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VOA Restructures Bosnian, Hindi, Serbian, Macedonian, Russian Broadcasts
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PRESS RELEASE -
Washington, D.C., September 29, 2008 - The Voice of America (VOA) is
ceasing radio broadcasts in Hindi, Bosnian, Serbian, and Macedonian on
September 30, 2008, using available resources to reach audiences in
those markets through television and the Internet. No VOA language
service will be shut down and no jobs will be lost. VOA also is
discontinuing its 30-minute Russian weekly television program and will
deliver text, audio, and video content to Russia's fast-growing
Internet market. VOA will be accessible through digital devices,
including mobile Internet devices, cell phones that receive text and
multi-media messages, and MP3 players. VOA's Russian radio broadcasts
ended in July 2008. The change in VOA Russian's program delivery
reflects the crackdown on independent media and freedom of speech in
Russia. Russian government pressure has forced almost all VOA local
radio and television affiliates to drop VOA and other international
broadcasts. Shortwave radio listenership also has continued to decline
throughout the country, with fewer than 2% of Russians using this
medium weekly. "We owe great thanks to the VOA radio journalists who
have broadcast to these countries over the years," said VOA Director
Danforth Austin. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) will continue
radio broadcasting to Russia, Bosnia, Macedonia, and Serbia. VOA and
RFE/RL are part of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), the
independent government agency that oversees all U.S. international
broadcasting. The Voice of America, which first went on the air in
1942, is a multimedia international broadcasting service funded by the
U.S. Government through the Broadcasting Board of Governors. VOA
broadcasts approximately 1,500 hours of news, information, educational,
and cultural programming every week to an estimated worldwide audience
of more than 134 million people. Programs are produced in 45 languages. For more information, call VOA Public Relations at (202) 203-4959, or e-mail askvoa@voanews.com.
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