International Broadcasting at a Crossroads

By Joe Johnson

We just posted Council Member Alan Heil's "LANDSCAPE OF INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING: VOA and the BBC at a Crossroads", which also appears in the current edition of Public Diplomacy Magazine (USC Annenberg School.)  In six pages, the former VOA deputy director gives a concise, well-documented snapshot of two international broadcasters on the cusp of big change.

Alan also reminded me of two other commentaries offering insight into how broadcasters may respond to looming budget reductions:

• Columbia University President Lee Bollinger, who calls for an American World Service in the current Columbian Journalism Review
• a summary and reaction to the Bollinger proposal by Kim Andrew Elliott, a leading researcher and U.S. authority on international broadcasting

Alan summarized the issue on this side of the Atlantic this way to me.

"The Bollinger  proposal coincides with concluding deliberations by the Broadcasting Board of Governors about a fundamental re-structuring of U.S. international broadcasting, as mentioned in the Board’s most recent July 14 meeting.  The BBG, in its FY 12 submission to Congress, also includes a $1 million proposal to consolidate in a global news-sharing network the highest priority web-based news and information content from each of the networks it oversees (VOA, RFE/RL, RFA, Alhurra TV/Radio Sawa and Radio-TV Marti to Cuba).  The concept, according to the Board, is 'to reach new audiences around the world with high-quality, original reporting and features from across BBG entities.'  2011 clearly is a year of debate, hard choices, and potential restructuring of U.S. international broadcasting as Britain, Germany and the Netherlands all make or have announced massive multiiyear cuts in their overseas transmissions.”

Take a look at all this -- plus former VOA director David Jackson's recent posts on this page -- and weigh in.  We want readers' views on this important issue.

(Source : Public Diplomacy Council)