BBG Delivers Election Coverage to Worldwide Audience

November 03, 2008 | Washington, D.C.« Back to Press Releases

In response to unprecedented global interest in this year's Presidential election, BBG broadcasters' multimedia reporting will culminate in extensive November 4 Election Day coverage, providing audiences around the globe with an inside look at the American democratic contest and its outcome.

Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), Radio Free Asia (RFA), Radio and TV Martí, Alhurra TV, and Radio Sawa correspondents around the country and throughout the world will provide live election results, along with feedback and analysis in 60 languages.

"Reporting on this historic national contest is an important part of our mission to engage the world in conversation about America," said Edward Kaufman, of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the federal government agency that oversees all non-military U.S. international broadcasting.

VOA's English-language radio and TV will carry non-stop simulcast programming from the time the polls close until the end of the victory speech. Many VOA language services, including Persian, Indonesian, Swahili, and Urdu, will produce special programs including live coverage and analysis of the results. VOA's interactive election website, www.USAVotes2008.com, features blogs, online chats, and results tracking, in addition to live streaming of VOA broadcasts.

Alhurra TV and Radio Sawa will provide audiences in 22 Arabic-speaking countries interviews with voters, analysis of domestic and global reactions, and live broadcasts of the concession and victory speeches simultaneously translated into Arabic. Alhurra and Radio Sawa stream their broadcasts online, and provide news updates at www.radiosawa.com.

Experts from many of RFE/RL's 20 broadcast countries have been weighing in on air and online with what to expect if either candidate wins the presidency.

RFA's Election Day coverage will feature interviews with local voters for Chinese language broadcasts and special live coverage and commentary in Tibetan, providing context and information to listeners with little exposure to the democratic process.

Radio and TV Martí's election briefings, broadcast to Cuba, will highlight contests for Congressional seats held by or contested by Cuban-Americans in addition to providing national results.

The November 4 broadcasts will wrap up election reporting that has included wide-ranging multilingual coverage of the presidential conventions, live broadcast and analysis of the presidential debates, election specials and online and on-air interactive discussions.

The Broadcasting Board of Governors is an independent federal agency, supervising all U.S. government-supported, non-military international broadcasting, whose mission is to promote freedom and democracy and to enhance understanding through multi-media communication of accurate, objective, and balanced news, information, and other programming about America and the world to audiences overseas. BBG broadcasting organizations include the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (Alhurra TV and Radio Sawa), Radio Free Asia, and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (Radio and TV Martí). BBG broadcasts reach over 175 million people worldwide on a weekly basis.