Broadcasting Board of Governors

The Broadcasting Board of Governors is the body that oversees several U.S. funded international broadcast channels, including Voice of America, Radio Sawa and Al Hurra. The board is comprised of four Democrat appointees, four Republicans appointees and the Secretary of State.

Origins
"On October 1, 1999, the Broadcasting Board Governors (BBG) became the independent, autonomous entity responsible for all U.S. government and government sponsored, non-military, international broadcasting," writes the BBG website. "This was the result of the 1998 Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act (Public Law 105-277), the single most important legislation affecting U.S. international broadcasting since the early 1950s."

"Every week, more than 100 million listeners, viewers, and internet users around the world turn-on, tune-in, and log-on to U.S. international broadcasting programs. While the 'Broadcasting Board of Governors' is the legal name given to the Federal entity encompassing all U.S international broadcasting services, the day-to-day broadcasting activities are carried out by the individual BBG international broadcasters." 

BBG Broadcasters

 * Voice of America (VOA)
 * Al-Hurra
 * Radio Sawa
 * Radio Farda
 * Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)
 * Radio Free Asia (RFA)
 * Radio Marti and TV Marti are overseen by the US Office of Cuba Broadcasting
 * International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB)

Personnel
As of September 2008:
 * Jeffrey Trimble, Executive Director
 * Janice H. Brambilla, Director of Management Planning
 * Janet Stormes, Chief Financial Officer
 * Timi Kenealy, (Acting), Legal/General Counsel

Board members

 * Joaquin F. Blaya
 * Blanquita Walsh Cullum
 * D. Jeffrey Hirschberg
 * Edward E. Kaufman
 * Steven J. Simmons
 * Condoleezza Rice

In September 2008, President George W. Bush withdrew nominations of Blaya for a reappointment to the BBG Board, for a term expiring August 13, 2008; and of Dennis M. Mulhaupt to join the BBG Board for a term expiring August 13, 2008, in replacement of Cullum, whose term had expired.

Former members

 * James K. Glassman
 * Norman J. Pattiz
 * Marc B. Nathanson
 * Kenneth Y. Tomlinson

Contact
Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) 330 Independence Avenue SW Washington, DC 20237 Tel: 202 203-4545 Fax: 202 203-4585 Website: www.bbg.gov

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Al Hurra
 * Propaganda
 * Radio Sawa
 * Voice of America

External articles

 * Neil King, Jr., "Sparking Debate, Radio Czar Retools Government Media," Wall Street Journal, June 20, 2005.
 * Johanna Neuman, "Static Rises on Capitol Hill Over Broadcast Board Member," Los Angeles Times, June 17, 2005.
 * Steven R. Weisman, "Democrats, Seeing Tit for Tat, Block a Nomination," ''New York Times, June 16, 2005.
 * Howard Mortman, "Impartial Broadcasts?", Letter to the Editor, New York Times, July 3, 2005.
 * Peter Finn, "Russia's Signal to Stations Is Clear: Cut U.S. Radio", Washington Post, July 7, 2006; A01.
 * "GAO Seeks Strategic Plan On Broadcasts to Arab World," Associated Press, September 6, 2006.
 * "U.S. Government's Arabic-Language Channel Airs Anti-Israel Comments from Hamas, Hezbollah," Associated Press (Fox News), May 16, 2007. re Al-Hurra
 * Michael Hedges, "New US Broadcasting Chief Knows His Way Around a Newsroom: James K. Glassman has become Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the agency supervising US government international broadcasting. Answering questions via email this weekend, he offered a candid and optimistic appraisal of the agency and its mission," Followthemedia.com, June 25, 2007.
 * Press release, "VOA and RFA to increase broadcasts into Tibet," BBG, March 17, 2008.
 * Press release, "BBG Boosts Broadcasts to Georgia," BBG, August 19, 2008.
 * Ted Lipien, "U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors Tired to Hire Paula Zahn As Their Public Relations Guru While Cutting Radio Programs to Countries Without Free Media," Freemediaonline.org, September 8, 2008.