Voice of America

The Voice of America, the largest U.S. international broadcaster, reaches an estimated audience of 141 million weekly by radio (shortwave, FM, AM and satellite), television (satellite and cable), and Internet in 43 languages. VOA has a worldwide network of more than 1,200 local radio and television affiliate stations.

VOA, through www.VOANews.com, uses technology to expand the reach of its programs, updating news and information with photos, audio, and video, RSS feeds and Podcasts. The website is ranked as one of the top sources of news and information found through Google News. VOA provides reliable news, balanced reporting, and informative features around the clock, focusing on countries that lack a strong, independent media.

The VOA Charter, which became the basis for all BBG broadcasters, requires that broadcasts:

Be accurate, objective, and comprehensive.
Represent all segments of American society and present a balanced and comprehensive view of significant American thought and institutions.
Clearly present the policies of the United States.

VOA-TV produces programs in 26 languages, including news reports, feature magazines, and live call-in shows. TV broadcasts include original and acquired programs that reflect American life along with discussions on United States foreign and domestic policies.

VOA’s Internet provides continually updated news and information with photos, audio, and video. RSS feeds and Podcasts are also available.

Fast Facts

Headquarters: Washington, D.C.
Budget: $205.1 million
Employees: 1209
Languages: 43
Audience: 141 million weekly

VOA Products and Programs

VOA’s 43 Language Services broadcast about 1,500 hours of radio and television programming each week to an estimated global audience of 123 million people.
Language Services have unique websites and use a variety of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to share content and interact with the audience.
VOA’s world-renowned music and English-language learning programs are enjoyed by millions of people around the world.
VOA’s six state-of-the-art TV studios produce a range of programs from traditional news, call-in and interview formats to the satirical show Parazit,
which is broadcast to Iran.
Journalists in VOA’s 30,000 square foot Newscenter work around the clock with a global network of correspondents to provide a continuous stream of accurate, balanced and comprehensive news and analysis on key issues, U.S. government policies, and cultural developments.
VOA programs are delivered on satellite, cable, short wave, FM, medium wave, streaming audio and a worldwide network of 1,200 affiliate stations.

VOA and Technology

VOA has the largest integrated digital audio system in the world.
A network of transmitting stations operated by the International Broadcasting Bureau, along with some leased stations, send’s VOA’s programs instantaneously around the world.
The website, www.VOANews.com, provides a wide range of English-language news reports and serves as a portal to homepages of all 44 languages broadcast by VOA, as well as other
information about VOA.
A state-of-the-art digital asset management system enables VOA journalists to record, view and edit video, deliver content to studio control rooms, write scripts and search commercial newswires in a single program.

Recent Highlights

Audience Connections
With correspondents and bureaus in the United States and around the world, VOA offers its listeners 24-hour coverage of breaking news, commentary, and a platform for informed discussion about the United States and the world. In 2011, VOA provided high level newsmaker interviews, including with President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, leading members of Congress, and numerous other world leaders along with innovative English language teaching programs, as well as music, entertainment, science and health shows.

Afghanistan and Pakistan
VOA’s TV Ashna, a respected hour-long program that broadcasts in Dari and Pashto, is now appointment viewing for many in Afghanistan. Under a new five year contract, Radio-Television Afghanistan will continue to broadcast the news program six nights a week. VOA Dari and Pashto websites have grown in popularity, and subscribers get programs via mobile browsers and email.
VOA ’s Radio Deewa broadcasts target the rugged tribal region along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, and VOA TV programs are broadcast on Pakistani cable stations.

Iran
VOA ’s satirical program to Iran, Parazit, rode a wave of popularity in 2011. Viewers sent in pictures of their families, both young and old, watching at so-called “Parazit Parties.” It even spawned a new term in Iran: “Paraziti,” a fan who dresses up like the irreverent co-creator of the program Saman Arbabi, who is well known for his wild and colorful outfits. The show was viewed millions of times on social media sites, despite Iranian efforts to block access.
In November, Secretary of State Clinton made a guest appearance on the program, which has been called an Iranian version of “The Daily Show.”
Along with ongoing news programming in Persian, VOA marked the Iranian New Year with a special televised performance of the play, An Iranian in Heaven, starring Oscar-nominated actress and Emmy award winner, Shohreh Aghdashloo.

Russia
Traffic to VOA ’s Russian website nearly doubled in 2011 and saw record growth in Twitter followers and YouTube video views. With its web-only strategy in Russia, VOA has attracted a growing audience with new blogs and social media features that invite an active online conversation. The new Russian iPhone app rolled out in April lets citizen journalists upload and share short reports, photos, or video about key events.

Croatia
VOA ’s Croatian Service signed off for the last time on November 23, 2011, after 19 years of broadcast history that began during the bloody breakup of the former Yugoslavia and ended with Croatia’s emergence as a democratic member of the European community.

Africa
VOA made increasing use of mobile as a delivery platform in Africa, where in most areas the technology is outpacing the growth of home Internet use. In addition, a daily video headline segment called VOA 60 for Africa has also been added to many VOA mobile sites. The Hausa Service saw over 200,000 visits to its mobile site in December alone. The Zimbabwe Service’s radio show, Studio 7, which broadcasts in English, Shona and Ndebele, joined the Intelsat-10 “direct to home” satellite lineup along with other VOA programs reaching Southern Africa. A new French language show, Your Health–Your Future, is part of an increased emphasis on health-related news programs to the continent.

Horn of Africa
VOA responded to the devastating drought in the Horn of Africa with comprehensive coverage from the region. Somali and Amharic drought programs were added to deliver life-saving information to refugees and victims of the crisis. VOA launched a pioneering online data visualization project that outlined the scope of the disaster.

Democratic Republic of Congo
VOA -trained citizen journalists fanned out across the Democratic Republic of Congo gathering video, pictures and information to create a dynamic online conversation about the 2011 election and life in Congo. Congo Story: War, Women and Rape, a joint project between VOA and Citizen-Global is a multimedia crowdsourcing platform which allows victims of the country’s rape crisis to tell their haunting personal stories.

South Sudan
South Sudan’s independence celebrations were broadcast live in July on VOA ’s radio program South Sudan in Focus, which is funded by a State Department grant. It is co-hosted from Washington and Juba and broadcast on FM, AM and shortwave.

Somalia
The Somali Service saw listening rates soar to 73 percent in 2011 – one of VOA ’s highest.

China
MG! Meiyu, a trendy, online English teaching feature, was seen by more than 5.5 million people in its first four months. The quirky videos produced by Jessica Beinecke are posted on social media sites and teach popularEnglish expressions used by young Americans. A new Chinese language iPhone app was launched in June, giving users the news on their mobile devices, and enabling citizen journalists to upload tips and photos from their phones. Chinese language TV and radio programs continue to be popular in China despite efforts to block them.

Tibet
VOA Tibet hosted a live televised debate from Washington in March featuring three candidates vying to become Prime Minister of the exiled Tibetan government and broadcast live coverage of the Dalai Lama’s 76th birthday celebration in Washington in July. Surveys of exiles and people leaving Tibet suggest a sizeable audience for VOA TV programs.

Burma
VOA ’s Burmese Service provided extensive coverage of the country’s changing political climate in 2011, and hosted a series of programs with Pro-Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. VOA reporters were on hand as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made her historic visit to Burmain December.

North Korea
VOA journalist Sungwon Baik completed a rare reporting assignment to North Korea in September to cover the 17th International Taekwon-Do World Championships in Pyongyang. VOA programs reach North Korea on shortwave, medium wave and mobile sites.

Japan
Japan’s deadly earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster were covered extensively by VOA ’s correspondent Steve Herman, who became one of the most quoted international journalists to report on the story. Herman, a prolific and well known Twitter user, was one of the first reporters to reach the crippled Fukushima-1 reactor, capturing photographs and providing an eyewitness description of the depopulated zone.

Latin America
This year El Tiempo, one of the region’s oldest and most respected news organizations, began using VOA reports on its growing 24-hour cable TV service in Colombia.

Haiti
VOA ’s Creole Service updated its lineup of programs with new segments focused on engaging its increasingly youthful audience and examining critical issues including the economy, health, public safety and education. Haiti’s Ambassador to the United States, marking the service’s 25th anniversary, called the program, “a model and example for many radio stations and for journalists in Haiti.”

Earlier Highlights

Awards

VOA reporter and videographer June Soh won a Bronze Medal at the New York Festivals® World’s Best Television and Films Awards in New York. The TV feature profiled renowned acoustic guitar maker and musician Wayne Henderson. Correspondent Michael O’Sullivan won a LA Press Club National Entertainment Award for his feature about a group of “famous jazz old timers coming together for a recording session like it was done in the old days.”

A report by Jerome Socolovsky about the pro-democracy protests in Egypt was honored by the Association for International Broadcasting with a “Highly Commended” award in the category of “clearest coverage of a single news event – radio.”

Reporter Carolyn Presutti and Videographer Michael Kornely won a Chesapeake Associated Press Broadcasters Award for Outstanding Specialty Reporting for a five-part series from the Mississippi Delta region, including a story about a school that teaches young musicians how to play the blues.

See VOA Live

Take a behind-the-scenes look at VOA through our guided audio-visual Studio Tour.
Learn more about our history and the regions to which we broadcast, and watch broadcasters during live TV and radio programs.
For reservations or more information, call (202) 203-4990 or visit www.VOAtour.com.