Friday, February 12, 2010
Interview on Federal News Radio
I had a good time bragging on VOA today -- how our staffers covered events in Iran, had the latest on the fighting in Somalia and are still the only game in town in Haiti. Please listen!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
VOA Expands in Latin America
Interesting story about VOA and Martis combining some resources for better programming in Latam
By LAURA WIDES-MUNOZ
AP Hispanic Affairs Writer
MIAMI -- The U.S. government's official broadcasts to Cuba and the government-funded Voice of America are for the first time regularly sharing resources - a move officials hope will enhance both services and which could blunt longtime criticism of the Cuban broadcasts.
Some also question whether the move signals the beginning of the end for the controversial U.S. Office of Cuban Broadcasting.
Last week, the office's TV and Radio Marti services opened their studios to VOA's Spanish division to jointly produce a regular half-hour radio show. "A Fondo" or "In Depth" provides news and analysis from around the hemisphere. It was developed in part to target Venezuela, where President Hugo Chavez has cracked down on opposition and independent media and frequently criticizes U.S. foreign policy.
"I am looking into this issue to ensure that this is an effort to maximize resources to expand U.S. coverage in the region and not a back door to reducing U.S. broadcasts to Cuba," U.S Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami, told The Associated Press.
"If this reduces the capability of Radio and TV Marti, it would be another concession to the Cuban regime who fears the uncensored information these broadcasts offer," added the legislator, a Cuban-American and champion of the decades-old U.S. embargo of Cuba.
Miami-based Radio and TV Marti, the government's only foreign broadcasts based outside of Washington, have for years endured charges that the virulent, anti-communist tone of some of their programs was ineffective. Critics - particularly those who oppose Washington's Cuba policies - also question whether anyone on the island even watches the more expensive TV Marti. The Cuban government generally blocks it.
The association between the VOA and the Martis could help the latter's reputation, said Nicholas Cull, a University of Southern California professor who has studied the government's foreign broadcasts.
"My feeling is that Marti has had a checkered history, and that anything that can pull its output into line with the high journalistic standards of VOA would be for the good," he said.
U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., one of the Martis' most ardent critics, had a more cynical take.
"I think they realize they're on borrowed time with the Cuba project, so I think they're trying to merge it in as much as they can with Voice of America," he said.
Alberto Mascaro, a Miami native and former Office of Cuban Broadcasting executive, recently took the helm of VOA's Spanish-language service in Washington. He says the cooperation is not about politics but about the best use of resources.
"Miami being a gateway city, it's a place where we can glean information and guests that in Washington just may not be as accessible. It's a whole additional talent pool," said Mascaro, who hopes to serve as a bridge between the two broadcasts.
VOA has news stringers south of the U.S. border but no longer has any bureaus there - making the Miami studios all the more important as Washington seeks to counter increasing criticism from Chavez, Bolivian President Evo Morales and Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega.
Over the last year, the Marti studios have occasionally produced other shows for VOA and served as a training hub for its journalists from across the region. In recent weeks, VOA has also relied on Marti's Miami studios for much of its broadcasting to Haiti, using local Creole-speaking reporters from the area's large Haitian-American community.
Still, the change comes as the Office of Cuban Broadcasting faces budget cuts. Last year it was forced to lay off more than 20 staffers. While the larger VOA's 2011 budget request of $206.8 million is up slightly over previous years, Cuban broadcasting's request of $29.2 million is down about $4 million from 2007.
Mascaro insists both organizations adhere to the same standards and serve important but distinct missions. Marti provides a counterbalance to Cuba's tightly controlled, pro-government media.
"It's not trying to provide a pro-Castro perspective. They already get that - and only that," he said. VOA's job is to offer a broader spectrum of balanced news about the U.S. and the world, with politically and culturally relevant information for each region.
The two services differ on the technical side as well. Because the Cuba broadcasts are not welcome by the country's government, the U.S. must beam them directly into the island via shortwave, AM broadcasts and satellite. While VOA's broadcasts also use shortwave and satellite, and now with "Al Fondo," some AM, they rely more heavily on local affiliates.
Yet that may change, too. VOA's Spanish-language radio is carried by only a handful of affiliates in Venezuela, and its TV service by even fewer. Given Chavez's recent decision to take the opposition cable and satellite Radio Caracas Television International off the air, it could soon lose even those platforms. And that would make it all the more dependent on the same modes of transmission the Martis rely on.
By LAURA WIDES-MUNOZ
AP Hispanic Affairs Writer
MIAMI -- The U.S. government's official broadcasts to Cuba and the government-funded Voice of America are for the first time regularly sharing resources - a move officials hope will enhance both services and which could blunt longtime criticism of the Cuban broadcasts.
Some also question whether the move signals the beginning of the end for the controversial U.S. Office of Cuban Broadcasting.
Last week, the office's TV and Radio Marti services opened their studios to VOA's Spanish division to jointly produce a regular half-hour radio show. "A Fondo" or "In Depth" provides news and analysis from around the hemisphere. It was developed in part to target Venezuela, where President Hugo Chavez has cracked down on opposition and independent media and frequently criticizes U.S. foreign policy.
"I am looking into this issue to ensure that this is an effort to maximize resources to expand U.S. coverage in the region and not a back door to reducing U.S. broadcasts to Cuba," U.S Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami, told The Associated Press.
"If this reduces the capability of Radio and TV Marti, it would be another concession to the Cuban regime who fears the uncensored information these broadcasts offer," added the legislator, a Cuban-American and champion of the decades-old U.S. embargo of Cuba.
Miami-based Radio and TV Marti, the government's only foreign broadcasts based outside of Washington, have for years endured charges that the virulent, anti-communist tone of some of their programs was ineffective. Critics - particularly those who oppose Washington's Cuba policies - also question whether anyone on the island even watches the more expensive TV Marti. The Cuban government generally blocks it.
The association between the VOA and the Martis could help the latter's reputation, said Nicholas Cull, a University of Southern California professor who has studied the government's foreign broadcasts.
"My feeling is that Marti has had a checkered history, and that anything that can pull its output into line with the high journalistic standards of VOA would be for the good," he said.
U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., one of the Martis' most ardent critics, had a more cynical take.
"I think they realize they're on borrowed time with the Cuba project, so I think they're trying to merge it in as much as they can with Voice of America," he said.
Alberto Mascaro, a Miami native and former Office of Cuban Broadcasting executive, recently took the helm of VOA's Spanish-language service in Washington. He says the cooperation is not about politics but about the best use of resources.
"Miami being a gateway city, it's a place where we can glean information and guests that in Washington just may not be as accessible. It's a whole additional talent pool," said Mascaro, who hopes to serve as a bridge between the two broadcasts.
VOA has news stringers south of the U.S. border but no longer has any bureaus there - making the Miami studios all the more important as Washington seeks to counter increasing criticism from Chavez, Bolivian President Evo Morales and Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega.
Over the last year, the Marti studios have occasionally produced other shows for VOA and served as a training hub for its journalists from across the region. In recent weeks, VOA has also relied on Marti's Miami studios for much of its broadcasting to Haiti, using local Creole-speaking reporters from the area's large Haitian-American community.
Still, the change comes as the Office of Cuban Broadcasting faces budget cuts. Last year it was forced to lay off more than 20 staffers. While the larger VOA's 2011 budget request of $206.8 million is up slightly over previous years, Cuban broadcasting's request of $29.2 million is down about $4 million from 2007.
Mascaro insists both organizations adhere to the same standards and serve important but distinct missions. Marti provides a counterbalance to Cuba's tightly controlled, pro-government media.
"It's not trying to provide a pro-Castro perspective. They already get that - and only that," he said. VOA's job is to offer a broader spectrum of balanced news about the U.S. and the world, with politically and culturally relevant information for each region.
The two services differ on the technical side as well. Because the Cuba broadcasts are not welcome by the country's government, the U.S. must beam them directly into the island via shortwave, AM broadcasts and satellite. While VOA's broadcasts also use shortwave and satellite, and now with "Al Fondo," some AM, they rely more heavily on local affiliates.
Yet that may change, too. VOA's Spanish-language radio is carried by only a handful of affiliates in Venezuela, and its TV service by even fewer. Given Chavez's recent decision to take the opposition cable and satellite Radio Caracas Television International off the air, it could soon lose even those platforms. And that would make it all the more dependent on the same modes of transmission the Martis rely on.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
VOA Operates Despite U.S. Government Shutdown
VOA is a 24-hour service. So despite the massive snowstorm in Washington -- and the shutdown of the U.S. Government -- the languages services are still operating. One big story missed by many -- and covered by VOA Somali -- is the impending crisis in Mogadishu. Check it out at www.voanews.com
Monday, February 8, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
VOA Buzz
VOA Creole provided much-needed medical information to their audience during a live radio call-in program on Jan. 27 broadcast from outside the ruins of the presidential palace in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. VOA broadcaster Jean Robert Philippe took questions from citizens talking with medical specialists in Florida.
Senator Ted Kaufman (D-Del.) praised VOA’s Creole Service in a statement in the Congressional Record, saying staffers provided Haitians with vital information aimed at helping them find "immediate shelter, medical assistance and aid."
More than 5,000 people attended a Town Hall on health issues in Jalingo, Nigeria. This Town Hall, along with another that attracted thousands of people, were organized by Ibrahim Ahmed of the VOA Hausa Service.
Two dozen journalists from across the Caribbean participated in a workshop on Pandemic Influenza and Disaster Reporting in Kingston, Jamaica, Jan. 27-28. Organized by VOA Development’s Brian Armstead, the workshop included speakers from the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization.
Losang Gyatso, chief of VOA's Tibetan Service, introduced the documentary film Leaving Fear Behind at a showing at American University. The documentary was produced by Dhondup Wangchen, a filmmaker who has been detained by Chinese authorities since March 2008.
Michelle Harris represented VOA at the second annual Student Career Day at Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School in Falls Church City. Nearly 500 students attended.
VOA’s Near East/Central Asia Division held a special lunch on Jan. 20 to raise money for the relief effort in Haiti. Donations were sent to the American Red Cross
Senator Ted Kaufman (D-Del.) praised VOA’s Creole Service in a statement in the Congressional Record, saying staffers provided Haitians with vital information aimed at helping them find "immediate shelter, medical assistance and aid."
More than 5,000 people attended a Town Hall on health issues in Jalingo, Nigeria. This Town Hall, along with another that attracted thousands of people, were organized by Ibrahim Ahmed of the VOA Hausa Service.
Two dozen journalists from across the Caribbean participated in a workshop on Pandemic Influenza and Disaster Reporting in Kingston, Jamaica, Jan. 27-28. Organized by VOA Development’s Brian Armstead, the workshop included speakers from the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization.
Losang Gyatso, chief of VOA's Tibetan Service, introduced the documentary film Leaving Fear Behind at a showing at American University. The documentary was produced by Dhondup Wangchen, a filmmaker who has been detained by Chinese authorities since March 2008.
Michelle Harris represented VOA at the second annual Student Career Day at Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School in Falls Church City. Nearly 500 students attended.
VOA’s Near East/Central Asia Division held a special lunch on Jan. 20 to raise money for the relief effort in Haiti. Donations were sent to the American Red Cross
Monday, February 1, 2010
Public Diplomacy Discussion Group
The YPFP Public Diplomacy Discussion Group focuses on how state and non-state actors can influence the policy attitudes of foreign populations residing abroad. Discussions include strategy as well as tactics and cover a variety of communications platforms, from print and radio to web applications and social media.
The group actively recruits YPFP members with an existing command of fields such as communications, marketing, strategy, and technology and a firm academic and/or professional exposure to the principles of diplomacy and international relations.
Discussion Group Chair:
Posted using ShareThis
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Broadcasting VOA from the Air
Flying radio station broadcasts help to HaitiBy Mike Ahlers, CNN
January 26, 2010 3:38 p.m. EST
The Commando Solo crew make a run at dusk.STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Commando Solo broadcasts guidance, in Creole, for about 10 hours a day over Haiti
U.S. Air Force plane trails a vertical wire, with a 500-pound weight, to act as its AM antenna
Broadcasts include Voice of America programming and announcements from Haitian officials
The entire broadcast is in Creole, the most common language in Haiti
San Juan, Puerto Rico (CNN) -- Sixty miles west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, an Air Force C-130 makes slow and lazy ovals over the Golfe de la Gonzave, a 264-foot weighted wire dangling from its belly like a plumb line.
This is Commando Solo, a radio station in the sky. The long wire, kept vertical by a 500-pound lead weight, is helping transmit an AM radio signal to the people of Haiti. Four other antenna on the wings and fuselage are sending FM signals.
The U.S. government is using Commando Solo to deliver news and information to the survivors of the January 12 earthquake. During much of the day, the plane relays live broadcasts of Voice of America news call-in shows in Creole, the native tongue of Haiti.
During lulls in the VOA programming, it sends pre-recorded public service announcements, including advice on sanitation, what to do when encountering a dead body, and a warning from the Haitian government not to attempt dangerous and illegal ocean crossings to Florida in small boats.
iReporter shares view of Haiti from the sky
None of the 10-member crew aboard Commander Solo speaks Creole. But the technician who monitors the broadcast says he nonetheless can get a sense of the impact of the quake.
"You can hear in people's voices a lot of emotion, sometimes a little bit of frustration, sometimes really anxiety," said Brian. (The Air Force asked CNN to identify crew members only by first name and rank.)
"We hear a lot of people calling in trying to check in with their relatives and find out where they're at. And so it's pretty interesting just to hear it, even though I don't understand the language, the message really does come through," he said.
Haiti's missing and found | Are you there?
Commando Solo, part of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, has engaged in special operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and other trouble spots around the world. The Haiti mission is a rare mission focused on humanitarian relief.
Video: Plane broadcasts radio to Haiti
RELATED TOPICS
Haiti
U.S. Air Force
Radio
"I feel it's a very important mission. I feel very proud that we're a part of it," said Brian.
The plane's pilot, David, echoes the sentiment.
"I'm honored to be here. I mean anything we can do to actually help these people, I'm glad to do."
To insure that their message is being received, the Department of Defense has handed out tens of thousands of portable radios in Haiti. The radios are both solar and hand-crank operated, and don't need batteries.
Kathy, a first lieutenant and the mission control chief on the flight, says the plane is an effective way to communicate with the public in disasters.
"Anyone can turn on a radio, tune it up," she said. "We're able to reach all of Haiti right now with our message."
One of those messages is a dire warning from Raymond Joseph, Haiti's ambassador to the United States.
"Listen, don't rush on boats to leave the country," Joseph says in Creole. "If you do that, we'll all have even worse problems. Because I'll be honest with you: If you think you will reach the U.S. and all the doors will be wide open to you, that's not at all the case.
"And they will intercept you right on the water and send you back home where you came from."
U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Christopher O'Neil said there is no evidence of people fleeing Haiti for Florida, and officials do not expect a mass migration. Previous mass migrations were caused by geopolitical turmoil, not by natural disasters, O'Neil said.
In addition, there is a large U.S. government presence on the ground in Haiti, on the water, and in the air -- which is likely to deter migrants, authorities say.
Commando Solo is part of that presence.
Altogether, the Pennsylvania guard unit has three Commando Solo planes, two of which are deployed to the Haiti mission.
During the first week of operation, missions lasted about eight hours, but the flights have since been lengthened to 14 hours, allowing 10 hours a day of broadcast time. The flights are so long it requires aerial refueling of the plane.
The airplane flew an estimated 3,200 miles on Saturday, most of it in a loop above Haitian waters.
Commando Solo crew members say they are uncertain how long they will continue operations in Haiti. Several commercial radio stations damaged by the quake have resumed operations.
But they say their efforts are worthwhile.
"When people think of the military they think about going out, blowing things up, destroying," said Barry. "We're at the other end of it. We are there to assist people, to help people, to save people."
January 26, 2010 3:38 p.m. EST
The Commando Solo crew make a run at dusk.STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Commando Solo broadcasts guidance, in Creole, for about 10 hours a day over Haiti
U.S. Air Force plane trails a vertical wire, with a 500-pound weight, to act as its AM antenna
Broadcasts include Voice of America programming and announcements from Haitian officials
The entire broadcast is in Creole, the most common language in Haiti
San Juan, Puerto Rico (CNN) -- Sixty miles west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, an Air Force C-130 makes slow and lazy ovals over the Golfe de la Gonzave, a 264-foot weighted wire dangling from its belly like a plumb line.
This is Commando Solo, a radio station in the sky. The long wire, kept vertical by a 500-pound lead weight, is helping transmit an AM radio signal to the people of Haiti. Four other antenna on the wings and fuselage are sending FM signals.
The U.S. government is using Commando Solo to deliver news and information to the survivors of the January 12 earthquake. During much of the day, the plane relays live broadcasts of Voice of America news call-in shows in Creole, the native tongue of Haiti.
During lulls in the VOA programming, it sends pre-recorded public service announcements, including advice on sanitation, what to do when encountering a dead body, and a warning from the Haitian government not to attempt dangerous and illegal ocean crossings to Florida in small boats.
iReporter shares view of Haiti from the sky
None of the 10-member crew aboard Commander Solo speaks Creole. But the technician who monitors the broadcast says he nonetheless can get a sense of the impact of the quake.
"You can hear in people's voices a lot of emotion, sometimes a little bit of frustration, sometimes really anxiety," said Brian. (The Air Force asked CNN to identify crew members only by first name and rank.)
"We hear a lot of people calling in trying to check in with their relatives and find out where they're at. And so it's pretty interesting just to hear it, even though I don't understand the language, the message really does come through," he said.
Haiti's missing and found | Are you there?
Commando Solo, part of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, has engaged in special operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and other trouble spots around the world. The Haiti mission is a rare mission focused on humanitarian relief.
Video: Plane broadcasts radio to Haiti
RELATED TOPICS
Haiti
U.S. Air Force
Radio
"I feel it's a very important mission. I feel very proud that we're a part of it," said Brian.
The plane's pilot, David, echoes the sentiment.
"I'm honored to be here. I mean anything we can do to actually help these people, I'm glad to do."
To insure that their message is being received, the Department of Defense has handed out tens of thousands of portable radios in Haiti. The radios are both solar and hand-crank operated, and don't need batteries.
Kathy, a first lieutenant and the mission control chief on the flight, says the plane is an effective way to communicate with the public in disasters.
"Anyone can turn on a radio, tune it up," she said. "We're able to reach all of Haiti right now with our message."
One of those messages is a dire warning from Raymond Joseph, Haiti's ambassador to the United States.
"Listen, don't rush on boats to leave the country," Joseph says in Creole. "If you do that, we'll all have even worse problems. Because I'll be honest with you: If you think you will reach the U.S. and all the doors will be wide open to you, that's not at all the case.
"And they will intercept you right on the water and send you back home where you came from."
U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Christopher O'Neil said there is no evidence of people fleeing Haiti for Florida, and officials do not expect a mass migration. Previous mass migrations were caused by geopolitical turmoil, not by natural disasters, O'Neil said.
In addition, there is a large U.S. government presence on the ground in Haiti, on the water, and in the air -- which is likely to deter migrants, authorities say.
Commando Solo is part of that presence.
Altogether, the Pennsylvania guard unit has three Commando Solo planes, two of which are deployed to the Haiti mission.
During the first week of operation, missions lasted about eight hours, but the flights have since been lengthened to 14 hours, allowing 10 hours a day of broadcast time. The flights are so long it requires aerial refueling of the plane.
The airplane flew an estimated 3,200 miles on Saturday, most of it in a loop above Haitian waters.
Commando Solo crew members say they are uncertain how long they will continue operations in Haiti. Several commercial radio stations damaged by the quake have resumed operations.
But they say their efforts are worthwhile.
"When people think of the military they think about going out, blowing things up, destroying," said Barry. "We're at the other end of it. We are there to assist people, to help people, to save people."
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