Misplaced Pages

#749250

92-559: Dreier , who is a former senior member of the United States House of Representatives (1981–2013) and a longtime champion of press freedoms, has said that he looks forward to leading this multi-year effort to its completion. The only memorial commemorating journalists located in Washington, D.C., resided at the Newseum , which closed at the end of 2019. Dreier has said that, in addition to

184-438: A public diplomacy function. VOA's charter also requires it to be "a reliable and authoritative source of news" which "shall be accurate, objective, and comprehensive". The Voice of America Firewall was put in place with the 1976 VOA Charter and laws passed in 1994 and 2016 as a way of ensuring the integrity of VOA's journalism. This policy fights against propaganda and promotes unbiased and objective journalistic standards in

276-737: A contract basis was declined, so a follow-on show called Shortwave Radiogram began transmission on June 25, 2017, from the WRMI transmitting site in Okeechobee, Florida. The Bethany Relay Station , operational from 1944 to 1994, was based on a 625-acre (2.53 km ) site in Union Township (now West Chester Township) in Butler County, Ohio , near Cincinnati . Major transmitter upgrades first were undertaken around 1963, when shortwave and medium-wave transmitters were built, upgraded, or rebuilt. The site

368-676: A converted U.S. Coast Guard cutter Courier as a first mobile broadcasting ship . Control of VOA passed from the State Department to the U.S. Information Agency when the latter was established in 1953 to transmit worldwide, including to the countries behind the Iron Curtain and to the People's Republic of China. From 1955 until 2003, VOA broadcast American jazz on the Voice of America Jazz Hour . Hosted for most of that period by Willis Conover ,

460-531: A formal statement of principles to protect the integrity of VOA programming and define the organization's mission, and was issued by Director George V. Allen as a directive in 1960 and was endorsed in 1962 by USIA director Edward R. Murrow . VOA's charter was signed into law by President Gerald Ford . VOA's charter requires it to "present the policies of the United States clearly and effectively." Academics including Téwodros W. Workneh have described this as

552-559: A high school senior in Westchester County, New York , had a Monday night program in which he shared everyday happenings in Yorktown Heights, New York . Brown's program ended due to its popularity: his "chatty narratives" attracted so much fan mail, VOA couldn't afford the $ 500 a month in clerical and postage costs required to respond to listeners' letters. During 1953, VOA personnel were subjected to McCarthyist policies, where VOA

644-610: A location for the memorial in Area I. The intended location is at 3rd Street and Independence Avenue SW between the Voice of America building and the National Museum of the American Indian . On March 13, 2024, the foundation announced that Chicago-based architect John Ronan will design the memorial, which will utilize "transparent materials to convey themes of clarity and light to reinforce

736-553: A longstanding supporter of closer ties between the United States and the countries of Latin America and has met frequently with executive and legislative branch leaders throughout the region. He has received the nation's highest honors from the presidents of Colombia , Mexico , and Nicaragua . On August 28, 2007, while building support for the United States–Colombia Free Trade Agreement , Dreier addressed

828-583: A new directive from Russia's Kremlin after a new law was passed by the State Duma (Russia's lower house of parliament) and the upper house Federation Council and signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin , Voice of America was deemed a "foreign agent" under the Russian foreign agent law . In June 2021, the Russian news agency TASS reported that Russia's state communications watchdog Roskomnadzor complained that

920-545: A part of several agencies. From its founding in 1942 to 1945, it was part of the Office of War Information , and then from 1945 to 1953 as a function of the State Department. VOA was placed under the U.S. Information Agency in 1953. When the USIA was abolished in 1999, VOA was placed under the BBG which is an autonomous U.S. government agency, with bipartisan membership. The Secretary of State has

1012-696: A part of the United States Information Agency (USIA), and established the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) with oversight authority, which took control from the Board for International Broadcasters which previously had overseen funding for RFE/RL. In 1998, the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act was signed into law, and mandated that the BBG become an independent federal agency as of October 1, 1999. This act also abolished

SECTION 10

#1732852766750

1104-516: A pattern of favoritism that materially benefitted some employees and contractors at the expense of the public. However, within hours after President Biden took office, Sieg was reinstated then transferred to a different role by then-acting VOA Director Yolanda Lopez and cleared of wrongdoing. Lopez abruptly resigned in September 2023 as the Committee intensified its investigation. In its June 2024 report,

1196-452: A seat on the BBG. The BBG was established as a buffer to protect VOA and other U.S.-sponsored, non-military, international broadcasters from political interference. It replaced the Board for International Broadcasting (BIB) that oversaw the funding and operation of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty , a branch of VOA. In 2021, Voice of America launched 52 Documentary, a series that publishes weekly films about human experiences. They publish on

1288-593: A television service, as well as special regional programs to Cuba, Radio Martí and TV Martí . Cuba has consistently attempted to jam such broadcasts and has vociferously protested U.S. broadcasts directed at Cuba. In September 1980, VOA started broadcasting to Afghanistan in Dari and in Pashto in 1982. In 1981, VOA opened a bureau in Beijing, China. The next year, it began regular exchanges with Radio Peking . In 1985, VOA Europe

1380-794: A trustee of the Library of Congress ’ Congressional Office for International Leadership. Dreier is founder of the Dreier Roundtable at Claremont McKenna College (his alma mater ), where he serves as a trustee. In 2013, Dreier was elected to the board of trustees of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, California . He serves on the Space Innovation Council at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and

1472-581: A victim's actual or perceived gender , sexual orientation , gender identity , or disability. Dreier initially supported the Don't ask, don't tell policy, which prevented LGBT members of the armed forces from serving openly. However, in December 2010, Dreier voted in favor of legislation that repealed the policy. Dreier opposed a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. He served as parliamentarian for four Republican National Conventions . Chairman of

1564-875: A year jamming it." Chinese-language VOA broadcasts were jammed beginning in 1956 and extending through 1976. However, after the collapse of the Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union, interviews with participants in anti-Soviet movements verified the effectiveness of VOA broadcasts in transmitting information to socialist societies. The People's Republic of China diligently jams VOA broadcasts. Cuba has also been reported to interfere with VOA satellite transmissions to Iran from its Russian-built transmission site at Bejucal . David Jackson, former director of Voice of America, noted: "The North Korean government doesn't jam us, but they try to keep people from listening through intimidation or worse. But people figure out ways to listen despite

1656-421: A year, leading many to believe that he was planning to leave Congress. After the 2010 United States census , the voter-created California Citizens Redistricting Commission renumbered Dreier's district as the 31st district , and reconfigured it as a Democratic-leaning, majority- Latino district. Dreier chose not to run for reelection in 2012 and encouraged his Republican colleague Gary Miller to move into

1748-625: Is a member of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) working group. Dreier also became chairman of the Annenberg-Dreier Commission at Sunnylands , which aims to promote the free flow of goods, services, capital, information, ideas, and people throughout the greater Pacific. He is also on the advisory board of the USC Annenberg School Center on Communication Leadership and Policy. Dreier is a distinguished fellow at

1840-610: Is also founder and chair of the Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation . In 1978, Dreier ran for the United States House of Representatives at the age of 25. He challenged incumbent Democrat James Fredrick Lloyd , who had first won in a Republican-leaning district in 1974. Though unknown and living in Phillips Hall at Claremont McKenna College , Dreier lost by 54% to 46%, less than expected. In 1980, Dreier ran again and defeated Lloyd 52% to 45%, winning on

1932-760: Is now a recreational park with a Voice of America museum. Other former sites include California ( Dixon and Delano ), Hawaii, Okinawa , Liberia (Monrovia), Costa Rica, Belize, and at least two in Greece ( Kavala and Rhodos). Between 1983 and 1990, VOA made significant upgrades to transmission facilities in Botswana ( Selebi-Phikwe ), Morocco, Thailand ( Udon Thani ), Kuwait, and São Tomé ( Almas ). Some of them are shared with Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia . VOA and USAGM continue to operate shortwave radio transmitters and antenna farms at International Broadcasting Bureau Greenville Transmitting Station (known as "Site B") in

SECTION 20

#1732852766750

2024-623: Is required as well. On June 25, 2019, a bipartisan and bicameral group of members of the United States Congress introduced the Fallen Journalists Memorial Act ( H.R. 3465 and S. 1969 ), which would permit the construction of a Fallen Journalists Memorial in Area I (not including the "Reserve") or Area II of Washington, D.C., as depicted by U.S. National Park Service Map Number 869/86501 B dated June 24, 2003. This permissible area includes all of Washington, D.C. except

2116-666: Is to build a permanent memorial near the National Mall in Washington, D.C. to commemorate journalists who have been killed. One year earlier on June 28, 2018, the offices of Capital Gazette Communications , home to The Capital newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland , became the site of the deadliest attack against journalists in United States history when five were gunned down in their office. This mass shooting at The Capital , owned by Tribune Publishing Company , inspired Dreier to launch

2208-574: The 2006 midterm elections , Dreier served as ranking member for the 110th and 111th Congresses . With the Republicans regaining control of the House in the 2010 midterm elections , Dreier again assumed the chairmanship during the 112th Congress . Beginning with Dreier's chairmanship in 1999, the chairman of the Rules Committee became part of the nine-member elected Republican leadership. Following

2300-798: The Arabic service, were discontinued in 1945. In late 1945, VOA was transferred to the US Department of State. Also included among the cultural diplomacy programming on the Columbia Broadcasting System was the musical show Viva America (1942–49) which featured the Pan American Orchestra and the artistry of several noted musicians from both North and South America, including Alfredo Antonini , Juan Arvizu , Eva Garza , Elsa Miranda , Nestor Mesta Chaires , Miguel Sandoval , John Serry Sr. , and Terig Tucci . By 1945, broadcasts of

2392-586: The BBC , Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty , and Deutsche Welle were blocked in Russia, as after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russian authorities increased censorship of independent journalism, anti-war protests, and dissenting voices. Nevertheless, many Russians have used VPNs and other software to get around Russian government blocks. As of March 2022, VOA broadcasts were reaching people in Russia and

2484-735: The Brookings Institution , a member of the Council on Foreign Relations , and a leading member of the board of directors of the International Republican Institute . He also serves on the boards of the Los Angeles Mission Foundation and James Madison's Montpelier . Dreier is an executive producer of the 2020 documentary Ending Disease . He was also the co-executive producer of the 2018 U.S.-China relations documentary Better Angels . In January 2019, Dreier

2576-650: The Clinton administration advised cutting funding for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty , as it believed post-Cold War information and influence was not needed in Europe. This plan was not well received, and US President Bill Clinton then proposed the compromise of the International Broadcasting Act , which he signed into law in 1994. This law established the International Broadcasting Bureau as

2668-758: The Columbia Broadcasting System 's Latin American international network, which consisted of 64 stations located in 18 countries, the Crosley Broadcasting Corporation in Cincinnati, Ohio, and General Electric which owned and operated WGEO and WGEA, both based in Schenectady, New York , and KGEI in San Francisco , all of which had shortwave transmitters . Experimental programming began in

2760-675: The Committee on Rules (1999–2007, 2011–2013) On February 29, 2012, Dreier announced that upon completion of his current term he would not seek re-election. Upon leaving Congress, Dreier, in an unprecedented move, joined the Obama Administration from 2013 to 2015, serving as a member of the Foreign Affairs Policy Board . He also served on the board of the Pacific Council on International Policy . Currently, he serves as

2852-616: The Iron Curtain . Practically all defectors during Kohler's time said that the VOA helped in their decision to defect. Another indication of impact, according to Kohler, was the Soviet response. Kohler argued that the Soviets responded because the VOA was having an impact. Based on Soviet responses, it can be presumed that the most effective programs were ones that compared the lives of those behind and outside

Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation - Misplaced Pages Continue

2944-522: The Metro Gold Line , connecting Downtown Los Angeles and Pasadena via light rail. Dreier initially supported the bipartisan Defense of Marriage Act , signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996. Joining columnists like William Raspberry in opposing "thought police," Dreier voted against the Matthew Shepard Act that expanded federal hate-crimes law to include crimes motivated by

3036-655: The National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission in support of a permanent memorial to fallen journalists. The Commission tentatively voted to support the effort. On December 4, 2019, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands heard testimony on the memorial from Cochran and Representative Napolitano . On January 15, 2020, the House Committee on Natural Resources voted to advance

3128-525: The Philippines . By the end of the war, VOA had 39 transmitters and provided service in 40 languages. Programming was broadcast from production centers in New York and San Francisco, with more than 1,000 programs originating from New York. Programming consisted of music, news, commentary, and relays of U.S. domestic programming, in addition to specialized VOA programming. About half of VOA's services, including

3220-508: The U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), an independent agency of the U.S. government . Funds are appropriated annually under the budget for embassies and consulates. As of 2022, VOA had a weekly worldwide audience of approximately 326 million (up from 237 million in 2016) and employed 961 staff with an annual budget of $ 267.5 million. The Voice of America website had five English-language broadcasts as of 2014 (worldwide, Learning English , Cambodia , Zimbabwe , and Tibet ). Additionally,

3312-660: The United States Congress . Dreier was the youngest chairman of the House Rules Committee in U.S. history, serving from 1999 to 2007 and from 2011 to 2013. He was instrumental in passing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1993. After leaving Congress, Dreier served on the Foreign Affairs Policy Board under President Barack Obama . He served as the chairman of the Tribune Publishing Company from 2019 to 2020. Dreier

3404-703: The mass shooting at the Capital Gazette in 2018, the closing of the Newseum provided inspiration for the FJM project. The Annenberg Foundation and the Michael and Jackie Ferro Foundation have provided initial funds for the FJM Foundation. The enactment of federal legislation is required to authorize the establishment of a commemorative work in Washington, D.C. The approval of the National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission

3496-450: The "Reserve" (shaded red on the map), which stretches from Lafayette Park neighboring the White House (north) to the Jefferson Memorial (south), and from the Capitol (east) to the Lincoln Memorial (west). In accordance with the Commemorative Works Act of 1986 , the FJM project will be funded with private donations. On September 24, 2019, representatives from the FJM Foundation, including President Barbara Cochran, testified before

3588-425: The 1930s, but there were fewer than 12 transmitters in operation. In 1939, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission set the following policy, which was intended to enforce the US State Department 's Good Neighbor Policy , but which some broadcasters felt was an attempt to direct censorship: A licensee of an international broadcast station shall render only an international broadcast service which will reflect

3680-450: The 1982 general election with 65% of the vote. He won re-election every two years after that with at least 57% of the vote until his 2004 re-election. His district was renumbered to the 28th after the 1990 United States census and to the 26th district after the 2000 United States census . In 2004, Dreier faced strong criticism for his position on illegal immigration from opponent Cynthia Matthews and several talk radio hosts who felt he

3772-406: The 1990s he dated Bo Derek . Voice of America Voice of America ( VOA or VoA ) is an international broadcasting state media network funded by the federal government of the United States of America . It is the largest and oldest of the U.S. international broadcasters. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content in 48 languages, which it distributes to affiliate stations around

Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation - Misplaced Pages Continue

3864-405: The 31st after Miller's old district was merged with the district of another Republican, Ed Royce . Dreier is the youngest chairman of the House Rules Committee in U.S. history. As well as being the only Californian to hold that position, he is the third-longest-serving chairman of the Rules Committee and the longest-serving chairman since 1967. When the Democrats gained control of the House in

3956-540: The Colombian parliament. Dreier drew criticism from some opposition lawmakers when he sat on the edge of a podium during informal remarks to the legislators. Dreier later apologized and insisted he intended no disrespect. In comments released on August 30, 2007, Dreier said, "I meant absolutely no offense. I simply wanted to demonstrate my warm feeling and affection." Dreier also founded the bipartisan House Trade Working Group, working closely with five American presidents of both parties on every free trade agreement into which

4048-458: The Coordinator of Information (COI) had already begun providing war news and commentary to the commercial American shortwave radio stations for use on a voluntary basis, through its Foreign Information Service (FIS) headed by playwright Robert E. Sherwood , who served as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt 's speech writer and information advisor. Direct programming began a week after the United States' entry into World War II in December 1941, with

4140-428: The FJM project. He serves as the chairman of the FJM Foundation. At the 5th Annual Directors Guild of America Honors Gala in 2004, Dreier and Representative Howard Berman received a DGA Honor for their efforts in fighting runaway film and television production. The award was presented by Rob Reiner , Sidney Pollack , and Warren Beatty . Also in 2004, the American Political Science Association (APSA) gave Dreier

4232-430: The Fallen Journalists Memorial Act into law. The foundation has announced that it plans to seek a location for the memorial in Area I of National Park Service Map Number 869/86501, adjacent to the National Mall and the U.S. Capitol. In September 2022, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland recommended that Congress allow the foundation to consider sites in Area I. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 approved

4324-554: The Fallen Journalists Memorial Act so that the legislation will be considered by the full House of Representatives . On September 21, 2020, the House of Representatives passed the Fallen Journalists Memorial Act, originally sponsored by Representatives Grace Napolitano ( D - California ) and Tom Cole ( R - Oklahoma ). On December 2, 2020, the Senate passed the Fallen Journalists Memorial Act, originally sponsored by Senators Rob Portman ( R - Ohio ) and Ben Cardin ( D - Maryland ). On December 23, 2020, President Donald Trump signed

4416-517: The Greek service ended after 72 years on air. RFE/RL launched the Russian language Current Time TV , in October 2014. In January 2016, upon his arrival in Moscow, Russian authorities detained and then deported Jeff Shell , the Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors that oversees the Voice of America, despite his having a valid Russian visa. Russian authorities did not explain their actions. Round-the-clock broadcasting of Current Time began on February 7, 2017. In December 2017, under

4508-476: The House Foreign Affairs Committee concluded that there was "credible evidence of corruption" regarding the matter of Setareh Derakhshesh Sieg, the former director of Voice of America's Persian News Network (PNN). Following a series of whistleblower complaints and an extensive internal investigation by civil servants, Sieg had been terminated in January 2021 for falsifying her education credentials, severe abuses of taxpayer dollars for personal benefit, and engaging in

4600-404: The Hubert Humphrey Award. In 2013, Dreier was inducted into the Order of Saint Agatha as a Knight Commander by the Republic of San Marino , the world's oldest republic. In 2017, President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico inducted Dreier into the Order of the Aztec Eagle . Dreier has also been awarded the Order of San Carlos by the president of Colombia and the Order of Rubén Darío by

4692-596: The Iron Curtain, questions on the practice of slave labor, as well as lies and errors in Stalin 's version of Marxism . In 1947, VOA started broadcasting to the Soviet citizens in Russia under the pretext of countering "more harmful instances of Soviet propaganda directed against American leaders and policies" on the part of the internal Soviet Russian-language media, according to John B. Whitton's treatise, Cold War Propaganda . The Soviet Union responded by initiating electronic jamming of VOA broadcasts on April 24, 1949. Charles W. Thayer headed VOA in 1948–49. Over

SECTION 50

#1732852766750

4784-438: The U.S. consolidated its international broadcasting efforts, with the establishment of the Bureau of Broadcasting. With the breakup of the Soviet bloc in Eastern Europe, VOA added many additional language services to reach those areas. This decade was marked by the additions of services in Standard Tibetan , Kurdish (to Iran and Iraq), Serbo-Croatian (Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian), Macedonian , and Rwanda-Rundi . In 1993,

4876-521: The US government's international English language TV service Worldnet , became part of VOA as "VOA TV". Radio programs in Russian ended in July 2008. In September 2008, VOA eliminated the Hindi-language service after 53 years. Broadcasts in Ukrainian, Serbian, Macedonian, and Bosnian also ended. These reductions were part of American efforts to concentrate more resources to broadcast to the Muslim world . In September 2010, VOA began radio broadcasts in Sudan. As U.S. interests in South Sudan grew, there

4968-633: The USIA, and merged most of its functions into those of the State Department. In 1994, Voice of America became the first broadcast-news organization to offer continuously updated programs on the Internet. The Arabic Service was abolished in 2002 and replaced by a new radio service, called the Middle East Radio Network or Radio Sawa , with an initial budget of $ 22 million. Radio Sawa offered mostly Western and Middle Eastern popular songs with periodic brief news bulletins. The Arabic Service expanded to television with Alhurra on February 14, 2004 (and later to various social media and websites). On May 16, 2004,

5060-477: The United States has entered. Dreier was a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership . Dreier attended and led congressional delegations (CODELs) to dozens of nations during his tenure. He was the founder and first chairman of the House Democracy Partnership (HDP), which works to strengthen parliaments in new and re-emerging democracies on six continents. Dreier supported the expansion of public transportation in his district. He secured federal funding for

5152-421: The United States, close to Greenville, North Carolina . They do not use FCC -issued call signs , since the FCC does not regulate communications by other federal government agencies. The International Broadcasting Bureau also operates transmission facilities on São Tomé and Tinang, Concepcion, Tarlac , Philippines for VOA. [REDACTED]   Kosovo Republic of Kosovo (2008–present) On June 12, 2024,

5244-466: The VOA was serving its purpose, which he identified as aiding in the fight against communism. He argued that the numbers of listeners they were getting such as 194,000 regular listeners in Sweden, and 2.1 million regular listeners in France, was an indication of a positive impact. As further evidence, he noted that the VOA received 30,000 letters a month from listeners all over the world, and hundreds of thousands of requests for broadcasting schedules. There

5336-490: The VOA website has versions in 48 foreign languages. Radio programs are marked with an "R"; TV programs with a "T": The number of languages varies according to the priorities of the United States government and the world situation. Before World War II, all American shortwave radio stations were in private hands. Privately controlled shortwave networks included the National Broadcasting Company 's International Network (or White Network), which broadcast in six languages,

5428-549: The agency. The charter is one part of this firewall and the other laws assist in ensuring high standards of journalism. According to former VOA correspondent Alan Heil, the internal policy of VOA News is that any story broadcast must have two independently corroborating sources or have a staff correspondent witness an event. VOA Radiogram was an experimental Voice of America program that started in March 2013 and ended in June 2017, which transmitted digital text and images via shortwave radiograms . There were 220 editions of

5520-435: The broadcasts' actual impact. For example, in 1956, Polish People's Republic stopped jamming VOA transmissions, but People's Republic of Bulgaria continued to jam the signal through the 1970s. In 1966 Edward R. Murrow said that: "The Russians spend more money jamming the Voice of America than we have to spend for the entire program of the entire Agency. They spend about $ 125 million ($ 1,200,000,000 in current dollar terms)

5612-616: The choice of Dreier allegedly because many conservative members believed that he was "too politically moderate". According to Dreier spokeswoman Jo Maney, Dreier did not seek the temporary Majority Leader position because he "would have had to give up his chairmanship of the Rules Committee to move to another position, and that's not something that he wanted to do". The position instead went to then- Majority Whip Roy Blunt of Missouri , though both Dreier and then-Deputy Majority Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia shared in some duties. Along with House colleagues Jim Kolbe and Jerry Lewis , Dreier

SECTION 60

#1732852766750

5704-481: The coattails of former California Governor Ronald Reagan 's presidential election . Dreier was sworn into office as one of the youngest members of the House of Representatives in U.S. history. After the 1980 United States census , his district was renumbered to the 33rd. Dreier defeated Congressman Wayne Grisham 57% to 43% in the Republican primary of 1982. Dreier became the first person to defeat two incumbent members of Congress in back to back elections. He won

5796-457: The country. Kohler used all of this as evidence to claim that the VOA helped to grow and strengthen the free world. It also influenced the UN in their decision to condemn communist actions in Korea, and was a major factor in the decline of communism in the "free world, including key countries such as Italy and France. In Italy, the VOA did not just bring an end to communism, but it caused the country to Americanize. The VOA also had an impact behind

5888-455: The culture of this country and which will promote international goodwill, understanding and cooperation. Any program solely intended for, and directed to an audience in the continental United States does not meet the requirements for this service. Around 1940, shortwave signals to Latin America were regarded as vital to counter Nazi propaganda . Initially, the US Office of the Coordinator of Information sent releases to each station, but this

5980-421: The early 1980s, VOA began a $ 1.3 billion rebuilding program to improve broadcast with better technical capabilities. During the implementation of the Martial law in Poland between 1981 and 1983, VOA's Polish broadcasts expanded to seven hours daily. Throughout the 1980s, VOA focused on covering events from the 'American hinterland', such as 150th anniversary of the Oregon Trail . Also in the 1980s, VOA also added

6072-470: The first broadcast from the San Francisco office of the FIS via General Electric's KGEI transmitting to the Philippines in English (other languages followed). The next step was to broadcast to Germany, which was called Stimmen aus Amerika ("Voices from America") and was transmitted on February 1, 1942. It was introduced by the “ Battle Hymn of the Republic " and included the pledge: "Today, and every day from now on, we will be with you from America to talk about

6164-427: The foreign agent Voice of America radio station challengingly refused to observe Russian law because it had not established a Russian legal entity. Roskomnadzor also said that VOA was as a foreign agent "obliged to mark their content and provide information about all aspects of their activity, including a detailed description of contacts with the authorities." In March 2022, VOA and other news broadcasters, including

6256-407: The free TIVAR app from the Google Play store using any Android device. The mode used most often on VOA Radiogram , for both text and images, was MFSK32 , but other modes were also occasionally transmitted. The final edition of VOA Radiogram was transmitted during the weekend of June 17–18, 2017, a week before the retirement of the program producer from VOA. An offer to continue the broadcasts on

6348-407: The importance of the work of journalists," according to foundation chairman David Dreier. David Dreier David Timothy Dreier OAE (/ draɪər /; born July 5, 1952) is an American businessman, philanthropist, and politician who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from California from 1981 to 2013. He was one of the youngest members ever elected to

6440-428: The indictment of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay on September 28, 2005, House Speaker Dennis Hastert asked Dreier to assume temporarily the position of majority leader, as Dreier had consistently adhered to the views of the Republican leadership on many issues and would have been willing to relinquish the title should DeLay have returned to the position. However, rank-and-file Republican representatives disapproved of

6532-518: The middle of 1942, officially took over VOA's operations. VOA reached an agreement with the British Broadcasting Corporation to share medium-wave transmitters in Great Britain, and expanded into Tunis in North Africa and Palermo and Bari, Italy , as the Allies captured these territories. The OWI also set up the American Broadcasting Station in Europe . Asian transmissions started with one transmitter in California in 1941; services were expanded by adding transmitters in Hawaii and, after recapture,

6624-559: The next few years, the U.S. government debated the best role of Voice of America. The decision was made to use VOA broadcasts as a part of U.S. foreign policy to fight the propaganda of the Soviet Union and other countries. The Arabic service resumed on January 1, 1950, with a half-hour program. This program grew to 14.5 hours daily during the Suez Crisis of 1956, and was six hours a day by 1958. Between 1952 and 1960, Voice of America used

6716-588: The odds. They're very resourceful." Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, VOA covered some of the era's most important news, including Martin Luther King Jr. 's 1963 " I Have a Dream " speech and Neil Armstrong 's 1969 first walk on the Moon , which drew an audience estimated at between 615 and 750 million people. In 1973, due to the détente policies in the Cold War, Soviet jamming of the VOA ceased; it restarted in 1979. In

6808-812: The president of Nicaragua . Dreier is a member of the Alfalfa Club . He has been awarded the Clean Air Award by the Sierra Club . Dreier lost his Malibu home in the Woolsey Fire in late 2018. He is a descendant of Richard Bland Lee , a congressman from Virginia who served on the first Rules Committee impaneled by the House of Representatives . In his earlier years in Congress, Dreier appeared on "most eligible bachelor" lists for Washington DC. At one point in

6900-413: The program had 30 million listeners at its peak. A program aimed at South Africa in 1956 broadcast two hours nightly, and special programs such as The Newport Jazz Festival were also transmitted. This was done in association with tours by U.S. musicians, such as Dizzy Gillespie , Louis Armstrong , and Duke Ellington , sponsored by the State Department. From August 1952 through May 1953, Billy Brown,

6992-541: The program, transmitted each weekend from the Edward R. Murrow transmitting station. The audio tones that comprised the bulk of each 30-minute program were transmitted via an analog transmitter , and could be decoded using a basic AM shortwave receiver with freely downloadable software of the Fldigi family. This software was available for Windows , macOS , Linux , and FreeBSD systems. Broadcasts could also be decoded using

7084-465: The region through TV, FM and medium wave radio, digital, and direct-to-home satellite. In May 2023, Russia banned acting VOA chief Yolanda Lopez from ever entering the country. The current director, Michael Abramowitz, assumed the position in July 2024. He previously served as president of Freedom House and spent nearly 25 years as a reporter and editor for The Washington Post . Voice of America has been

7176-458: The show were carried by 114 stations on CBS's "La Cadena de las Américas" network in 20 Latin American nations. These broadcasts proved to be highly successful in supporting President Roosevelt's policy of Pan-Americanism throughout South America during World War II. The VOA ramped up its operations during the Cold War . Foy Kohler , the director of VOA during the Cold War, strongly believed that

7268-538: The significant growth of shortwave radio listeners. During the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 , VOA's broadcasts were deemed controversial, as Hungarian refugees and revolutionaries thought that VOA served as a medium and insinuated the possible arrival of the Western aid. Throughout the Cold War , many of the targeted countries' governments sponsored jamming of VOA broadcasts, which sometimes led critics to question

7360-463: The streaming app, VOA+, and YouTube. Films average 10–15 minutes and are translated with captions in several languages, including Russian, Persian, Mandarin, Urdu, and English. Euna Lee directs the program. From 1948 until its amendment in 2013, Voice of America was forbidden to broadcast directly to American citizens, pursuant to § 501 of the Smith–Mundt Act . The intent of the 1948 legislation

7452-507: The war... The news may be good or bad for us – We will always tell you the truth." Roosevelt approved this broadcast, which then-Colonel William J. Donovan (COI) and Sherwood (FIS) had recommended to him. It was Sherwood who actually coined the term "The Voice of America" to describe the shortwave network that began its transmissions on February 1, from 270 Madison Avenue in New York City. The Office of War Information , when organized in

7544-478: The world. Its targeted and primary audience is non-American outside of the US borders. As of November 2022, its reporting reached 326 million adults per week across all platforms. It is financed by the U.S. Agency for Global Media after approval by Congress. VOA was established in 1942, and the VOA charter was signed into law in 1976 by U.S. President Gerald Ford . It is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and overseen by

7636-592: Was a desire to provide people with free information. In 2013, VOA ended foreign-language transmissions on shortwave and medium wave to Albania, Georgia, Iran, and Latin America, as well as English-language broadcasts to the Middle East and Afghanistan. This was done due to budget cuts. On July 1, 2014, VOA cut most of its English-language transmissions to Asia, as well as shortwave transmissions in Azerbaijani, Bengali, Khmer, Kurdish, Lao, and Uzbek. The following month,

7728-402: Was accused by Senator Joseph McCarthy, Roy Cohn , and Gerard David Schine of intentionally planning to build weak transmitting stations to sabotage VOA broadcasts. However, the charges were dropped after one month of court hearings in February and March 1953. Sometime around 1954, VOA's headquarters were moved from New York to Washington D.C. The arrival of cheap, low-cost transistors enabled

7820-489: Was an analysis done of some of those letters sent in 1952 and 1953 while Kohler was still director. The study found that letter writing could be an indicator of successful, actionable persuasion. It was also found that broadcasts in different countries were having different effects. In one country, regular listeners adopted and practiced American values presented by the broadcast. Age was also a factor: younger and older audiences tended to like different types of programs, no matter

7912-511: Was created as a special service in English that was relayed via satellite to AM, FM, and cable affiliates throughout Europe. With a contemporary format including live disc jockeys, the network presented top musical hits as well as VOA news and features of local interest (such as "EuroFax") 24 hours a day. VOA Europe was closed down without advance public notice in January 1997 as a cost-cutting measure. It

8004-492: Was followed by VOA Express, which from July 4, 1999, revamped into VOA Music Mix. Since November 1, 2014, stations are offered VOA1 (which is a rebranding of VOA Music Mix). In 1989, Voice of America expanded its Mandarin and Cantonese programming to reach the millions of Chinese and inform the country about the pro-democracy movement within the country, including the demonstration in Tiananmen Square. Starting in 1990,

8096-577: Was named chairman of the board of Tribune Publishing Company , succeeding former Tribune Publishing CEO Justin Dearborn . Dreier had served on the Tribune Publishing board since 2016. In February 2020, Dreier stepped down as chairman of the company. He left the board in June 2020. On June 26, 2019, Dreier founded the Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation (FJM Foundation), the main objective of which

8188-409: Was not tough enough on illegal immigrants. Dreier won with 54% of the vote. In 2006, he won reelection in a rematch against Matthews 57% to 38%, despite Republicans losing the majority that year. In 2008, Dreier won reelection against Democrat Russ Warner with 53% of the vote. In 2010, he defeated Warner in a rematch with 54% of the vote. Dreier ceased all campaign fundraising for more than

8280-414: Was seen as an inefficient means of transmitting news. The director of Latin American relations at the Columbia Broadcasting System was Edmund A. Chester , and he supervised the development of CBS's extensive "La Cadena de las Américas" radio network to improve broadcasting to South America during the 1940s. Even before the December 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor , the U.S. government's Office of

8372-505: Was the first member of Congress to propose a North American free trade agreement in 1987. He was instrumental in the creation and passage of what became NAFTA in 1993. During the signing ceremony for NAFTA, President Bill Clinton recognized Dreier's contribution to the ultimate success of the legislation. Dreier opposed President Donald Trump 's threats to abandon NAFTA, instead advocating for an updated NAFTA, which would include digital trade, among other subjects. Dreier has been

8464-729: Was to protect the American public from propaganda by its own government and to avoid any competition with private American companies. The act was amended via the passage of the Smith-Mundt Modernization Act provision of the National Defense Authorization Act for 2013 . The amendment was intended to adapt the law to the Internet and to allow American citizens access to VOA content. Under the Eisenhower administration in 1959, VOA Director Henry Loomis commissioned

#749250