletins for FM partners we no longer have and light feature programmes with little analysis; and 11.5 hours a week of repeats." Nigel Chapman, letter to The Times, 10 November 2008.
     "It would be more heartening if he showed some awareness of the possibility that the decline of his audience might result from a decline in the quality of the service’s output. The wish to make programmes acceptable on Russian FM stations may have backfired. It is also possible that this loss of audience is partly due to the short- waves cut of 2003 and the loss of the repeats that were the only way of enabling programmes to reach an audience spread across 11 time zones." Robert Chandler, letter to The Times, 12 November 2008.
     "I cannot let the inaccuracies and assertions from Robert Chandler about the BBC World Service (letter, Nov 12) go unchallenged as they imply we are prepared to compromise our independence, and our editorial standards, to attract audiences. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The problems we have faced in acquiring carriage on FM in Russia emanated from the growing impact the distinctive programmes were having with audiences, not from lowering the quality of our output. As a result, the authorities brought persistent pressure to bear upon our partners to drop our programmes." Nigel Chapman, letter to The Times, 14 November 2008.
     Update: When I joined the service in 1989, it had a vibrant, if somewhat eccentric, atmosphere of creativity. Intellectual debate was an integral part of programme making, originality was encouraged and each member of the service took pride in his work. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, John Tusa, then the director of the World Service, lifted the ban on the recruitment of journalists who had been employed by the media in their countries. For the Russian Service it meant recruitment of the people who, before the collapse of the Soviet regime, had worked for the Soviet propaganda machine. ... Many of them have gradually taken editorial positions in the Russian Service and started, in a very subtle way, bending BBC editorial guidelines to suit their political views. ... The only section of the Russian Service still producing programmes of intellectual distinction and outstanding cultural depth was the features department. It is hardly surprising to me that, when economic necessity dictated, the editors of the Russian Service decided to close the features section, the last centre of excellence and free-thinking." Irina Shumovitch, letter to The Times, 15 November 2008.
     Changes to the BBC Russian Service are the subject of an interview with Nikki Clarke, the BBCWS Head of Region for America and Europe, on BBCWS "Over to You," 15 November 2008. Posted: 16 Nov 2008 Permalink

Americans listening to BBC, 63 years ago (updated). Colin Jones of Boerne, Texas, was a World War II prisoner of war in Germany Stalag 17. "By means of ... bribery and blackmail, the prisoners maintained supplies of darkroom chemicals while also assembling a working radio. ... As the spring of 1945 progressed, the prisoners of Stalag 17 could hear Russian guns approaching. 'We listened to the BBC every night,' Jones said." Boerne Star, 11 November 2008.
     Update: According to Staff Sgt. Francis “Kelly” Parkinson of the 106th Infantry Division, captive in Stalag IV-B in 1945: "As winter turned into spring, the prisoners nightly picked up the BBC on carefully hidden radios. It didn’t take a genius to figure out the Allies were winning the war. And getting closer to the camp." Neosho (MO) Daily News, 15 November 2008. Posted: 16 Nov 2008 Permalink

Worldspace faces regulatory hurdles in India, NASDAQ delisting. "Satellite radio service provider WorldSpace India’s plan to expand its business locally and open additional revenue stream in the country — through setting up a studio for creating digital content and a call centre — seems to have hit regulatory hurdles. WorldSpace India’s proposal to the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) has been deferred till the Department of Information Technology (DIT) submits its views. Both the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) and the Department of Telecommunication (DoT) have informed FIPB that the matter is beyond their working area." Business Standard, 12 November 2008.
     Update: "The NASDAQ Stock Market announced today that it will delist the common stock of WorldSpace, Inc. WorldSpace, Inc.'s stock was suspended on October 30, 2008 and has not traded on NASDAQ since that time." NASDAQ press release, 13 November 2008. Stock at five cents a share on 14 November. See previous post. Posted: 14 Nov 2008 Permalink

North Korea watchers are like "old shortwave radio guys." "'Kim's approach is, "Know thy enemy but don't let them know us,"' said Young Howard, who three years ago founded Open Radio for North Korea, a short-wave station that broadcasts two hours a day to the North from Seoul. ... 'There are a host of people who have made it their hobby to look at interesting features of the North Korean landscape,' said Scott Snyder, a Korea analyst for the Asia Foundation. 'They're like the old short-wave radio guys. They have tried to label stuff like North Korean nuclear facilities and the locations of airfields, and they spend time debating on Internet chat rooms.' Howard said he founded his Open Radio for North Korea broadcasts as a way to encourage the open trading of information between the Koreas." Los Angeles Times, 14 November 2008. Posted: 14 Nov 2008 Permalink

South African satellite platform brings international channels to growing audience. "The total DStv base is now at over 1.5 Million subscribers, with Compact making up almost 25% of these. Launched in February 2005 with just 13 channels, DStv Compact was aimed at a market thirsty for Pay TV, but not able to afford the full Premium Bouquet of more than 80 channels. DStv Compact started out slowly, but targeted marketing and an ever increasing amount of channels (now 35), has seen amazing acceptance and growth. ... 'DStv, once perceived as a luxury item, is more accessible and affordable through DStv Compact. Customers now have access to huge variety across the 35 channels. Channels such as MNet Action, Africa Magic, Hallmark, BBC World, Channel O and Animal Planet have found receptive audiences.'" Filmmaker South Africa, 14 November 2008. -- Per channel list, DStv Compact also carries CNN International, Al Jazeera English, CNBC Africa. Radio offerings include BBC, VOA, World Radio Network, China Radio International, Radio Netherlands, Radio France International. Posted: 14 Nov 2008 Permalink

Al Jazeera stringer abducted in Pakistan. "Beverly Giesbrecht, a West Vancouver woman who converted to Islam in 2002 and adopted the name Khadija Abdul Qahaar, was on a freelance assignment for the Al Jazeera network when she was abducted in northern Pakistan this week." Globe and Mail, 14 November 2008. Posted: 14 Nov 2008 Permalink

Via CNN, TheMuslimGuy mentions US public diplomacy and BBC. Letter to Obama: "Your unenviable task will be to undo the catastrophic policies of George W. Bush and his fellow neoconservative ideologues, facing the specter of al Qaeda's sinister terrorism while undertaking public diplomacy efforts addressing anti-Americanism around the world. Similarly, since the tragedy of September 11, the global Muslim community has continued its own daunting task of undoing catastrophic damage caused by Osama bin Laden and his creepy terrorist cronies. From global debates on religious extremism broadcast on BBC World Television to global interfaith outreach with the Vatican, we Muslims are in the midst of our own internal dialogue condemning terrorism and reclaiming the mantle of Islam from the rusted claws of dinosaur extremists." Arsalan Iftikhar, commentary on CNN, 14 November 2008. Posted: 14 Nov 2008 Permalink

World Service listeners question Taleban spokesman. "Speaking by telephone from a secret location in the region, Zabihullah Mujahid ... derided US President-elect Barack Obama. ... Speaking on the BBC's World Have Your Say programme, Mr Mujahid answered listeners for almost an hour, and took follow-up questions from the BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner. He said the Taleban now controlled more than half of Afghanistan, and were running those areas in a more tolerant fashion than in previous years." BBC News, 14 November 2008. See also World Have Your Say blog, 12 November 2008. Posted: 14 Nov 2008 Permalink

Iranian messages for Obama, via VOA website. "Iranians are flooding President-elect Barack Obama with personal messages on a special Persian-language website the Voice of America (VOA) created for people to express their views. ... The messages, posted on the site, will eventually be transmitted to the president-elect's transition office. ... 'I wish there were at least one media outlet in Iran that could express the joy of Iranians for you.'" VOA press release, 12 November 2008. Posted: 13 Nov 2008 Permalink

BBC election bus ends up in Bangladesh. "From today, Tuesday 11 November, a BBC Bangla-branded bus starts from Khulna to travel to Rajshahi, Sylhet, Rangpur, Comilla and Chittagong – where the BBC broadcasts on FM frequencies – inviting audiences to "speak up" and share their views on issues important to them. ... As Bangladesh is moving towards a general election, BBC Bangla will bring views from the voters, plans and commitments from the prospective candidates and the fervour of political campaigning and debates." BBC World Service press release, 11 November 2008. Posted: 13 Nov 2008 Permalink

Gitmo alumnus is among AIB award winners. "Sami Al Haj, the Al Jazeera cameraman detained for six years without trial at Guantanamo Bay, has been recognised with a special award from the Association of International Broadcasting. ... Other winners at last night's awards including the BBC World Service, which won two prizes - one for a The World Today report on China and the second for its cross-platform Bangladesh boat project. French rolling news TV network France 24, which celebrates its second birthday next month, won the award for best TV coverage of a news event for its reports from Burma." Press Gazette, 13 November 2008.
     "At a star-studded evening in London ... prizes to BBC World Service; Tinderbox Production; SABC; France 24; Al Jazeera; Link Research; Strix TV; Sveriges Radio; SVT; and NPO 3FM." AIB, 12 November 2008. Posted: 13 Nov 2008 Permalink

Morocco's public broadcaster buys into EuroNews. "Morocco’s public broadcasting company SNRT (Société Nationale de Radiodiffusion et Télévision) has acquired a 0.33 per cent stake in European news channel euronews’ holding company, SECEMIE (Société Editrice de la Chaîne Européenne Multilingue d’Information euronews), to join the 22 existing shareholders from Europe. The catalyst for the arrival of the new Moroccan shareholder was the introduction of an eighth language to euronews, Arabic, on 12 July this year. ... EuroNews chairman and CEO Philippe Cayla said, 'SNRT will be instrumental in promoting euronews in Arabic.'" Apparent press release via Indiantelevision.com, 13 November 2008. Will other Arab broadcasters follow? Posted: 13 Nov 2008 Permalink

Turning the transmitters on ourselves. "International broadcasting could move from primarily a means of projecting perceptions of the U.S. and reflecting (even if indirectly) U.S. policies to one which would be a platform for cooperation, mediation, and reception-- a mode of being informed as well as informing. ... Public diplomacy and international broadcasting might be constructed on principles of deeper reciprocity as well as rearticulated targeting. ... It would mean a possible repeal of the Smith-Mundt Act, which bars transmission of U.S. financed international broadcasting within the United States, a somewhat pointless prohibition in the Internet era. Reciprocity would, of course, broaden cultural exchange, including expanding cultural exchanges, but it would have consequences for the broadcasting sphere as well. ... Another citizen related challenge related to the future of international broadcasting is the dramatically changed political economy of U.S. news organizations and the continued decline of foreign coverage. Knowledge of the world is a public good. If the market cannot provide it in a way that is essential for citizenship, then other means to finance it must be found." Monroe Price, Huffington Post, 11 November 2008.
     Come to think of it, when foreigners come to the United States as part of State Department public diplomacy exchnage programs, is that a violation of the Smith-Mundt domestic dissemination prohibition?
     The nice thing about Smith-Mundt is that is has always been unenforceable, even during the shortwave era of international broadcasting, and especially now in the internet age.
     But Smith-Mundt did prevent the government from diverting funds intended for international communication to a cheesy domestic PR campaign to advocate US policy goals. I'm afraid that might happen if Smith-Mundt is repealed.
     Americans have always had access to international news and foreign perspectives. In past years, they had to buy shortwave radios to get this content. Now it's a simpler matter of finding websites, such as BBC, other international broadcasters, newspapers abroad, news.yahoo.com, etc. No taxpayer money need be used.
     If all the U.S. international broadcasting (VOA, RFE/RL, RFA, MBN, Radio/TV Martí) were combined, it would result in a global newsgathering entity that could compete with the likes of BBC and Al Jazeera. Americans would benefit from having access to such a news service. The trick is to ensure that the funds for international broadcasting are spent on international broadcasting, with domestic consumption strictly a fringe benefit.
     See previous post. Posted: 13 Nov 2008 Permalink

Laura Bush via VOA unheeded in Burma. "Myanmar's military regime handed down harsh prison sentences to 14 pro-democracy activists Tuesday, a slap in the face to the United Nations and foreign governments that have demanded reforms from the ruling generals. ... The severe punishment is a foreign policy defeat for the outgoing Bush administration. First Lady Laura Bush has campaigned for democratic reform in Myanmar, also known as Burma. Her comments on the junta's hard line have been broadcast to Myanmar by the Voice of America, a popular shortwave service among Burmese hungry for information that challenges official propaganda." Los Angeles Times, 12 November 2008. Posted: 13 Nov 2008 Permalink

Never a CNN logo around when you need it. "CNN International in conjunction with MyClick today announces the launch of CNN MyClick, an application that allows users to directly connect to CNN's free [subject to data charges that may apply in certain countries] mobile news site at cnnmobile.com utilizing camera mobile devices. Users can now take a picture of a CNN logo and within seconds connect to CNN's mobile news site to access the latest news headlines, stories and more. The technology has been designed so that it recognises the official CNN logo anywhere it is in print form which can include magazines, leaflets, brochures, billboards etc. or even when the image is captured from the television screen. ... The CNN MyClick application is currently available in more than 13 countries in Asia Pacific: Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and China." CNN press release, 11 November 2008. Posted: 13 Nov 2008 Permalink

In Rwanda: protests against Germany, including DW. "A diplomatic row is brewing between Rwanda, France and Germany over the 1994 assassination of the African country's then-president. Rwanda's current president has become involved, after the arrest of one of his aides in Germany. ... Several thousand demonstrators marched to the German embassy and the offices of the Deutsche Welle, Germany's national broadcaster." Sky News, 11 November 2008. A problematic development for DW, as it has a shortwave relay site in Rwanda. -- DW also reports on protest in Kigali, but does not mention that the demonstrators converged on the DW offices. DW-World.de, 13 November 2008.
      "Three days ago, I watched in disbelief as Ignace Murwanashyaka, the overall leader of FDLR, spoke on the German public Broadcasting Television (Deutsche Welle), in the safety of his home challenging the German law enforcement to come and arrest him, since they know his address. Indeed the DW programme hosted a number of other guests, including prominent German Human Rights activists and academics, who were all horrified by the fact that their government is protecting such an international criminal, as Murwanashyaka." Ngango Rukara, The New Times (Kigali), 11 November 2008. Posted: 13 Nov 2008 Permalink

The international broadcaster that offers a master's degree. "The Deutsche-Welle Akademie offers a master’s program in media studies. The newly-minted program begins in September next year, providing a structured introduction to the analytic relationship between media, politics, and society." Manila Bulletin, 12 November 2008. See also See also DW-Akademie web page. Posted: 13 Nov 2008 Permalink

Voice of Russia adds FM outlets in Kurdish Iraq. "The Voice of Russia radio station began broadcasting in Kurdish in Iraqi Kurdistan yesterday. Station spokesmen say the new project is nonpolitical and its goal is to bring the Russian and Kurdish people closer together. Analysts say that the project has an obvious political nature and that it is a means of advancing Russian interests in Kurdistan and throughout the Middle East. The Voice of Russia had considered a Kurdish service for several years, but funding restriction had prevented its implementation until now. The station’s director of regional broadcasts Mikhail Baryshev told Kommersant that a daily one-hour shortwave broadcast in Kurdish premiered in May of this year. Yesterday was the first broadcast on the FM band. Broadcast originate in Erbil, Sulaimaniya, Kirkuk and Dohuk, Iraq." Kommersant, 12 November 2008. Posted: 13 Nov 2008 Permalink

To receive Russian television in Georgia, satellite is the workaround. Some Georgians are canceling cable, on which Russian channels have been banned, and buying satellite receivers. finchannel.com (Tblisi), 10 November 2008. Posted: 13 Nov 2008 Permalink

Winner of Radio Australia song contest is Pacific island reggae. Vanuatu music festival will "feature the winner of the Radio Australia's new 'Pacific Break' competition, singing its winning entry. This is a competition to identify the best unsigned and undiscovered musicians in the Pacific which has been going on since early this year. The winner of the competition is Vanuatu band '26 Roots' a band from the Northern town of Luganville." Solomon Star, 12 November 2008. Download the winning song at the Radio Australia Pacific Break web site. Posted: 13 Nov 2008 Permalink

Euranet radio project to "become more interactive." "The EURANET European Radio Network is launching its new multilingual, interactive 'community on web' Internet platform. ... EURANET is an initiative devised at the instigation and with the financial support of the [European] Commission, although it enjoys full editorial freedom underpinned by an Editorial Charter. The network has been launched by European radio broadcasters including Deutsche Welle, Radio France Internationale, Radio Netherlands, Polskie Radio, Punto Radio [Spain] and RTBF [Belgium], and its purpose is to bring the European Union and its citizens closer together. Since April 2008, 16 broadcasters and 8 associate radio stations from 15 EU countries have been co-producing and broadcasting daily European current affairs programmes in 10 languages (Bulgarian, English, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian and Spanish) – a number which will gradually increase until all 23 EU official languages are involved. The EURANET network has a weekly audience of 19 million listeners within the European Union and a further 30 million beyond the EU's borders. It is open to radio broadcasters of any kind (national, regional, local, public and private), provided that they comply with the rules laid down by the consortium. The daily programmes (which last between 30 and 60 minutes) will become more interactive when a shared Internet portal (www.euranet.eu) is launched." Public Technology.net, November 2008. Is this maybe old news? Because www.euranet.eu is already launched and already interactive. Also, it is not Euranet itself that has 49 million listeners. According to the Euranet corporate information, the stations that are members of the consortium "have between 12 and 19 million listeners per day in Europe and 30 million more worldwide." See previous post about same subject. Posted: 13 Nov 2008 Permalink

BBC websites affected by DDoS attack. "All BBC web services including its most useful iPlayer were subjected to a DDoS attack last night. According to a missive we have seen, all its sites were slowed down considerably last night. For a while the BBC home page was either not responding or opening extremely slowly. In a statement to the INQ, the BBC said the attack originated in a number of different countries but didn't specify which. When the Beeb's techies blocked international access to a limited subset of servers, it resulted in a marked improvement of the serving of bbc.co.uk." The Inquirer, 7 November 2008. "One thing’s for sure - political DDoS attacks are going to get even more mainstream in 2009." Dancho Danchev, ZDNet, 11 November 2008. Similar DDOS attacks are to be expected in future crises. The fallback would be shortwave, but will shortwave be obliterated by noise from broadband over power line systems, whose users will be searching in vain for information from websites obliterated by DDoS attacks? Posted: 12 Nov 2008 Permalink

Listen to shortwave and paint what you hear. One of the designs festooning Dell laptop computers is by "Joseph Amedokpo [who] resides in the town of Vogan, Togo (West Africa) with his wife and five children. He supports his family through painting, using locally produced oils he blends by hand, on canvases made from recycled flour sacks. While painting, Amedokpo chats with frequent visitors and listens to a short wave radio, gaining a global perspective on peoples' failures and weakness, as well at their core strength and hope, which is reflected in his art." Dell press release, 11 November 2008. See his designs at this Dell web page. Posted: 12 Nov 2008 Permalink

IBM backs broadband via shortwave interference. "IBM Corp. is throwing its considerable weight behind an idea that seemed to have faded: broadband Internet access delivered over ordinary power lines. The technology has been around for decades, but most efforts to implement the idea on a broad scale have failed to live up to expectations. Now, with somewhat scaled-back goals, improved technology, and a dose of low-interest federal loans, IBM is partnering with a small newcomer called International Broadband Electric Communications Inc. to try to make the idea work in rural communities that don't have other broadband options. ... But that stream of data has often run into interference with other wireless devices that happen to be nearby. Ham radio operators have been particularly irked, and even sued the FCC over it." AP, 12 November 2008.
     The IBM partner IBEC "'doesn't use the ham bands,' said BPL expert and ARRL Laboratory Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI, 'making it less likely that they will have any interference complaints from amateurs. Their equipment, however, does interfere with shortwave broadcast and other spectrum, but in the US, not many users have complained.'" American Radio Relay league, 12 November 2008.
     They preserve virgin forests and endangered wetlands. So why not preserve the one part of the radio spectrum that allows long distance communications by natural means, not involving satellites or undersea cables? Most broadband over power line (BPL) systems have used RF frequencies on shortwave frequencies within unshielded electric power lines, thus causing interference to international broadcasts and other users of shortwave. Shortwave may not be fashionable now, but it will be needed during future crises and emergencies. Posted: 12 Nov 2008 Permalink

You know a story has reached the end of the news cycle when... Azerbaijan's ban on foreign radio relays is the subject of the Editorial broadcast by the Voice of America, 10 November 2008. See previous post about same subject, which was first reported on 31 October. Posted: 11 Nov 2008 Permalink

More Barack-Obama-as-public diplomacy. "In 2005, the Bush administration appointed fellow Texan Karen Hughes to be Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy. At the time, this meant that Ms. Hughes had to accentuate America's many good works, while having to defend the two wars we were waging. It was a bad time and a tough sell and audiences seemed immune to the positive spin. She could not sway global opinion, no matter how many well-meaning projects we initiated. Polls overwhelmingly showed that the Muslim world preferred freedom and democracy to theocracy. They just did not want it served up by George Bush's PR representative. Rather than preach, build or spread democracy, we proved that our system works. By winning, Obama did more to teach the Iraqis about democracy than four years of nation building has done." Marcia DeSanctis, Huffington Post, 10 November 2008.
     "Plenty of Democratic and Republican foreign-policy mavens have lamented that the Bush administration ... treated public diplomacy as a marketing campaign rather than a grassroots effort to forge new alliances with key influencers abroad. The resurgence of so-called soft power will likely mark the first year of Obama's foreign policy. Success isn't guaranteed, of course, but expectations are high that his administration will make the effort." Shane Harris, Nextgov.com, 10 November 2008. Posted: 11 Nov 2008 Permalink

USAID's public diplomacy in the Middle East. "'It is extremely important to keep in touch with the Middle Eastern American communities and keep them informed of our work and good will,' said Walid Maalouf, Director of USAID's Office of Public Diplomacy for Middle Eastern and MEPI Affairs. Three major issues are important for Middle Eastern Americans he continued, 'Peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis, freedom and democracy in the whole region and USAID development.' In order to learn more about USAID's Middle Eastern public diplomacy efforts, please visit www.usaid.gov/about_usaid/presidential_initiative/diplomacy/." USAID press release, 10 November 2008. Posted: 11 Nov 2008 Permalink

The future of the Associated Press in the international scheme of things. "CNN it has issued an invitation to newspapers to attend a meeting at its Atlanta headquarters in December, all expenses paid, to hear how CNN could serve as an AP replacement since, it says, it already operates its own internal newswire that could act as a basis for an AP substitute. Now that should be kind of interesting since when watching CNN International, at least, much of its breaking news is sourced to Reuters.com (they have to go to the free web site since they canceled the Reuters service directly), but it will be interesting to hear what CNN has in mind." Philip M. Stone, followthemedia.com, 11 November 2008. Posted: 11 Nov 2008 Permalink

CNN International means business in India. "With the world mired in an ongoing financial crisis, attention is turning more than ever towards India's robust economic growth. CNN International has brought its viewers a week of in-depth live programming, India Means Business, that puts the country's economic fortunes firmly in the spotlight. The series examines how the world's largest democracy is coming of age as a business power house." Televisionpoint.com, 11 November 2008. Obviously vying with BBC World for this key target audience. Posted: 11 Nov 2008 Permalink

Channel NewsAsia cites success in Asian elite survey. "Decision makers in Singapore preferred Channel NewsAsia as their main news source among all media, including cable TV, print, radio and online reports, according to a recent survey by independent global market research firm, Synovate. ... More than four out of five (86 percent) named the channel as their most watched TV channel, including cable, for news content. This was followed by CNN, BBC World, CNBC Singapore, Bloomberg Television and other cable or satellite news channels." Bernama, 10 November 2008. Other channels will probably also claim success from this survey, by dint of other ways of measuring. Posted: 11 Nov 2008 Permalink

Border radio in 1960s South Africa. "The radio waves in South Africa ... were controlled by the Nationalist government whose vigilance and restrictive mores prescribed content. Rock music, for example, was forbidden on Sundays. The state-owned SABC banned the Beatles because of a religious remark made by John Lennon and gagged a number of popular folk troubadours believing their subversive lyrics would agitate unrest. That hardly put us off. We were young, spirited and anxious to keep in touch with the ’60s revolution. LM Radio plugged the gap. Run by Issy Kirsch (of Talk Radio 702 fame), the station built a huge listenership by broadcasting non-stop rock and roll on short wave from Mozambique. Sunday evening’s LM Hit Parade, presented by David Davies, was the station’s most popular show by a long stretch." David Shapiro, The Times (Johannesburg), 11 November 2008. LM Radio, as in Lourenço Marques Radio, from what is now Maputo, functioning for South Africa much like Radio Luxembourg to the UK during the BBC monopoly. See also www.lmradio.org. Posted: 11 Nov 2008 Permalink

RFI découvre que Flint n'est pas Paris. "Last month, a radio reporter from Radio France Internationale in Paris spent the day in Flint to take in the sights and talk to autoworkers about the economy and the presidential election." Flint Journal, 10 November 2008. Posted: 11 Nov 2008 Permalink

Iran's Press TV reports on criticisms of Ahmadinejad. "Prominent Iranian econ experts say President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's economic plans are costing the country dearly in a time of crisis. In an open letter to the president, top Iranian economists criticized the Ahmadinejad administration for not taking corrective measures to deal with the country's economic decline." Press TV, 8 November 2008. "The Iranian parliament will reportedly probe into the issue of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's letter to US president-elect Barack Obama. 'Obviously the Majlis (parliament) is very concerned about the president's letter to Obama and will examine the issue within the coming days,' said Hamid-Reza Haji-Babaei, a member of the Majlis Presiding Board. ... No other Iranian president has sent such wishes to a US president-elect since the Islamic Revolution in 1979." Press TV, 10 November 2008. Posted: 11 Nov 2008 Permalink

PD at MSU (updated: and USC). Part of International Education Week and Michigan State University: "Public diplomacy discussions, Nov. 18-19, at MSU’s International Center. David Firestein, deputy executive director and senior advisor in the U.S. Department of State on Public Diplomacy, will discuss foreign perceptions of the United States and American perspectives of China and the U.S.-China relationship." MSU News, 6 November 2008.
     Update: "The USC Center on Public Diplomacy is proud to welcome contributors to The Routledge Handbook of Public Diplomacy to USC for a discussion on this major new publication." On 20 November 2008 with speakers Nancy Snow, Robert H. Gass, Matthew Armstrong. USC CPD. Posted: 11 Nov 2008 Permalink

Bring your grumpy teenagers to the VOA tour. "Face it, it can be a pain to have teenage visitors over the holidays, and even your own wonderful kids can get grumpy if they're at home too long. ... An absolutely undiscovered gem is The Voice of America, located at 330 Independence Avenue., S.W., Washington, D.C. Studio tours are free and are offered M-F (except Federal holidays) at noon and 3pm. ... You'll have the opportunity to watch live radio and televised broadcasts to countries around the globe. Fascinating!" Risa Sandres, Examiner.com, 7 November 2008. Posted: 11 Nov 2008 Permalink

The hockey player who listened to shortwave (updated). NHL Hall of Fame inductee Igor Larionov "said listening to broadcasts of the BBC and Voice of America awakened him to life beyond the Soviet borders." Ottawa Sun, 18 June 2008.
     Update: "From an early age, Larionov also saw beyond Soviet propaganda. By the age of 12, he was tuning into Russian-language BBC broadcasts, and listening to The Voice of America on an old transistor radio in his family's one-bedroom apartment." Canwest News Service, 10 November 2008.
     "Larionov recalled coming to breakfast during the [1980] Olympics, anticipating watching the game on tape delay later that evening. Word came via Voice of America radio that the U.S. team had defeated the powerful Russians, 4-3. Larionov still didn't believe it even as he watched the game later that evening." ESPN, 10 November 2008. Posted: 11 Nov 2008 Permalink

Radio/TV Martí in the new administration. "Those hoping for an end to America's failed trade embargo of the island may have to wait a while longer, though; it's likely that Obama will favor an incremental thawing of relations -- increased diplomatic contact, perhaps a funding cut for TV Martí -- while saving unfettered trade as a reward for significant steps towards democratisation." Ben Whitford, The Guardian Comment is Free, 7 November 2008.
     "Radio and TV Martí must be more efficient and have more reach. Programming should focus more on what the opposition in Cuba is doing." Myriam Marquez, Miami Herald, 9 November 2008. Just report the news, and coverage of the opposition will follow as a matter of course. Posted: 10 Nov 2008 Permalink

Barack Obama as a one-person solution to US public diplomacy difficulties. "On the international scene, former White House-inspired lecturing about the virtues of American values became tedious. The public diplomacy orientation of the present administration has been ineffective on several levels. In general, it smacks of poor Madison Avenue marketing techniques. Targeted audiences are not convinced. They want discussion - give and take - and mutual respect." Earle Scarlett, Jamaica Observer, 9 November 2008.
     "Shortly after the election, I moderated a panel of journalists from Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America who discussed 'How the World Sees the U.S. Presidential Elections' for the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia. What they said, along with the reaction from other foreign media and leaders, underlines the remarkable opportunities awaiting President-elect Barack Obama. He has a unique chance to stem the tide of anti-Americanism that threatens our security and our ability to lead. 'That one picture of Obama and his wife, African Americans, holding hands with [Joseph R.] Biden [Jr.] and his wife was worth more than all of the hundreds of millions this administration has spent on public diplomacy,' said panelist Paulo Sotero, former Washington correspondent for the Brazilian daily O Estado de S. Paulo." Trudy Rubin, Philadelphia Inquirer, 9 November 2008.
     "Several global media outlets, including International Herald Tribune, Deutsche Welle and CBC, are running articles about what Obama’s victory means to their country and the world. ... For citizens around the world, his victory is a symbol of America’s renewal and rebirth." Sachin Seth, Blast Magazine, 8 November 2008.
     Zbigniew Brzezinski interview on Deutsche Welle about President-elect Obama's terrorism challenges is reported by Iran's Press TV, 8 November 2008. Posted: 10 Nov 2008 Permalink

BBC World News as Obama's "conduit to the world." Peter Horrocks, head of BBC newsroom, on US election-night coverage: "'The service we did was for BBC World News, the BBC News channel in the UK, BBC One and BBC America. It was only one service for all those different audiences, going head to head with CNN and the other American television services.' Is there not the danger that by going head to head with American networks, the BBC was not giving its British audience a sufficiently bespoke service? 'It’s an interesting balancing act. If we had done three or four different services for the different channels it would have been very costly.' ... Horrocks hopes the first black leader of America will now use the BBC as his conduit to the world. 'We will see if we can get an interview before or shortly after the inauguration to talk about foreign policy and America’s relationship with the world,' he says. 'The fact that the BBC has got 250 million people who use its news services is a big thing for any American politician to think about.'" The Independent, 10 November 2008.
     "At this time, Americans may need the perspective of someone from afar to help us understand ourselves better. ... Alistair Cooke was such a person; he died at age 95 in the midst of the 2004 presidential contest, after seven decades of exploring and interpreting the American mystique. ... [He] narrated the widely syndicated BBC World Service radio program 'Letter From America' for 58 years (2,869 installments)." Chuck Slocum, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, 9 November 2008.
     At the London International Awards, the grand prize in nontraditional category went to "BBDO, New York, for its 'Cables' campaign for BBC World. On the whitewashed sides of city buildings, the agency commissioned huge line drawings of news events -- a protest, a food drop -- with the lines meandering into the building's actual windows. See? They're actually coaxial cables, bringing news." Advertising Age, 10 November 2008. See also London International Awards web page.
     "Charlie Gillett’s World of Music, his weekly radio program, can be heard on BBC World Service, and ... it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to say that it’s the most interesting and exhilarating radio broadcast on the planet. Sound of the World Presents: Beyond the Horizon is essentially a selection of songs that Gillett has played on his radio program over the course of the past year." Douglas Heselgrave, The Music Box, 8 November 2008. Posted: 10 Nov 2008 Permalink

DW and Russia Today: which is "state-run"? "As part of a feature on the international coverage of the American presidential election, several foreign news telecasts were carried by CSPAN on November 5. During the airing of the RT feed, CSPAN captioned 'Russia Today, State-Run.' In contrast, the German government funded Deutsche Welle (DW) did not have the 'State-Run' label, when CSPAN showed that station's news feed." Michael Averko, American Chronicle, 10 November 2008. The difference between "state-run" and "state-funded" is real, though it is subjective and divided by a continuum rather than a sharp line. However, Deutsche Welle, even though there are political aspects to its management, can make a better case for being "state-funded but not state-run" than can Russia Today. Russia Today gave at least the impression of being state-run during its coverage of the Georgian conflict. Posted: 10 Nov 2008 Permalink

Scandinavian media company brings Russian movie channel to U.S. homes. "Modern Times Group MTG ... the international entertainment-broadcasting group, today announced the launch of Viasat´s TV1000 Russian Kino premium movie channel for the Russian speaking population of the United States. ... The Russian language speaking population in the US comprises between five and seven million people. TV1000 Russian Kino is included in DISH Network´s Russian Mega Pack, which offers five Russian language channels. ...
TV1000 was initially launched in Sweden, Norway and Denmark in 1989 and the brand has since been successfully exported, with a local version launched in Eastern Europe in 2003." Modern Times Group press release, 10 November 2008. Posted: 10 Nov 2008 Permalink

For expats in Cyprus, television is from back home. "Expats lose a sense of place by ignoring local TV. Back in the 1980s and 90s the steady trickle of expats would receive their daily fix of news and entertainment exclusively on local TV. It was all a far cry from today with most new arrivals connected to the same channels they watched back home and have little or no time for Cyprus broadcasting. ... One satellite dealer is so savvy on the international broadcasting scene that he can list just about every private and state TV station on air today. 'People want satellite dishes, Bulgaria, Russia are really popular. We do Polish packages which have everything on them, Asian networks, Indian, you name it -- we can get you it.'" Cyprus Mail, 9 November 2008. Posted: 10 Nov 2008 Permalink

Shortwave in music titles and band names. Shortwave is a new jazz CD by Christine Sehnaoui and Michel Waisvisz, released by the Lebanese label Al Maslakh. One of the cuts is "Finding The Short Wave In The Dark." Mark Corroto, All About Jazz, 8 November 2008.
     "Had enough of generic indie bands with skinny jeans and mad hair? Well, time for something completely different -- The Shortwave Set." Katie Campling, Huddersfiled Daily Examiner, 10 November 2008. Posted: 10 Nov 2008 Permalink

New Saudi concept of peaceful civic protest is familiar to anyone who has prepped for a colonoscopy. "A two-day hunger strike to protest against the extended detention of 11 Saudis who had called for political reforms drew more than 70 participants and was carried out without incident, according to two Saudis who helped organise the unusual action. 'It went very well,' said Mohammad Fahd al Qahtani, 42, a professor of economics. 'We want to use this new concept of peaceful civic protest to demonstrate for our rights.' ... Al Jazeera, the Doha-based satellite television channel, which often likes to tweak Saudi government sensibilities, broadcast an interview with Mr Qahtani. It was recorded in Al Jazeera’s Riyadh studio." The National (Abu Dhabi), 5 November 2008.
     "'There is a new kind of independence to be able to talk about issues that couldn’t be discussed before,' said Prof Philip Seib, launching his book, The Al Jazeera Effect, in Dubai Wednesday. ... In 1991, all people could watch was CNN or BBC,” Prof Seib said. 'In the 2003 invasion of Iraq, there was Al Jazeera, Al-Manar, Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation… so many choices. What you see is a rise of indigenous media providing information, where Arab journalists are giving news to an Arab audience.'" The National, 5 November 2008. See previous post about Prof. Seib's book.
     “'The prospect of an Obama victory in the US will turn on its head the whole American relationship with the rest of the world,' [Al Jazeera English managing director Tony Burman] said. 'I think historians will circle November 2008 as a new point of departure for international affairs. That’s incredibly exciting and for an international news organisation like Al Jazeera, it’s very important. We believe that not only Americans but people worldwide will look to this new era with great interest and curiosity, and will make international organisations like Al Jazeera even more important.'” The National, 3 November 2008.
     "Al Jazeera has announced the launch of the Public Liberties and Human Rights Desk, which will be headed by Sami Al Haj, the Al Jazeera cameraman who was recently released from Guantanamo Bay after six and a half years of detention. The primary focus of the Desk will be to promote respect for human rights and public liberties by monitoring, documenting, broadcasting and raising awareness for these key issues in the world as a whole and in the Arab region in particular." Media Newslines, 9 November 2008. Posted: 09 Nov 2008 Permalink

Be careful not to attend the Fake Rolex Middle East Forum, down the dark alley. "The Rolex Middle East Forum will feature nine international experts from diverse disciplines and nine of their counterparts from across the UAE and the region, and moderators Hala Gorani, of CNN International, and celebrated media personality Georges Kordahi of MBC. World-renowned heart surgeon Sir Magdi Yacoub, pioneering NASA astronaut Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, and former Ecuadorian environment minister Yolanda Kakabadse are among the distinguished panelists confirmed." Middle East Events, 9 November 2008. Posted: 09 Nov 2008 Permalink

International channels on new Serbian IPTV service. "Telekom Srbija has begun trialing its new IPTV service, which will be fully launched on December 1. Four packages will be available to Telekom Srbija’s ADSL subscribers. The 'Basic' one, costing €6.85 a month, will consist of 43 TV channels from Serbia and neighbouring countries, plus a selection of foreign channels including Cartoon Network, CNN, BBC World and Eurosport 1 and 2." Broadband TV News, 9 November 2008. Posted: 09 Nov 2008 Permalink

Russia Today does not bury the news about the submarine tragedy. It was at the top of their home page on 9 November. Russia Today website, 9 November 2008. Posted: 09 Nov 2008 Permalink

The news from Iraq, via BBC, via Radio Sawa, via Jerusalem Post (updated). "Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told BBC television on Thursday that he was confident that the new US president-elect would not try to undermine the security situation by accelerating the withdrawal of US troops from the country, according to Radio Sawa, an Arabic-language radio station funded by the US government." Jerusalem Post, 6 November 2008.
     "According to US-financed Al-Hurra television, the United States has responded only to some of the changes Baghdad wants made. It did not elaborate." AFP, 7 November 2008. "Al-Hurra, a television channel financed by the US, said that Washington has responded only to some of the changes Baghdad wants." Aljazeera.net, 7 November 2008. "US-financed" is certainly a more accurate description than, say, the CBC's "state-run." See previous post.
     Update: "But in the most positive indication in weeks that the Iraqi government is leaning toward backing the deal, spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told Iraq's al-Hurra TV station that 'the chances of signing an agreement are higher than before.'" Chicago Tribune, 8 November 2008. Well, then, not everyone is describing Alhurra correctly. This should actually be "the Iraqi service of the US-financed al-Hurra TV" -- wordy, but accurate. Posted: 09 Nov 2008 Permalink

Welcome to RFE/RL's new headquarters. "Entering the new Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) headquarters in Prague 10–Hagibor involves being subjected to security measures of airport-like proportions. Before setting foot on the premises, visitors are required to sign in, provide identification and pass through metal detectors sensitive enough to detect loose change or a belt buckle. Contents of all handbags are then thoroughly inspected. And that’s all before entering the building’s front doors, where a reception desk will administer additional measures. ... As part of the move, the technological infrastructure at RFE/RL is also receiving a complete, state-of-the-art overhaul including additional bandwidth for Internet, radio and television operations, and network security of the highest degree. ... Due to the size of the operation, employees will begin moving into the new headquarters in January 2009, adhering to a tight department-by-department schedule that officials describe as a 'leap-frog' process. Fiber optic connections between the old and new headquarters will ensure business as usual throughout the five-month process, expected to wrap in May." Prague Post, 5 November 2008. Posted: 08 Nov 2008 Permalink

Death of Henry Loomis, VOA director 1958-1965. Mr. Loomis, named Voice of America director in 1958, "realized that English was becoming an international language and was eager for it to be more accessible to VOA's international audience. He pushed for the development of Special English, for listeners learning the language. The news was delivered at a slower pace of nine lines a minute, spoken accurately, and with a vocabulary limited to 1,500 words. Mr. Loomis quit as VOA director in 1965 after a falling-out with President Lyndon B. Johnson during the Vietnam War. Johnson demanded that VOA keep quiet about American planes flying over Laos. Believing that VOA had an obligation to report the news, Mr. Loomis resigned in protest." Washington Post, 8 November 2008.-- See separate page for biographical account by his widow, Jacqueline Loomis, with additional comments by former VOA program director Alan Heil. -- See also Ted Lipien, Blogger News Network, 8 November 2008. Posted: 08 Nov 2008 Permalink

VOA contracts for computer-game language teaching. "Los Angeles-based Alelo, the USC spinout which is developing 'serious' games to teach languages and cultures, has scored a contract with the Voice of America. ... The win opens a new market for Alelo, whose existing systems have been used for preparing the military for deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan. The firm's systems use a 'first person shooter' video game engine adapted to instead teach cultural nuances and language skills in spoken conversation. The firm's software has so far been applied to Chinese, Iraqi [sic], Pashto, and Dari." socalTECH.com, 6 November 2008. See also Alelo website. Posted: 08 Nov 2008 Permalink

Ribbon is cut at VOA Learning Center. "The Miami University Voice of America Learning Center was 'the culmination of 13-plus years of thought, dream and hard work,' said Rod Nimtz, the center's director, during an open house reception Thursday, Nov. 6, at the facility." Western Star (Lebanon OH), 7 November 2008. Located at the old VOA Bethany shortwave transmitting site, hence the name. See VOALC web page. Posted: 08 Nov 2008 Permalink

Tibetan monk who provided video to VOA is arrested. "Jigme, a Tibetan Buddhist monk, who provided a rare first-hand account of China's crackdown on Tibetan protesters to foreign media has been arbitrarily arrested by Sangchu County People's Armed Police(PAP) and Public Security Bureau (PSB)... At the beginning of September, the Voice of America's Tibetan Service in its Wednesday program Kunleng aired a video from Jigme giving detail accounts of Tibetan people's aspiration, torture and inhumane treatment meted out to monks of Labrang Monks who were detained during March Protest at the County government headquarters." Tibet Custom, 7 November 2008. Posted: 08 Nov 2008 Permalink

More reaction to Azerbaijan's plan to take foreign radios off FM dial (updated). "USA is concerned over possible shutdown of some famous foreign radio stations in Azerbaijan, US ambassador to Azerbaijan Anne Derse told reporters. 'We are concerned with possible shutdown of some radio stations in Azerbaijan.'" Today.az, 6 November 2008. “We want to promote democracy, freedom of media and process of political reforming in Azerbaijan,’ Ambassador said. Trend News Agency, 5 November 2008.
     "American 'Liberty Radio' (or its Azeri name 'Azadlig') is going to react upon the statement of Azerbaijan National Broadcasting Council about closing of foreign radio stations. 'Azadlig' informed the Station’s administration is familiarized with the situation and deeply considering the matter. 'So far we are evaluating the information and going to make a decision linked with our respond. We believe our radio plays an important role for Azeri people by delivering professional non-censored news. We will keep on operating,' it was informed." ABC.az, 3 November 2008.
     "Radio listeners who depend on the three stations for regular news have created several online support groups on social-networking websites, including Facebook, Yahoo!, Day.az, terming the decision to stop the stations’ broadcasts 'a serious assault to freedom of speech.'" Eurasianet.org, 4 November