BBG Watch, 17 Apr 2013: "RFE/RL and BBG English-language websites ... posted no press releases about the award for Gessen, but the RFE/RL English website had an announcement, 'RFE/RL’s Gessen Honored For "Vanity Fair" Putin-Khodorkovsky Profile,' slugged as 'Communications / Kudos & Awards.' By calling it something else than a news story, editors apparently could justify not reporting on the incident with Ambassador Ashe or the ongoing controversy over the fired Radio Liberty journalists. ... (UPDATE: It appears that after we published this information, the article/announcement has been removed from the RFE/RL website.)"

Liberty Media Corporation press release, 11 Apr 2013: "Liberty Media Corporation last night honored the winner of its fourth annual Media for Liberty Award, a $50,000 prize that recognizes media contributions that explore the link between economic and political liberty. 'The Wrath of Putin,' a story by Masha Gessen, was selected by the Media for Liberty Award Jury as the 2013 award winner. ... 'The Wrath of Putin' masterfully chronicles the clash between two titans, Russian President Vladimir Putin and former wealthiest man in Russia, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, in a relationship which led to Khodorkovsky's almost decade-long imprisonment and the downfall of his empire. Masha Gessen's diligent reporting illuminates the bitter war between 'one man's truth and another's tyranny.'"

It's interesting that press release does not mention that Gessen works for RFE/RL, and that RFE/RL's website does not mention that she received the award. In any case, the Media for Liberty Award appears to be a prize for media contributions that come to the desired conclusion. The call for entries gives the impression that the winning item is likely something that would make Milton Friedman, Friedrich Hayek and Ludwig von Mises smile. Tempting as $50,000 might be, real journalists would avoid this award. (Next year, I might submit an article about how political freedom flourished in Sweden when Olaf Palme was prime minister, thus eliminating any danger of winning.)

Mr. Mulhaupt did not provide a reason for his resignation, but he did address the need for reform USIB, suggesting that he may have been frustrated by the lack of movement in that direction. BBG members Susan McCue and Victor Ashe take over as chair and vice chair of the RFE/RL board. The Board itself is now down to four members in addition to the ex officio Secretary of State.

Television is playing a greater role in US international broadcasting. For example: VOA is developing television services for Burma. RFA is developing television services for Burma. There are several other instances where more than one entity is increasing its television products for a single target country. When radio prevailed, the taxpayers might have been able to afford duplicated efforts of two entities. The entities might have been able to divide talent and other scarce resources between them. In television, however, the days of profligacy are over. As the entire federal government looks to reduce spending, duplicated television services can neither be justified nor afforded. And there is not enough talent, not enough outlets in target countries, not enough of other resources to divide between entities. In the television age, preservation of multiple USIB entities is folly.

VOA Radiogram, 27 Mar 2013: The Mighty KBC, during its North America broadcast, UTC Sunday at 0000-0200, 7375 kHz, will also include MFSK transmissions.

France-Guyana, 25 Mar 2013, Nicolas Camus: "These technicians who specialize in shortwave will have to learn a trade. 'They are very competent, but in an obsolete area.'" See also France-Guyane, 20 Mar 2013.

See VOA transmission schedule, 31 March 2013 through 26 October 2013 (not available at voanews.com). This schedule is for transmissions through IBB-owned shortwave and medium wave transmitters and does not include broadcasts that are through partner stations in target countries.

BBC World Service press release, 25 Mar 2013: "The World Service English global schedule will be simplified with fewer regional variations from Sunday 31 March 2013 and shortwave Arabic broadcasts will cease. The reductions to shortwave services were announced in October 2012 as part of the UK government’s 2010 spending review. BBC World Service on FM and online and on television will not be affected and no language services are closing. Shortwave and medium wave transmissions in English will be reduced to a minimum of 6 hours in total each day. This will generally be two periods of between 2 and 4 hours each, usually at peak listening times in the morning and evening to help minimise disruption. ... The estimated loss of listeners to Global English on shortwave will be around 1.5m listeners, equivalent to 1.3% of the total Global News English audience on any platform. BBC Arabic audiences are estimated to reduce by 800,000 as a result of the closure of shortwave broadcasts. In the Arabic speaking world, the World Service broadcasts on a network of FM relays, a 24-hour television channel and the bbcarabic.com website. Shortwave services to Sudan are not affected as the shortwave service is currently the most viable method of broadcasting to this large region."

Voice of Russia, 21 Mar 2013: "Voice of Russia and its old-time partner China Radio International signed an agreement on media space sharing that will become a new milestone in the Russian-Chinese relationship. The symbolic gathering will run off in the framework of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Moscow. Under the accord, the Voice of Russia will air Russian-language programs of its Chinese colleagues devoted to the Year of Russian tourism in China, while the China Radio International will launch similar projects on Russia’s culture and history for CRI’s Chinese listeners."

Deutsche Welle press release, 8 Mar 2013: "Deutsche Welle will offer audiences worldwide a wealth of content on the Beethovenfest Bonn in 2013. Features in up to 30 languages are planned for television, radio, online and as podcasts."

Deutsche Welle press release, 21 Feb 2013: "For half a century, Deutsche Welle (DW) has been broadcasting in Kiswahili to listeners in East Africa and the Great Lakes region. DW marks this anniversary with a special event in Tanzania."

Deutsche Welle press release, 14 Feb 2013: "In 1963 Deutsche Welle started distributing TV content around the world, reaching an ever-growing viewer base. For more than 20 years now, DW has been one of the key players among international television broadcasters. Sudan was the first recipient of DW-distributed film material in 1963. Two years later, TransTel was co-founded by DW and German public service broadcasters ARD and ZDF, with the support of Germany's federal government. Its central task has been making high-quality, German-produced television content available to broadcasters around the world. Though the original TransTel was dissolved in 1998, DW immediately took over its transcription and distribution services, rebranding the company to DW Transtel."

VOA Radiogram, 21 Mar 2013: "Olivia is a robust digital text mode. It can overcome all types of noise. But can Olivia 8-1000, reduced by 24 dB, be decoded under the amazing voice of country singer Suzy Bogguss? We will find out 24 March 2013 ... during The Mighty KBC broadcast to North America, 0000-0200 UTC on 7375 kHz." Netherlands-based The Mighty KBC uses a leased transmitter in Nauen, Germany.

VOA Radiogram, 22 Mar 2013: "WRMI, Radio Miami International, will fill its channel (9955 kHz) with multiple instances of digital text." During IDs this weekend.

Al Arabiya, 18 Nov 2012: "Two Israeli air raids targeted a media building in Gaza Sunday morning including Al Arabiya’s office, reported the channel’s correspondent. The 12-storey building, which included offices of Arab and Western media outlets, was extensively damaged, according to Al Arabiya’s correspondent, who ensured that there were no gunmen or militants at the site."

RIA Novosti, 18 Nov 2012: "An Israeli airstrike on a media compound in the Gaza Strip destroyed the office of the Russia Today TV channel early on Sunday, the RT press office said. Staff for RT’s Arabic-language channel Rusiya Al-Yaum had left the building about an hour before the Israeli planes delivered the strike, the press office said." See also RT, 19 Nov 2012, with video.

Huffington Post, 19 Nov 2012, Michael Calderone: "The official Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson Twitter account -- which has been very active since the start -- quickly confirmed and defended the strike on Twitter. 'A short while ago, the IDF targeted a cadre of senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives who were hiding in a media building in #Gaza,' tweeted the IDF spokesperson."

Huffington Post, 19 Nov 2012, Jack Mirkinson: "An Al Jazeera host had an extremely contentious conversation with a spokesman for the Israeli prime minister over a series of attacks on a media building in Gaza over the past two days. ... Speaking to Al Jazeera's Darren Jordon, Israeli spokesman Mark Regev defended the strikes. 'We don't target journalists,' he said. 'We target Hamas.' 'Rockets don't stop at a roof,' Jordon said in response. 'You've got the intelligence that journalists were all over that building. It's never going to be precise enough that you can't stop injuring people below the roof.'" With video.

The Algemeiner, 18 Nov 2012, Lakkana Nanayakkara: "Abby Martin, a presenter for Russia Today, accused Israel of 'terrorism' during her program 'Breaking the Set' yesterday. RT is funded by the Russian government and is notable for producing a relentless stream of anti-American and anti-Israel bulletins."

Huffington Post UK, 15 Nov 2012, Sara C Nelson: "Pictures of a BBC worker cradling the body of his 11-month-old baby son after a Gaza strike have emerged online. Jihad Misharawi, of BBC Arabic, lost baby Omar after his house was struck in Israel's air strike on Wednesday. Mr Misharawi's sister-in-law was killed and his brother was seriously injured in the attack."

International Business Times, 15 Nov 2012, Gianluca Mezzofiore: "'Spare a thought for Omar, 11-month son of our BBC Arabic Service colleague in Gaza, killed in today's Israeli air strike,' tweeted Paul Adams, BBC World Service Washington Correspondent."

Update: BBC News, 11 Mar 2013, Jon Donnison: "The son of a BBC journalist and two relatives killed in November's conflict in Gaza may have been hit by a misfired Palestinian rocket, a UN agency says. The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said its conclusions were based on a visit to the site a month after the attack. At the time, human rights groups blamed the deaths on an Israeli air strike. ... Jehad Mashhrawi dismissed the UN findings as 'rubbish'. He said nobody from the United Nations had spoken to him, and said Palestinian militant groups would usually apologise to the family if they had been responsible. An Israeli military spokesman said he could not comment on the accuracy of the UN's findings but said it would not be the first time a Palestinian rocket had misfired."

Marietta Daily Times, 21 Nov 2012, Cal Thomas: "In the run-up to confrontation, it has been reported that Hamas placed weaponry among civilians, hoping that when Israeli airstrikes started they could show photos of dead children, bringing condemnation on Israel. ... American and foreign TV networks — particularly CNN and BBC — are then brought in to channel the Palestinian line, portraying Israel as the aggressor."

News24, 21 Nov 2012, Avital: "I have read the news everyday during the Pillar Of Defense operation by the Israeli Defense Force. The bias from the likes of BBC News, CNN, News24 and City Press is quite overwhelming."

Conservative Home, 20 Nov 2012, Raheem Kassam: "We've highlighted various occasions this week where the likes of the BBC and CNN have been falling down to propaganda efforts."

IsraelNationalNews.com, 21 Nov 2012, Eytan Meyersdorf: "If we were to listen to CNN, or BBC, then it would be quite obvious that Israel is in the wrong."

Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America, 19 Nov 2012: "[W]ell-meaning reporters are led astray and gravely misinformed, as are viewers. A case in point is CNN's local expert on the Middle East, Jim Clancy, who usually appears on CNN International. When a Middle East crisis hits, however, the Atlanta-based Clancy is likely to popup wherever there is a CNN logo. Though Clancy is clearly immersed in Middle East issues, it seems that in his telling Israel can usually do no right and the Palestinians no wrong."

AFP, 19 Nov 2012: "The Israeli army on Monday took over programming at a Gaza-based Hamas television station 'to broadcast warnings,' as deadly violence between the sides entered its sixth day. Al-Aqsa television, the official station of Gaza’s Hamas rulers, said in a statement the Israeli army 'is interfering with Al-Aqsa TV,' with the picture going on and off for several hours and sometimes appearing scrambled. 'We took over the Hamas television to broadcast warnings,' a military spokeswoman said, indicating the takeover would probably last for a number of hours."

Law360, 8 Mar 2013, Dan Prochilo: "The D.C. Circuit ruled on Friday against a Voice of America broadcaster who claimed she wasn't promoted after complaining about allegedly offensive emails and other workplace conduct, finding she did not experience a hostile work environment and was not a victim of retaliation. Camille Grosdidier ... lost her bid Friday to overturn that court's conclusion that she was not passed up for the job because of her race or gender, and that she wasn’t a victim of retaliation for reporting alleged misconduct at VOA's Washington, D.C.-based French-language French to Africa Service."

Radio Free Asia, 15 Mar 2013: "Mam Sonando ... said that he hopes to increase the range of his radio station to reach more remote areas of the country, although the Ministry of Information has so far prevented him from doing so."

Australia Network News, 15 Mar 2013: "Australian Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says he would be 'horrified' if the ABC's international service was being blocked from broadcasting in China. ... Mr Abbott says the Australian Government should ensure its service is available in China. 'I don't want domestic censorship and I don't want international censorship...[and] I think it would be a pity if the ABC couldn't be accessed in China," he's told ABC local radio. I think the Australian Government should do whatever it reasonably can to try and ensure that Australian media outlets are reasonably available.'" With audio sample of jamming, which is the distorted China National Radio audio used to jam VOA and RFA Mandarin, not the noise that has been jamming VOA and BBC English.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation, The World Today, 15 Mar 2013, Simon Santow: "Voice of America has been outspoken in condemning what it sees as censorship while the ABC's Radio Australia is treading much more cautiously and not registering any formal complaints with China." With audio interview.

S. Hasegawa, reporting to the DXLD Yahoo! group, 9 Mar 2013, writes: "I cannot confirm the fact [Chinese jamming of RA English] with our monitor. We confirm jamming for the English broadcast of AIR [India] instead." I also cannot hear jamming of RA English from various Southeast Asian monitoring locations of the IBB RMS. See previous post about jamming.

The SWLing Post, 15 Mar 2013, Thomas Witherspoon: "Classic technology meets current in this new communication mode which makes internet disruption absolutely irrelevant, and which is even impervious, to a great degree, to interference." See also ARRL, 14 Mar 2013.

The Mighty KBC, 15 Mar 2013: "Text modes will be included in the North America broadcast of The Mighty KBC, Sunday March 17 at 0000 to 0000 UTC, on 7375 kHz via Nauen, Germany." With details. For more about The Mighty KBC, see Radio Survivor, 22 Feb 2013, Paul Riismandel.

WRMI, Radio Miami International, on its 9955 kHz shortwave frequency, will transmit IDs in digital text modes over the weekend. From UTC Saturday 0400 to UTC Sunday 0400 (midnight to midnight EDT), Olivia 8-2000 (requires a custom setting in Fldigi) will be centered on 2000 Hertz. From UTC Sunday 0400 to UTC Monday 0400, Olivia 8-1000 will be centered on 1300 and 2500 Hz. The IDs are generally at the top of the hour and sometimes also at the bottom of the hour.

RFE/RL News, 28 Feb 2013: "A parallel event was held in Moscow by a group of former Russian Service journalists who were laid off last year as part of a restructuring plan. More than 100 people attended that event, including rights activists and journalists, with speakers praising Svoboda's legacy but criticizing the service's restructuring."

Russia Beyond the Headlines, 11 March 2013, Elena Rykovtseva, Novaya Gazeta: "According to any reasonable interpretation of the laws of the universe, Radio Liberty should never have survived. It was never allowed on an FM frequency in Russia and over time lost nearly all of its regional partners under pressure from local authorities. Finally, now, a Russian law has deprived Radio Liberty of its AM medium wave frequency, on which it was able to broadcast in Moscow and the Moscow Region. But even this latest blow did not finish the station off. Its broadcasts were, after all, still available on shortwave and the Internet, where a substantial audience continued to download programs. ... It remains to be seen if the dismissed journalists will be allowed to return to the station, but the story proves that Radio Liberty can manage to survive no matter if the threats it faces come from internal or external forces."

Georgia Today, 28 Feb 2013, Nino Edilashvili: "Radio Liberty Journalism School, an independent media strengthening program, hosted the graduation ceremony of its first Multimedia Reporting Program class. The program was launched with the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through G-Media, a four-year project implemented by IREX. ... Radio Liberty Journalism School opened last year and offers two programs: a one-year certification program and a two-month internship program entitled 'Work and Learn with Radio Liberty.'"

Even though Riegelwood is 120 road miles to the south of the Voice of America (IBB, BBG) shortwave transmitting station near Greenville, North Carolina, N.C. 11 goes by both places. According to the Wikipedia article, "NC 11 is one of the longest North Carolina state highways. It runs north/south for about 190 miles (310 km) in the state. With the exception of a stretch between Greenville and Kinston, most of NC 11 is largely a disused rural route."

Roads named for VOA include Voice of America Road near Sequim, Washington, near the site of a planned VOA shortwave transmission facility that was never built (see previous post).

A quick look at the websites of its entities shows that duplication is pervasive in US international broadcasting. Since 1989, I've been writing about, and seeking to eliminate, this duplication. As an indicator of my effectiveness, in 1994 Congress and the Clinton administration, egged on by then-BBG-member Bette Bao Lord, created Radio Free Asia, thus adding eight more languages of duplication and massively increasing the inefficiency of USIB.

After such short-term adjustments, USIB would still be a cumbersome organization. In the long term (I hope not too long), consolidation is the only satisfactory way to eliminate duplication. Consolidation would reduce the number of senior management structures from seven (BBG, IBB, VOA, RFE/RL, RFA, MBN, OCB) to one. The senior managers who stand to lose their jobs as a result will resist mightily. They will fight to keep their jobs and to keep USIB inefficient.

Government Executive, 1 Feb 2013, Charles S. Clark: "In response to the report's publication, BBG put some of the blame on Congress. 'During the past decade, the BBG has proposed to cut 20 language services due to overlap and obsolescence,' the agency said in a statement. 'But in each of the last three years, Congress has restored funding for what we identified to cut.' BBG also argued GAO had missed a major point. 'Our mission is to provide news and information to countries that don't have full press freedom. If the agency eliminated 43 of the 59 language services entirely, the theoretical savings would reach $149 million,' it said. 'Our experience with the past few budget cycles shows that even much smaller cuts have constituencies that effectively lobby Congress to fully restore them. That said, having two services for the same country is in some cases the right thing to do. Many of our broadcasts are branded and distributed for different audiences, who have come to count on them.'"

Update: Washington Post, 1 Mar 2013, Al Kamen: "Looking for budget cuts? A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report last month concluded about $149 million a year (or $1.5 billion over 10 years) could be saved by cutting duplicate services in U.S. overseas broadcasting operations. ... The BBG says there is indeed overlap and it’s working on that, but it’s 'simplistic' to say the savings would amount to $149 million a year and that the 'overlap' doesn’t account for important differences in programming. But the GAO and the agency agree that much of the overlap is, as the BBG notes in its response, 'mandated by statute,' meaning Congress." -- The "differences in programming" are "important" only in the eyes of bureaucrats. If the audience is a factor in this equation, the audience it wants credible news about its own countries, about the world, and about the United States, in proportions that vary by target country. That proportion can be achieved only by one station, not by multiple stations. If US international broadcasting wants to improve its performance, it has no choice other than to reduce its budget.

VOA Radiogram, 6 Mar 2013: "Shortwave broadcaster WRMI, Radio Miami International, will resume digital text IDs this weekend on its 9955 kHz shortwave frequency."

Reporters sans frontières, 28 Feb 2013: "Reporters Without Borders condemns the jamming of the BBC World Service’s English-language shortwave radio broadcasts in China. The BBC issued a statement on February 25th deploring this violation of freedom of information and suggesting that the Chinese government was to blame. 'We support the BBC and we urge it to file a legal complaint against persons unknown,' Reporters Without Borders said. 'We recently brought this kind of legal action before the French public prosecutor’s office in connection with acts of piracy targeting Radio Erena, a Paris-based Eritrean exile radio station that broadcasts by satellite to the Horn of Africa. We are convinced that this kind of legal initiative can help to shed light on the exact circumstances of such acts of piracy, that is to say, the place where the jamming originates and the identity of those responsible. We also urge the British authorities to complain to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which is a UN body. If it turns out that the Chinese authorities ordered the jamming, they must be called to account. It is illegal, it violates fundamental freedoms and it is detrimental to all those in China who speak English.'"

Radio Australia, 8 Mar 2013, Joanna McCarthy: "The Association for International Broadcasting says English-language broadcasts from Radio Australia, the BBC World Service and Voice of America are being deliberately jammed by a number of frequencies. The AIB has lodged protests about the jamming with Chinese embassies in Canberra, Washington DC and London." With audio interview. See also AIB, 6 Mar 2013. Also reported by Advanced Television, 6 Mar 2013 and The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar 2013, Patrick Brzeski.

SoundCloud, 8 Mar 2013, iw0hk, Andrea Borgnino, Italy: "Sweep jamming on Radio Farda - 15690 khz." SoundCloud, 8 Mar 2013, iw0hk, Andrea Borgnino, Italy: "Jamming on Voice of America for Zimbabwe - 15775 khz."

YouTube, 5 Mar 2013, OfficialSWL Channel, Gilles Letourneau, Montréal PQ: "Vietnam jamming Radio Free Asia broadcast on 15170 khz."

VOA Radiogram, 9 Mar 2013, "WRMI, Radio Miami International 9 March 2013, 22200 UTC, 9955 kHz, versus Cuban jamming." -- Cuba is jamming WRMI in general, because of its occasional anti-Castro programming, and probably not because of The Overcomer program (in English) that was on at the time. Here's how an ID in the the MT63-2000 mode, transmitted at that time, prints out despite jamming:

Stabroek News (Georgetown), 13 Feb 2013, Kit Nascimento: "What our government has done, is to give to the Government of China, the absolute right to broadcast on a guaranteed domestic frequency, whatever it is the Government of China pleases to broadcast. What this does is to satisfy the political interest, convenience and necessity of the Government of China, not the public interest, convenience and necessity of the nation and people of Guyana. ... What will our government say if, for instance, the Government of the USA requests an exclusive frequency to broadcast the Voice of America on a domestic channel, or the Government of the United Kingdom, requests an exclusive frequency to broadcast the BBC on a domestic channel, or what if the government of Canada request an exclusive frequency to broadcast the Canadian Broadcast Corporation on a domestic channel, and we can go on and on?" -- Presumably a frequency for China Radio International.

Update: Apparently my presumption was incorrect. Ehard Goddijn in the Netherlands shared this from the Guyana Government Information Agency, 8 Feb 2013: "Head of the Presidential Secretariat and Cabinet Secretary Dr. Roger Luncheon today responded to media questions on the broadcast of China Central Television (CCTV) in Guyana, explaining that the agreement between the Governments of Guyana and China anti-dated [sic, probably "antedated"] the period that saw the embargo on new licences for television broadcasting in Guyana. Dr. Luncheon said the agreement had two main features, one of which was China providing the resources to facilitate the broadcast of their national TV (CCTV) on Guyana’s airwaves."

Financial Gazette (Harare), 6 Mar 2013, Clemence Manyukwe: "In the run-up to the 2008 general polls, the then Transmedia boss Alfred Mandere provoked ZANU-PF's anger when he told a parliamentary committee that the state-run Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) should encourage the use of shortwave radios in areas beyond the parastatal's Frequency Modulation broadcast. The party's former Chitungwiza senator, Forbes Magadu ... shot down Mandere's suggestion, arguing that the use of shortwave radios would result in villagers listening to Studio 7 -- a Voice of America broadcast beamed into Zimbabwe from Washington DC. Determined to drive his point home, Mandere stood his ground. He retorted: 'There is nothing wrong with Studio 7.'"

SW Radio Africa, 1 Mar 2013, Tichaona Sibanda: "On Friday police in Rusape went door-to-door to houses belonging to known MDC-T supporters, in search of shortwave radios. But the MP for Makoni South said they found nothing. Pishai Muchauraya said the morning raids saw police officers go in groups of three to MDC-T homes in Gandanzara, 'demanding radios distributed by Pishai.'"

Al Jazeera English, 7 Mar 2013, Haru Mutasa: "Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba of the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) ... says, 'We have it on record some of these media houses are peddling hate speech. As police, we have the responsibility to maintain security and order in Zimbabwe.' 'We banned a particular consignment of radios which were smuggled into the country. They were not paid for under the import and export act.'"

See previous post about same subject.

The Malaysian Insider, 4 Mar 2013: "Bloomberg reported that RFS’s two-hour broadcast daily provides a channel for villagers there to tune in to stories of 'land grabs by palm oil companies, aided by local officials', and has helped to pry loose support from many 'lifelong [ruling party] BN backers', opening a path for the opposition to campaign."

Bloomberg, 5 Mar 2013, Daniel Ten Kate, via Jakarta Globe: The "opposition alliance sees Radio Free Sarawak as a way to break BN’s grip on an area where thick forest, broken roads and spotty mobile-phone reception make campaigning tough. Since 2010, it has distributed 25,000 Chinese-made radios costing about 35 ringgit ($11) apiece to villagers."

AFP, 28 Feb 2013, via Free Malaysia Today: "In RFS’s nightly call-in show, their target is increasingly Sarawak’s powerful boss, Abdul Taib Mahmud, 76, who is criticised for building huge hydroelectric dams and other policies they say threaten traditional ways. Tensions have smoldered for years but are being fanned anew by the pirate signal of RFS, broadcast from London and founded in 2010 by Sarawak-born British journalist Clare Rewcastle-Brown, a fierce Taib critic. RFS switched last year to a call-in format. 'That is what really lifted the show — we opened up our phone lines and people have just come at us,' said Rewcastle-Brown, sister-in-law of former British premier Gordon Brown."

See radiofreesarawak.org and previous post.

"British BBC radio station was (and still is) a model for many broadcasting networks throughout the world. ... By definition, Voice of America is broadcast to developing nations 'to disseminate the message of democracy and liberty to citizens living in the shadow of evil regimes.' ... Even Kol Yisrael (Voice of Israel) has departments transmitting in Arabic and Persian. ... Is there a difference between these different broadcasts? Could the BBC, Voice of America and Kol Yisrael in Persian be termed propaganda broadcasts? The answer to that is probably yes. True, there are differences in the types of content and level of truth and reliability, but the goal is the same: for information coming from outside to reach listeners inside the country, an audience that will then exert pressure on its leaders."

Recommended reading: this is an unusually thoughtful discussion about how international broadcasting works.

The most effective international broadcasting is not propaganda but an antidote to the state propaganda of the target country. This would be market based international broadcasting. Mr. Eldar is partially correct in asserting that the goal of international broadcasting is for the audience to "exert pressure on its leaders." International broadcasting gives members of the audience the information they need to form their own opinions about current affairs. The outcome of that might be to exert pressure on their leaders, or to try to bring about change in the target country. But that's up to the audience.

BBC World Service press release, 14 Feb 2013: "The competition, now in its 23rd year, invites anyone resident outside Britain, to write a 53-minute radio drama for up to six characters. This year’s competition attracted more than 1,000 entries from the widest range of countries ever received. These included plays about Gorgons in Australia, art forgery in India, men stuck in holes in Greece and cockroach races in Qatar. The breadth of imagination was limitless." See also Commonwealth Writers, 14 Feb 2013.

RFE/RL, Journalists in Trouble, 26 Feb 2013: "According to [a] video, published by the Committee to Protect Journalists, 16 Iranian journalists were arrested between January 26 - 28. The media crackdown comes in advance of presidential elections scheduled to take place in Iran in June. ... Radio Farda journalists, based in Prague, have recorded more than 15 incidents in which they have been the subjects of counterfeit Facebook pages, internet viruses and misleading blog posts, and had their email accounts hacked."

Fars News Agency, 19 Feb 2013: "The Iranian Intelligence Ministry said in statement on [19 Feb] that it has summoned and later released a number of reporters and journalists after briefing them about their rather unwilling links and connections with a media spy network run by the BBC in Iran. 'During the trend of investigations, the other individuals linked to the (BBC-led) network of psychological operations were summoned and interrogated and also a number of others who were not aware of the nature of the network were also called in and were briefed about the covert goals and ill intentions of the network,' said the statement which was the third since the Intelligence Ministry embarked on detaining a number of reporters last month to investigate their suspicious connection with the BBC and some other western-led media."

Washington Post, 20 Feb 2013, Jason Rezaian: An Iranian government "statement asserted that several of the journalists had unknowingly been working for a network of foreign-based media outlets, which it said had 'covert goals and ill intentions.' he statement reflects the Iranian government’s deep distrust of foreign media, particularly the BBC’s Farsi-language station, which it accuses of illegally employing Iranian journalists who lack government permission. Sadeq Saba, head of BBC Persian Service, wrote via e-mail: 'We refute these allegations completely. We do not have, and never have had, any working relationship whatsoever with these journalists. The allegations are completely without foundation.' BBC Persian is broadcast over Iranian airwaves despite apparent efforts to block it." -- Not really "Iranian" airwaves, but international airwaves: shortwave from abroad, satellite from space.

Eurasia Review, 25 Feb 2013, GVF: "In its third statement after the government’s rounding up of journalists working for pro-reform publications, the Intelligence Ministry said that opposition websites such as the Green Voice of Freedom were tied to a 'psychological' war waged by British intelligence. Tuesday’s statement claimed that 'new and credible evidence' showed that the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was now managing 'a number of radio and television networks, as well as anti-revolutionary websites linked with elements from 2009 sedition who have fled' the country. 'Sedition,' is the Iranian regime’s epithet for the opposition Green Movement. The Intelligence Ministry also named opposition sites such as Kaleme, Jaras, Mellimazhabi, Norooz, Rooz, Gozar, Khodnevis and Saham news as media outlets that form a 'network' tied closely to the BBC. The list also included the Persian service of Radio France Internationale (RFI), Deutsche Welle (DW), Radio Farda, The Voice of America (VOA) and Manoto, an entertainment channel."

Press TV, 25 Feb 2013: "BBC Persian is now focused on depicting Iran as miserable and undermine the Islamic system in the country, using what the corporation calls citizen-journalism. However, Iranian officials say the BBC has swapped journalists with spies, partly via the BBC World Service’s 'Your Story' section that trains ordinary citizens, offers them the needed equipments and pays them to prepare ‘reports’ from Iran."

Index on Censorship, 18 Feb 2013, Peter Horrocks, director of BBC Global News: "Intensive interference of our signals [by Iran] started in 2009 at the time of Iran’s presidential election. On Election Day, Iranian authorities started to jam signals of BBC Persian Television, launched only a few months before. Intensive jamming continued in the aftermath of the election during the street protests and violence. For many Iranians, whose access to free media was limited, Persian TV was the main source of news and information. Since then, the jamming of BBC Persian has continued intermittently. Some incidents have been directly related to specific types of programmes such as audience participation, documentaries or coverage of news events. The latest example of jamming is as recent as 9 February this year when the Iranian government was marking the Islamic Revolution’s anniversary and PTV was taken off-air alongside 13 other broadcasters. In response, we have increased the number of satellites carrying the channel and technical changes were made to help reduce jamming on the original signal. However, more work needs to be done."

The Guardian, 22 Feb 2013, Roy Greenslade blog: Peter Horrocks "praises Eutelsat for its decision to 'invest in technologies that identify sources of deliberate interference and make jamming more difficult.'"

Fars News Agency, 10 Feb 2013: "The Iranian mission in Berlin criticized the Persian service of Deutsche Welle for misquoting and fabricating the remarks made by Iran's top diplomat Ali Akbar Salehi. The embassy on Saturday complained to Germany's international broadcaster Deutsche Welle for blatantly misquoting the remarks made by Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi about the US-engineered economic sanctions that have been imposed on Iran. The embassy criticized the Persian service of Deutsche Welle for misquoting the statements Salehi made in an interview with the German-language business newspaper Handelsblatt on February 6 and described the action as a fabrication and unprofessional and unethical media conduct. "

RFE/RL, Persian Letters blog, 26 Feb 2013, Golnaz Esfandiari: "When it comes to official censorship, Iran doesn’t appear to distinguish friends from foes. The Persian-language website of the Voice of Russia -- the international broadcaster financed by the Russian government -- said in a statement that it has been blocked in Iran since February 13. According to the statement, access to its website in Iran is now possible only by using antifiltering software and proxy sites, which Iranians use to access 'blocked Western websites.' It didn't mention that non-Western websites are also routinely blocked by Iranian officials and agencies in charge of online censorship. Voice of Russia said it received no warning from Iranian authorities and has written to the Iranian Embassy in Moscow and the Iranian Culture Ministry asking what’s behind the move."

Press TV, 28 Feb 2013: "Attempts by Western companies to suppress Iran’s satellite channels indicate that the firms are at war with Iranian media, an analyst tells Press TV. The European satellite provider Eutelsat has forced another satellite company to pull the plug on Iran’s Arabic-language al-Alam news network, as part of its war on the freedom of speech." With video.

Update: Voice of America press release, 26 Feb 2013: "Voice of America condemns the recent start of deliberate interference with its English language shortwave broadcasts into China. Monitors listening to VOA broadcasts say this interference 'appears intentional,' and is strongest in regions around Tibet and along the Indian border. 'The Chinese government has for years jammed VOA and Radio Free Asia Chinese and Tibetan language programs and blocked VOA vernacular language websites,' said VOA Director David Ensor, 'but English language programs have historically not been blocked.' ... Monitors say the interference affects about 75% of the English language transmissions to China and is similar to the type of jamming aimed at VOA Horn of Africa broadcasts, which are targeted by equipment installed by China in Ethiopia. Reports of jamming on the VOA shortwave frequencies to China began pouring in earlier this week."

VOA News, 26 Feb 2013: "VOA broadcast engineers say Radio Australia also is being jammed. At VOA headquarters in Washington, engineers say that while the agency's Chinese-language broadcasts are routinely jammed in China, its English broadcasts usually are not. They noticed the jamming of the English programs about a month ago and say it appears to use a new technology."

The Guardian, 26 Feb 2013, Jonathan Kaiman: "China has brushed off accusations of jamming the BBC's English-language World Service radio broadcasts a day after the broadcaster announced the interference. 'I don't understand this situation,' foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a daily press briefing on Tuesday, when asked to comment on the allegations. She said reporters should contact 'relevant departments' for further information, but did not specify which departments or how to contact them." -- The photo accompanying this Guardian news item is of an internet cafe. Apparently there are no shortwave radio cafes in China.

The Register, 26 Feb 2013, Phil Muncaster: "The timing is particularly suspicious, coming as it does just days after BBC journalists were detained by police after trying to film outside the Shanghai Peoples Liberation Army compound alleged by security firm Mandiant to have been the home of prolific hacking group APT1."

China Digital Times, 26 Feb 2013, Samuel Wade: "The slightly anachronistic air to the news has puzzled some, not least China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which declined to comment. ... At The Washington Post, Max Fisher suggested that the jamming might be retaliation for the BBC’s coverage of a recent report on alleged hackers in the Chinese military. ... VOA’s statement points in a different direction, however, noting that the interference is particularly intense in Tibet and along the Indian border. As self-immolations continue, Chinese authorities have fought to stem the flow of information into and out of Tibet, and state media have accused VOA broadcasts of fueling the protests by glorifying self-immolators. Officials have reportedly ordered the confiscation of TVs and dismantling of satellite dishes, but portable radios are easier to conceal, perhaps making jamming a more practical option."

The Economist, 26 Feb 2013, via The Business Insider: "The potential impact of China’s alleged computer hacking ... would be far more ominous than any attempt to block listeners in China from listening to BBC news reports read aloud in English. Anyone in China who is able to understand such a broadcast in the first place is also likely able to read all kinds of news and information in many other ways. It has been years since I fired up my own shortwave radio in Beijing, or found myself within earshot of anyone else firing up his. ... This week’s news about shortwave jamming is only a fresh reminder that—in its cyber-snooping as in other endeavours—China tends to keep an eye on the lower rungs of the technological ladder, even as it climbs ever higher."

BBG Watch, 22 Feb 2013: "At the end of today’s Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) open meeting in Washington, D.C., Ann Noonan, Executive Director of the Committee for U.S. International Broadcasting (CUSIB – cusib.org), made a short statement as a member of the public, in which she praised the BBG for addressing the Radio Liberty crisis in Russia, welcomed Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty new acting president Kevin Klose and called for the reinstatement of fired Radio Liberty Russian Service journalists. ... 'In response to the GAO Report, CUSIB remains determined to defend surrogate broadcasters and the VOA at the same time. Both were clearly designed by Congress for very good reasons. Surrogate broadcasters have a special role to play as an alternative to suppressed internal media and they can’t do the job of the Voice of America. By the same token, Congress created surrogate broadcasters because VOA has a different role. CUSIB strongly believes that we need them both.'" See also video of the BBG meeting.

Alhurra is obviously in violation of the CUSIB's vision of US international broadcasting. As described in a previous post, Alhurra "provides context and analysis to give viewers a broader understanding of the actions impacting the region [and] also provides the comprehensive coverage from the United States drawing on dedicated correspondents at the White House, State Department, Congress, and Pentagon." Because Alhurra is doing both jobs when, according to CUSIB, it can only do one job, then Alhurra should be split into two channels, one reporting on the target region, and the other reporting on the United States and the rest of the world. Audiences would have to tune to two US channels to get all the news. Audiences will not put up with such inconvenience, and will tune elsewhere, but a boondoggle is a boondoggle. And what about VOA's reporting about Africa broadcast to Africa? Doesn't VOA realize it can't do that job?

BBG Watch, 24 Feb 2013: "Even though they are not the official Radio Liberty, Radio Liberty in Exile was the first to post on the web materials marking the station’s 60th anniversary. Many in Russia see fired journalists who last September formed Radio Liberty in Exile as the real Radio Liberty upholding the traditions of the station and refer derisively to the official Radio Liberty as 'Radio Gessen.' Since October 2012, Masha Gessen has been the controversial new director of the Radio Liberty Russian Service, which is now being boycotted by many Russian opposition leaders, intellectuals, artists and journalists. Radio Liberty in Exile is planning a major event in Moscow on March 1 to mark the 60th anniversary of the first Radio Liberty Russian broadcast to the Soviet Union. It is expected to bring together many former and current Radio Liberty personalities, other independent Russian journalists, intellectuals, human rights activists and anti-Putin politicians." -- "Independent Russian journalists" and "anti-Putin politicians" perhaps do not comfortably co-exist in the same sentence.

Cold War Radios, 26 Feb 2013, Richard H. Cummings: "60 Years Ago, Radio 'Liberation' began broadcasting. On March 1, 1953, the radio station that become known as Radio Liberty began broadcasting from Lampertheim, West Germany." With history of Radio Liberty.

New York Times, 11 Feb 2013, Masha Gessen: "Moscow’s media community was shaken by the news that yet another media outlet was closing: openspace.ru, a political analysis Web site, had been shut down summarily by its owner. The editor in chief said he believed the reason was politics. The owner declined journalists’ requests for interviews, but some in the know wrote on their blogs that there was nothing political about the decision: The owner had just grown tired of financing a losing venture. The logic of these posts, which generally came from those on the opposition side of Russia’s political spectrum, was much the same as [the Russian government viewpoint]: A media outlet is a business like any other, and its proprietor is free to do with it as he or she pleases. This point of view, uninformed by any of the 20th century’s debates about the relationship between private ownership and profit-seeking on the one hand and the media’s role as a public resource on the other, is not unique to Russia. But here, where private business is under constant government pressure, it seems particularly shortsighted."

In other news about shortwave...

Radio World, 25 Jan 2013: "The National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters invites shortwave broadcasters, listeners, DXers and those with an interest in shortwave radio to its 2013 annual meeting, which will take place at shortwave station WEWN, May 15–17 in Birmingham, Ala. The meeting will include a visit to the WEWN transmitter site in the mountains on the outskirts of Birmingham. From this location, the 500 kW transmitters beam programs worldwide."

Mobile Life, 29 Jan 2013, Ketan Pratap: "In line with what is happening in the television world, the global radio space is set to revolutionise broadcasting in the long, medium and short wave bands with the help of DRM. Some of the few add-on features that DRM provides are – digital sound quality and the ease of use that comes from digital radio, combined with a wealth of enhanced features like surround sound, Journaline text information, slide shows and data services."

The LoHud Yankees Blog, 31 Jan 2013, Chad Jennings: "Sean McLernon, a 28-year-old former newspaper sports writer who now works as a reporter for a legal news publication in Manhattan ... recently completed a two-year Peace Corps stint in the Caribbean and West Africa. 'I would listen to static-filled Voice of America broadcasts on my shortwave radio in a (usually futile) attempt to hear Yankees results,' he wrote."

Radio World, 16 Jan 2013, Chris Imlay: "[I]t seems to me that AM will never get better in the worsening RF noise environment in the bands below 30 MHz. Some regulatory relief is necessary. ... {The federal Communications Commission] does not have a good handle on ambient RF noise levels and trends over time; it has uneven regulations governing noise-generating intentional, incidental and unintentional radiators; and its enforcement efforts in this context are both impractical and insufficient." -- Applies to shortwave as well as medium wave broadcast bands.

VOA Radiogram, 24 Feb 2013: "On 24 February at about 0130 UTC, The Mighty KBC, 9450 kHz via Bulgaria, transmitted MFSK16 centered on 510, 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500, and 2900 Hertz." -- In northern Virginia, three of them decoded perfectly.

Broadcasting Board of Governors Notebook, 14 Feb 2013: "Today, February 14, 2013, marks the 9th anniversary of Alhurra Television! Alhurra broadcasts objective and accurate Arabic-language news and information to 22 countries throughout the Middle East and North Africa. In addition to reporting on world events, Alhurra provides context and analysis to give viewers a broader understanding of the actions impacting the region. Alhurra also provides the comprehensive coverage from the United States drawing on dedicated correspondents at the White House, State Department, Congress, and Pentagon." -- I.e., Alhurra fulfills both the surrogate broadcasters' "mission" and VOA's "mission," all within one television channel. More convenient for the audience, more economical for the US taxpayer.

iTech Post, 9 Feb 2013, Matthew Klickstein: "Innocence of Muslims" producer Mark Basseley Youssef "told Voice of America's Radio Sawa that he graduated from Cairo University's Faculty of Arts." -- Radio Sawa is not part of VOA, either. It's under Middle East Broadcasting Networks Inc, as is Alhurra.

Years before broadcast satellites were common, shortwave radio "enabled regional and global broadcasters to transcend traditional borders." And perhaps with more impact, because the audience was divided among fewer shortwave broadcasters than among the later and larger number of satellite channels. Then there are the social media: While, in past years, VOA as a shortwave broadcaster could claim to have 120 million listeners, VOA as a Facebook page must face the fact that it has 1.01 billion competitors.

This blog entry is tongue-in-cheek, but the writer's characterizations of VOA seem intentional. Does The Guardian or anyone else refer to BBC World Service as "the official external broadcast network of the UK government" or as a "propaganda tool"?

"What's best"? No wonder VOA has an identity problem from which it may never ascend. This is why I favor not only the consolidation of USIB, but also a complete rebranding.

SW Radio Africa, 20 Feb 2013, Violet Gonda: "Police have announced a ban on ‘specially designed radios’ that are ‘not compatible with state owned stations’, claiming the devices would be used to communicate hate speech ahead of polls scheduled for this year. ... The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA-Zimbabwe) said there is no clarity on what exactly these ‘communications devices’ that were confiscated were, as well as the lack of clarity on what basis the radio sets or their distribution is also deemed illegal. 'A reading of Section 38B of the Broadcasting Services Act states that one is not prohibited from possession of a receiver as long as it is in accordance with the terms and conditions of a listener’s licence as issued by the ZBC.' ... Co-Home Affairs Minister Teresa Makoni revealed, through her Facebook page, that all radios that are receivers only, without ability to transmit, are perfectly legal and that there is no law at present which disallows anyone donating radios to the public. However the minister said she held lengthy discussions with Police Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri, who said he is concerned that NGOs always intensify distribution just before elections."

VOA Studio 7, 20 Feb 2013, Tatenda Gumbo, Loirdham Moyo and Ntungamili Nkomo: "Zimbabwe’s Co-Home Affairs Ministers responded Wednesday to a nationwide ban of communication devices by police saying they cannot confiscate radios unless they can prove that the radios are illegal transmitters, not simply receivers. Minister Theresa Makone told VOA that she, along with co-minister Kembo Mohadi, met with Police Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri, and instructed him to halt confiscations."

The Herald (Harare, state controlled), 20 Feb 2013, Freeman Razemba, via AllAfrica.com: "Although police could not give figures yesterday, sources said hundreds of such devices, including specially designed radios, have been confiscated, especially in the rural areas. It is illegal for anyone to possess or operate signal transmission equipment other than in accordance with a licence issued by either the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe or Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe."

ZimEye, 21 Feb 2013: "Mr. Jameson Timba [Minister of State in Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s party] said the police action does not make sense. 'It is inconceivable that police can purportedly ban radio receivers. The only radios that require licensing before use are two-way radio communicators not receivers. This is paranoia,' he said. He said he would defy the police order and would actually be distributing the radio receivers all the more."

The Times (London), 21 Feb 2013, Jan Raath, via The Australian: "For the past eight years, Morgan Tsvangirai's party and various pro-democracy organisations have been distributing tiny short-wave radios in the country's impoverished rural areas. Mr Mugabe fears that the solar/wind-up radios, manufactured in South Africa, are enabling otherwise unconnected residents to hear broadcasts from overseas, including the BBC and other international stations. Before the radios, the only source of news and comment for rural Zimbabweans was the propaganda of state radio and its praise for Mr Mugabe, who is described as 'the liberator'. The state station is Zimbabwe's only legal one and it reaches less than 30 per cent of the country. The short-wave radios are popular, and informal 'radio clubs' have developed in villages, where people congregate nightly at the home of a neighbour who owns one." -- The radios are probably manufactured in China.

The Zimbabwean, 20 Feb 2013: "Access to information is a fundamental part of freedom of expression which will assist citizens in making informed decisions and choices during the referendum and the forthcoming elections. It is therefore critical that the police in their efforts to maintain law and order, should not unilaterally infringe the public’s right to information, especially as the country heads for the referendum and elections."

It appears that a Zimbabwean prohibition on two-way radios is being used as an excuse to confiscate small shortwave receivers. An irony of this episode is that Zimbabwe uses shortwave for its official domestic and international broadcasting.

Reporters sans frontières, 6 Feb 2013: "Reporters Without Borders is Bobs’ premium partner."

Critical Distance Weblog, 7 Feb 2013, Jonthan Marks: "If Blogs had just been invented, then an award scheme might be a good idea. But nine years later, I believe the Bobs have become totally irrelevant."

Digital TV Europe, 15 Feb 2013: "News channel Euronews has signed an agreement with Abu Dhabi-based Etisalat to join its platform. The deal means that Euronews will be available to the subscribers of Etisalat in the UAE, covering 450,000 households. Following this agreement, Euronews is now connected to 18 million households in the Middle East. Arnaud Verlhac, Euronews deputy director of worldwide distribution said: '... Thanks to Etisalat’s offer, the channel is available 24/7 in Arabic, but also in nine other language options for its international customers, including expatriates who constitute 38% of the channel’s Middle East audience.'"

Sky News Arabia press release, 4 Feb 2013: "Egyptian actor and celebrity Hesham Selim will host Hiwar Al Qahira, a new Egypt-focused weekly discussion show on Sky News Arabia. An extension of Sky News Arabia’s popular weeknight Hiwar Al Laila programme, Hiwar Al Qahira, or the 'Cairo Dialogue', will feature live discussions with studio guests on key political, social and economic developments in Egypt and from across the Arab world as seen from an Egyptian perspective. ... An Egyptian icon and Cairo native, Selim has been a staple on Arab cinema screens for over four decades and is well respected for his versatility as an actor."

Indiantelevision.com, 4 Feb 2013, onpassing apparent press release: "CCTV America, the US production arm of China's CCTV News, has expanded its programming with the launch of a new two hour edition of Biz Asia America, 7 pm to 9 pm eastern standard time beginning 4 February. CCTV America was launched on February 6, 2012 to provide both North American and global viewers, additional perspectives on China, world and U-S developments. The move was part of the effort by CCTV News to increase the quality, breadth, and reach of the its global news channel founded in April 2010. The program combines business news with in depth global news reports from an increasing line-up of Correspondents across Asia, South America, Africa, and Europe. The increase in broadcast hours allows CCTV America to explore comprehensively global issues which other news channels treat in a repetitive, headline format. The new programming team is anchored by Phillip Yin, Mike Walter, and Elaine Reyes in Washington and Michelle Makori in New York. Joining the CCTV America team, the newest addition is Anand Naidoo, former anchor at CNN International and Al Jazeera English. Special segments of the new program will highlight developments in new technology with regular reports from Silicon Valley. The two hour program also increases CCTV News' commitment to coverage of Central and South America. CCTV has also assembled a new team assembled in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo to explore the growth of Brazil. An expanded operation in Mexico City will complement a continuing presence in Havana, Buenos Aires, Bogota, and Lima to provide more extensive coverage of this region than any other English language news broadcaster."

Apparently, "Director, Global" is not to be confused with "Director of BBC Global News," a position now filled by Peter Horrocks. I am, nevertheless, confused. I associate "editorial" with news and opinion pieces, but this use of "editorial" seems to be different. See also previous post about BBC Worldwide's new Global Editorial Director.

The Guardian, 14 Feb 2013, Tara Conlan: "Hall said of Davie's new global role in an email to staff on Thursday morning: 'He will be responsible for developing the BBC's global brand and editorial strategy. Specifically, he will lead our efforts to offer a joined-up BBC across markets and genres around the world.' ... The BBC will now advertise for a new director of news and director of television. Candidates for news are likely to include the director of global news, Peter Horrocks, and acting vision director, Roger Mosey." Also Tony Hall's email to staff via The Guardian, 14 Feb 2013.

The Guardian, Media Monkey, 17 Feb 2013: "These are sweaty times for Peter Horrocks, the BBC's director, global news, following two significant announcements last week: the rapid return of 'runaway bride' Liam Keelan to the Beeb (he agreed to run Sky1 but then jilted Stuart Murphy at the altar) as global editorial director, BBC Worldwide; and more worryingly the awarding of extra powers to Tim Davie, once he becomes BBC Worldwide boss, adding the grandiose if incomprehensible title of 'director of global'. For the moment 'Never Mind The' Horrocks is an emperor of news, ruling 2,500 people in 113 countries; but he may be getting the feeling that he doesn't figure prominently in the incoming regime's plans."

BBC Sport web page: "Q: Why is the BBC iPhone app only available outside the United Kingdom? A: The BBC Trust has announced a review of the BBC's plans to deliver content via dedicated smartphone apps. The BBC will therefore not be launching news and sports apps for smartphones in the UK pending the outcome of the Trust review. However, the iPhone app is a commercial activity outside the UK and is not covered by the Trust review."

@sambrook, 18 Feb 2013: "@kaedotcom there's already a UK sports app..."

WorldTribune.com, 14 Feb 2013, Cliff Kincaid: "DLA’s top lobbyist on the Al Jazeera account is a Republican, Mark R. Paoletta, who used to work for President George H.W. Bush. ... Al Jazeera critic Jerry Kenney points out that these discussions are being held 'behind closed doors' and that Congress is getting only one side of the story. 'This is proof of why we need public hearings into Al Jazeera,' he said. ... The term 'informational communications' is a euphemism for making sure that Congress does not stand in the way of the deal. The lobbying activity suggests that the thousands of telephone calls to Congress about stopping the deal, or at least investigating the transaction, are having some impact and that Al Jazeera is starting to get worried."

Politico, 14 Feb 2013, Dylan Byers: "Naomi Wolf, the author and activist, is in early-stage talks with the global news network Al Jazeera, POLITICO has learned. Wolf, who currently writes a column for The Guardian, confirmed the news late Thursday night but stressed that the talks were in the earliest stages and that no job offer was on the table. ... "It's notable and kind of sad that non-U.S. based news sites are able to run pieces of mine that don't as easily find a home in American publications. As an American who cares about civil liberties, it's good for all of us that the Guardian and Al Jazeera are doing the work they're doing,' she said. 'It is good for civil society in America.'"

ShowbizSpy, 6 Feb 2013: "Ann Curry is in talks with Al Jazeera America. The former Today show co-host has been approached by Al Jazeera America about the possibility of working for the soon to be launched U.S. branch of the Qatar government owned company."

Al Jazeera English, The Stream, 12 Feb 2013: "On Tuesday, a writer for the Washington Post mistakenly reported that former governor of Alaska and vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin was hired as a host for the upcoming Al Jazeera America channel. The article, which has since been corrected, cited claims from The Daily Currant that Palin had been tapped for a key role in the new network. Writer Suzi Parker did not notice, however, that The Daily Currant is a satirical site."

The Daily Caller, 12 Feb 2013, Nicole Lafond: "Aides to former Democratic Vice President Al Gore have failed to respond to a recent Al-Jazeera [Arabic] TV broadcast, in which a top imam affirmed the Death Penalty for anyone who quits Islam. ... Western critics of Islam highlighted a recent broadcast of the network’s regular 'Shariah and Life' show, which has an estimated audience of 60 million viewers worldwide. The show’s host is Yusuf al-Qaradawi, a prominent Sunni Islamic cleric."

Pierce County (WI) Herald, 13 Feb 2013, letter from Jennie Hanson: "I’ve lived in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia for six years. At first I, too, was skeptical about Al Jazeera, but soon learned that Al Jazeera English is considered worldwide to be an outstanding news station. ... Al Jazeera is best compared to BBC. It recognizes there is a great, big world 'out there' and reports from all corners of the globe. There is no Hollywood fluff, no nonstop coverage of one big story for days on end or talking heads’ extremist viewpoints passed off as 'news.'"

The Guardian, 10 Feb 2013, Bob Garfield: "Trrrrrrrinnnng. Al-Jazeera calls. Yes, calling you. You are being offered a job funded by the Emir of Qatar, a petro-rich sheik. Al-Jazeera is one of the most significant news organizations of the past 20 years, covering the Arab world with a degree of depth and scope unprecedented in the region, where otherwise redlines abound for national media in every country. It does a pretty good job covering the rest of the world, too. But to repeat, it is bankrolled by petro-royalty in a country that is nobody's idea of a liberal democracy."

Variety, 9 Feb 2013, Nick Vivarelli: "In the U.S., Al Jazeera English will feature 'more U.S. news than foreign,' according to Al Jazeera U.S. spokesman Stan Collender, who characterized the new entity as 'a completely new all-news channel.' Some 60% of the news content will be produced in the U.S., and the remaining 40% will come from Al Jazeera English."

GOPUSA, 4 Feb 2013, Cliff Kincaid: "[A]n aide to Rep. Michael McCaul, newly appointed chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, says he does not want the 'agenda' of the committee driven by the hundreds of Americans calling his office at 202-226-8417 and requesting an investigation of Al Jazeera’s terrorist ties."

Huffington Post, 2 Feb 2013, Danny Shea: "Can Al Jazeera make it in America? Former CNN/US president Jon Klein thinks so, as he told HuffPost Live host Ahmed Shihab-Eldin Friday. ... 'So you hire Matt Taibbi, and now you have an American who casts a critical eye. Hire half the staff of "60 Minutes," and now you have Americans who are telling these stories,' Klein said. 'That part of it is not the difficult part of it. The difficult part is what they've already mastered, which is doing the substantive reporting.'" With video.

Policymic, 2 Feb 2013, Sabith Khan: "While the U.S struggles to win 'hearts and minds' in the Middle East, I think letting Al Jazeera operate freely and with little interference will boost American credibility more than setting up failed propaganda machines such as Alhurra TV. I believe Al Jazeera’s recent expansion is a positive move and will do America a lot of good, both politically and in terms of increasing the diversity of perspectives. It would also perhaps help many Americans learn the value of questioning authority – something that seems to be absent in the media landscape here. While there are no laws restricting foreign ownership of a cable channel, this expansion of Al Jazeera and the resulting push back can be seen as a negative consequence of globalization in reverse – something that American businessmen and politicians are not appreciating very much. While American firms are present around the world and CNN and Alhurra TV (the propaganda network set by the American administration in the Middle East) post-Iraq War continue to operate with relative little interference, the same freedom has not been given to Al Jazeera. This is rather unfortunate."

Huffington Post, 29 Jan 2013, Nikolas Kozloff: "Fatigued by CNN's centrist mediocrity and predictable rancor between MSNBC and Fox, the U.S. public just might be ready for a more fearless cable voice. Perhaps, Al Jazeera America can succeed by rising above the fray and appealing to a more thoughtful constituency which is post-partisan in nature. ... If it is shrewd, Al Jazeera America might frame [its] debates in a manner that is inherently radical but not overtly politicized. In the event that network programming avoids shrill theatrics while incorporating decent production values, then Al Jazeera America just might gain traction."

Huffington Post, 23 Jan 2013, Nida Khan: "If there were ever any doubt as to the magnitude of the dumbing down of our society, one need only look at the case of CNN. CNN international -- globally respected and recognized for its extensive reporting, coverage and analysis -- is in stark contrast with CNN domestic. Aside from one hour dedicated to international news, CNN domestic has lost sight of many of the core principles that brought viewers to tune in decades ago. ... As long as they remain committed to their ideals of substantive newsgathering, as long as they don't water down their coverage, as long as they remember to prioritize disseminating information before corporate dollars and as long as they are not afraid to continue pushing the envelope, Al Jazeera America could finally offer a tangible bridge between 'us' and 'them.' Now imagine that."

OpEdNews.com, 23 Jan 2013, Danny Schechter: "Al Jazeera can't rest on its laurels or even its current Third World-oriented programming mix. It can't be seen just as a better BBC with more Arabic flavoring or show how well it can cover an uncovered serving crew of haircuts and info pretension. An Al Jazeera America needs to plug into and resonate with American sensibilities and our mix of opinion from A to Z, not just A to B."

See previous post about same subject.

Ahram Online, 5 Feb 2013: "BBC Arabic on [5 February] denied reports that it had carried out an opinion poll on the popularity of the National Salvation Front, Egypt's largest coalition of secular-leaning opposition groups. On Monday various Egyptian media outlets, including the Muslim Brotherhood's official website, reported that BBC Arabic television carried out a two-day opinion poll that revealed that 82 per cent of Egyptians are opposed to the NSF. ... According to the statement, [a BBC Arabic] programme's routine e-voting process merely reflects views of participating audience members, rather than public opinion."

IDG News Service, 15 Feb 2013, John Ribeiro, via Computerworld: "Egypt's telecom regulator says it is not viable for it to follow a court order to block YouTube in the country, and is appealing the ruling. The order banning YouTube and some other websites for 30 days was issued by a Cairo court after it was brought to its notice that there was a proliferation of links to clips of the controversial 'Innocence of Muslims' video, which is said to portray the Prophet Muhammad in a derogatory manner. The country's Ministry of Information Technology and Communications and the National Telecommunication Regulatory Authority decided after a meeting that to block YouTube would technically affect the use of Google search in Egypt with economic consequences to the country, according to a ministry statement."

I suppose "Radio Free Asia" makes the editorial's point better than the more vanilla "Voice of America." But VOA was broadcasting news about North Korea into North Korea years before RFA came along. Furthermore, only VOA presently has access to a medium wave transmitter in South Korea.

BBG Watch also sides with RFA over VOA in the War of the Entities by providing more disinformation about VOA...

BBG Watch, 15 Feb 2013: "Surrogate broadcasters like Radio Free Asia (RFA) provide local news content and specialization that other broadcasters, including the Voice of America (VOA), which is important for other reasons, simply cannot offer. Voice of America is important because it offers an authoritative presentation of American policies and opinions, which is critical for countries like North Korea, whose regime is both unpredictable and controls nuclear weapons. Radio Free Asia has a much more focused mission of in reporting on and analyzing internal political, social and economic developments in North Korea. Both missions are important in keeping the population of North Korea informed about both external and internal developments that affect the lives and security of both North Korea and the United States."

Of course, VOA is much more than "an authoritative presentation of American policies and opinions." The word "presentation" makes it seem like VOA is an infomercial for the United States. Actually, VOA reports on US policies towards North Korea. But more than that, VOA is offering the news about North Korea that BBG Watch says that it "simply cannot offer." Have a look this page of the VOA Korean website, and Google-translate it.

And, so, VOA and RFA are chasing many of the same stories about North Korea. This is duplication, a significant form of waste in federal spending. The duplication could be ended by ordering VOA to cease all of its reporting about North Korea. Then the North Koreans would be forced to tune to two stations, different times, different frequencies, to get all the news that they need (as if listening to foreign radio is not difficult enough in North Korea). Such a ridiculuous concept makes sense only to bureaucrats and to the anonymous commentators of BBG Watch.

Radio Free Asia, 30 Jan 2013, Xin Lin/Luisetta Mudie: "China has one of the world's worst records on press freedom, with controls on state-run media and netizens showing no signs of abating, according to a new report Wednesday by Paris-based global media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF)."

Reporters sans frontières, 5 Feb 2013: "Reporters Without Borders strongly condemns the Chinese government’s readiness to violate the confidentiality of sources, which has jeopardized the safety of New York Times journalists and their sources in China. The newspaper has been subjected to growing harassment in recent months. An article about outgoing Premier Wen Jiabao’s fortune was censored. The authorities refused to issue or renew visas and accreditation for its journalists. And now it turns out that it has been the target of cyber-attacks for months."

The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Feb 2013, Patrick Brzeski: "News that The New York Times and other major U.S. news organizations have been targeted by Chinese hackers suspected to be affiliated with the country's government has captivated U.S. media and foreign policy observers. But back in China, TV news audiences have been left in the dark. CNN International's coverage of the story was blacked out by Chinese censors when it aired [31 January] in China, a CNN spokeswoman said in confirming a report by the Huffington Post. 'Yes, our CNNI signal was blocked in China while we reported on the New York Times hacking story,' she said without commenting further."

Recommended reading. This is a good overview of VOA's present activities. I think, however, "beacon of hope" and "source of hope" are not the best words to describe a news organization, if VOA wishes to be perceived as a news organization.

UNESCO World Radio Day website, Vasiliy Strelnikov, host of "From Russia With Love" on Voice of Russia: "Radio is my old love, from childhood. I was born and grew up in the United States and there I felt in love with radio. I was always impressed by the process itself when on the one side there is a person in front of the microphone and on the other side, somewhere far away from him, there is a listener in front of the radio. And it keeps surprising me how one can influence another at such a great distance. In this sense, radio was always something magical for me. ... In the Soviet period when there was only propaganda on-air I managed to make an entertainment rock-n-roll music radio show amid all this propaganda, the program was called the 'Listeners’ Request Club'. This time we just wanted to make something the same."

See also the World Radio Day home page.

Broadcasting Board of Governors press release, 13 Feb 2013: "Today is World Radio, and BBG would like to celebrate our radio broadcasters as they work to provide news and information to those who need it most. In 2012, our broadcasters produced thousands of hours of radio programming to 96 million people around the globe, many of whom live in oppressive societies and who depend on us for news and information. BBG and its broadcasters need to be flexible and adapt rapidly to developments in communication technologies and the censorship efforts of hostile regimes. In addition to short wave and AM/FM frequencies, programming is distributed in non-conventional ways, such as over satellite, streaming audio on the Internet, podcasts and even thumb drives! Our broadcasters also use social media, email and SMS to further engage their audiences in issues that affect them."

Reporters sans frontières, 13 Feb 2013: "The intermittent blocking of local retransmission by foreign stations such as RFI in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the BBC in Rwanda or Voice of America in Ethiopia and the jamming of exile radio stations such as Radio Erena in repressive Eritrea highlight the problem of government hostility to radio. ... [R]adio broadcasting, like TV broadcasting, is closely controlled by the most authoritarian governments in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. There is no sign of political or social debate on Turkmenistan’s radio stations, which are all state owned. There is no criticism of the government on Azerbaijani, Uzbek or Kazakh FM radio. But foreign-based stations broadcasting mainly on the Internet – such as Echoes of Moscow, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty and the BBC – play a key role in breaking the news blockade in these countries. The local-language services of RFE/RL and the BBC (some of which are threatened with closure) provide rare job opportunities to Belarusian, Azerbaijani, Turkmen and Uzbek independent journalists."

Institute for War & Peace Reporting, 30 Jan 2013, Alejandro Tur Valladares: "Gualdo Ramírez, who represents teleSUR in Cuba ... noted that teleSur seeks to disseminate the ideas of the Bolivarian Revolution, the movement led by Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez."

Huffington Post, 22 Jan 2013, Yoani Sanchez, Cuban blogger: "The 'leaked' satellite TV or the biased vision of TeleSUR are not, today, our only choices. For months now the alternative market offerings have been widening, with collections that join documentaries and series. A kind of on-demand television, a programming for every taste, distributed on digital media such as hard drives and USB flash memories."

See previous post about same subject.

BBC Worldwide press release, 30 Jan 2013: "BBC Worldwide has inked a deal that will see the inaugural launch of three of BBC’s pay TV channels in Cambodia– BBC World News, BBC Knowledge and BBC Lifestyle on Cambodia’s newest digital pay TV platform, One TV."

TPM, 31 Jan 2013, David Taintor: "One woman wrote in to ask, 'Can the rest of the world be persuaded to give up their arsenal when the image of the United States is that of the world's bully? Don't we indeed need to change the perception and the reality before asking folks to lay down their arms, nuclear or otherwise?' Hagel responded on-air, 'Well, her observation is a good one and it's relevant. Yes to her question.' Cruz used the woman's question -- and Hagel's answer -- to suggest that the defense secretary nominee agreed with the statement." -- My interpretation of the woman's words is that the United States has the image of a bully, not that the United States is a bully. It appears that Senator Hagel was agreeing with that interpretation of what the woman had written.

TPM, 12 Feb 2013, Tom Kludt: "Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member James Inhofe (R-OK) on Tuesday commended Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) for playing a footage of an 2009 appearance that defense secretary nominee Chuck Hagel made on Al Jazeera during last month's testy confirmation hearing. Inhofe thanked Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI) for 'bending the rules a little bit' in allowing Cruz to play the footage during the hearing." With video.

US Department of the Treasury press release, 6 Feb 2013: "According to human rights groups, Iran is using state-media transmissions to trample dissent. They point to distorted or false IRIB news reports and the broadcasting of forced confessions of political detainees, such as one involving Newsweek journalist Maziar Bahari, who was forced to give a false confession in front of state media outlets while jailed in 2009. In March 2012, the European Union placed individual sanctions on Zarghami for authorizing, as head of IRIB, the broadcast in August 2009 and December 2011 of forced confessions of detainees and 'show trials' that constituted a clear violation of international provisions on fair trial and the right to due process. Additionally, Iran is engaged in a campaign to filter out unwanted TV content and broadcast its own propaganda. After the 2009 presidential election in Iran, jamming of foreign channels, particularly the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Voice of America (VOA), increased in intensity. Then, in the wake of the Arab Spring movements, Iran increased its jamming of the BBC, VOA, and other Western networks with Persian-language news channels. The move was intended to prevent Iranian audiences from seeing foreign broadcasts that the Iranian government found objectionable. Zarghami has admitted using such tactics, according to Iranian state media reports."

Reuters, 11 Feb 2013: "Iran's English-language Press TV channel has been dropped from the satellite platform that allowed it to broadcast in the United States and Canada, the channel said. The state-owned, 24-hour network broadcasts world news and pro-government views beyond Iran's borders. Press TV had broadcast in North America on the Galaxy 19 satellite platform. The channel did not say when it was dropped."

Press TV, 9 Feb 2013: "Press TV has announced a new frequency for viewers in the United States and Canada after the Iranian channel was removed from the Galaxy 19 satellite platform. ... In order to watch Press TV in the US and Canada, viewers can use the following frequency on Galaxy 19: Frequency 12028 MHz. Polarization H (horizontal polarization). Symbol rate 21991Msym. FEC 3/4."

Pravda, 5 Feb 2013: "Iran's ambassador in Madrid, Morteza Saffari, rejected the attitude of the Spanish authorities to prohibit the transmission of the channels Hispan TV and Iranian Press TV. He also warned about avoiding the worsening of bilateral relations between the two countries. The Iranian government presented a formal complaint against Spain before the Court of the European Union, following the suspension of the transmission of channels Hispan TV and Iranian Press TV within Spanish territory."

Press TV, 30 Jan 2013: "First anniversary of Iran’s Hispan TV. On January 31, 2012 The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) inaugurated the Spanish-language international HD channel, Hispan TV, which broadcasts round-the-clock news, entertainment, and educational programs."

Khaama Press, 29 Jan 2013, Sajad: "[L]ack of reading culture specifically newspapers has paved the way for majority of Afghans to listen programs and news broadcasted by various radio stations which can be accessed easily by ordinary Afghans. Among the various radio stations which are actively operating in Afghanistan is Jawanan (Youth) FM which is being operated by a group of young Afghan women. Youth FM is broadcasting 24/7 that broadcasts news, entertainment, music, literature and social programs. ... Previously Afghan media consumers were receiving news via the BBC Pashto and Persian services, as well as the Voice of America on medium- and short-wave broadcasts from neighboring countries. The Taliban had its own medium-wave religious broadcasts out of Kabul and major cities, on antiquated Soviet-era transmitters." -- "Previously"?

Radio Zamaneh, 6 Feb 2013: "Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence has issued a second statement regarding the arrest of a number of journalists in the past week, once again accusing them of having links to foreign media. In a statement issued on February 5, the ministry accused the detainees of having connections with the BBC and claimed their case is similar to those of documentary makers and voice actors involved in dubbing films who’ve faced arrest in recent years. ... The arrest of documentary makers in September of 2011 was also attributed to collaboration with Persian BBC. BBC denied having any employees in Iran and disputed the charges put forth by Iranian authorities."

Fars News Agency, 9 Feb 2013: "[M]ember of the parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Nozar Shafiyee [said] that the US and British intelligence agencies try to identify potential assets via BBC Persian, the Voice of America (VOA) and media organizations, and use them against Iran. In a statement released last month, the Iranian Intelligence Ministry dismissed the western media ballyhoo about the recent arrests in Iran in the last few days, and said it is conducting thorough investigations into the case, which has already led to an established link between the detainees and the BBC. The statement said the intelligence ministry 'has succeeded in uncovering one of the biggest networks (of informants and agents) linked with the media camp of the arrogant powers'. The ministry statement said 'the network was run by the British government's psychological operations organization (known as the BBC) in cooperation with several western governments and used a multilayer, extensive and well-equipped structure and very special methods of communications for sending its reports', adding that the BBC and its western co-conspirators used the experience they had gained in the post-election unrests in Iran in June 2009 to better run the network."

RFE/RL, 30 Jan 2013: "Like their counterparts at the BBC and other international media, at least three Radio Farda journalists have been the subject of fake Facebook profiles and blogs that post false and even scandalous information with the aim of discrediting them. Radio Farda’s Facebook page, which has more than 300,000 fans, has also been hacked. ... Radio Farda journalists have also suffered synchronized attacks by Trojan horse viruses, which come cloaked as legitimate e-mail correspondence or attachments that, when opened, can mine the user's computer for contacts, passwords, and other sensitive data. In some cases hackers have used the data to pose as Radio Farda contacts and attempt to communicate with radio employees. 'It’s ridiculous,' said Radio Farda Editor-in-Chief Niusha Boghrati. 'We believe this is the work of Iranian security agents. Although we can’t prove it, it is in line with their goal of undermining Radio Farda. And of course it won’t work.'"

RFE/RL, 28 Jan 2013: "Human Rights group Amnesty International has called on Iranian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release 14 journalists who were detained as part of raids on Iranian newspapers. The journalists are reportedly accused of cooperating with 'antirevolutionary' Persian-language media organizations based outside of Iran, such as RFE/RL’s Radio Farda, the Voice of America, and the BBC."

Allvoices, 28 Jan 2013, Stephen Manual: "Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is notorious for crackdowns against media and journalists. Reporters are not allowed to work for foreign media or even Persian-language newspapers and TV channels based in the United Kingdom and other European countries."

New York Times, 28 Jan 2013, Rick Gladstone: "The Mehr news agency said the arrested journalists had been accused of 'collaborating with some of the Persian-language foreign media' -- apparently an allusion to the Persian services of both the BBC and the Voice of America. The Fars news agency, without citing any sources, said the suspects had tried to contact the foreign media and had sought training on photography and filming with cellphone cameras. 'Moreover, they wanted to learn how to assemble the pieces and send them to the BBC,' Fars said."

BBC News, 28 Jan 2013: "Iran-based family members of BBC journalists have been called in for questioning by the intelligence services, and false websites and Facebook accounts have been created to smear presenters and other personnel with various allegations, including sexual misconduct. The head of BBC Persian, Sadeq Saba, said it was not the first time the Iranian authorities had resorted to such tactics, but that the number of incidents and level of harassment had increased in the last few weeks. Iran accused the BBC of inciting unrest after the disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2009. BBC Persian broadcast online videos and interviewed protesters, who described deaths, injuries and arbitrary arrests carried out by security forces."

Salon, 28 Jan 2013, Ali Akbar Dareini: "In recent years, Iran has denounced Voice of America and the BBC’s Persian service, describing them as arms of U.S. and British intelligence agencies, and has warned of severe repercussions for Iranian journalists and activists caught having contacts with these outlets."

AP, 31 Jan 2013, Jason Rezaian: "Iran's Intelligence Ministry issued a statement [that] said, 'The collected data from the detained individuals' links to the BBC are strong and undisputable in court.' The ministry went on to say that it had been tracking a network of individuals who worked for the BBC, warning that there would be more arrests in the coming days in its fight against what it called a 'psychological war' being waged against Iran by its foreign enemies."

See previous post about same subject.

I congratulate Ross Johnson and Gene Parta on this important paper (and I should have paid more attention to it when it was published in November 2012). I support their two main proposals: 1) consolidation of the entities of US international broadcasting into a single single, non-federal, congressionally-funded broadcasting organization, and 2) the positioning of USIB as "distinct from public diplomacy and from strategic communications."

I also disagree with Ross and Gene on the role of US private international media. They write:

"USIB should avoid entanglement with commercial media networks, such as CNN International, Fox International and CNBC International. These for-profit organizations do not fill the same function as USIB and should not, in any way, be linked to it. These commercial media networks, despite claims of objectivity, often do present a point of view and broadcast style that would be detrimental were it to be identified with USIB. Co-mingling USIB with commercial broadcast operations would diminish its role of supporting freedom and democracy and compromise USIB’s independent identity as congressionally-funded in the national interest."

If the private US media and USIB are doing news correctly, then they do "fill the same function." One side is funded through advertising, the other by the taxpayers, but otherwise the product is the same. It is to the advantage of US taxpayers that US international broadcasting be conducted as much as possible by the private sector, at no cost to US taxpayers.

If the Johnson/Parta recommendations are not heeded, USIB will remain a feudal confederacy of overlapping bureaucracies, and an untenable mix of news and public diplomacy. In this case, the only successful and meaningful US international broadcasting in an increasingly complex global media environment will be from the private sector.

Update: Critical Distance Weblog, 10 Feb 2013, Jonathan Marks: "In the current tide of vitriolic personal and very public battles that seem to have engulfed the US Broadcasting Board of Governors, it is refreshing to discover a new discussion paper with a different approach. In fact, it's a 24 page road-map which is a considered contribution to the discussion of where-to-next. ... •USIB as a single independent entity could make much more use of access to other resources which broadcasters are often blind to. I would argue that the goal should be to set up US International Media, a trusted independent foundation. It does anything that is necessary to ensure that citizens of the world have access to intelligent thoughts, ideas and discussions. ... •There are areas of the world where access is blocked by local government, for whatever reason. These are the targets where the US needs to focus on its broadcast strategy - using any relevant mix of media that the audience is already using." -- The media that can get into a country where access to foreign media is blocked may not be the media that (most of) the audience is already using. This necessitates a communication strategy that involves a small audience coupled with a "multiplier effect."

Rapid TV News, 24 Jan 2013, Pascale Paoli-Lebailly: "France Télévisions' president Rémy Pflimlin has been named president of TV5Monde's board of administrators. Pflimlin replaces Marie-Christine Saragosse, former TV5Monde managing director and new CEO of Audiovisuel Extérieur de la France (AEF). The appointment is part of TV5Monde's shareholder shake-up planned by the French Government and approved by other country partners Canada, Belgium, Quebec, Switzerland. Next month, TV5Monde stakes will be majority owned by France Télévisions and French-speaking partners. The French pubcaster, which contributes to TV5Monde's programming grid for around 1/3 of the schedules of the network's nine international feeds, will then hold 49% of the shares. AEF will have 12.58% and be represented by an administrator. RTBF and SSR own 11.11%, Radio-Canada 6.67%, Télé-Québec 4.44%, Arte France 3.29%, l'INA 1.74% and company managers 0.06%."

Deutsche Welle press release, 5 Feb 2013: "Claus Stäcker, 45, is the new head of DW’s Africa program, which targets listeners and Internet users in Sub-Saharan Africa. It offers shortwave radio programs and online content in six languages: Amharic, English, French, Hausa, Kiswahili and Portuguese. The shows and reports, produced by DW, are rebroadcast by around 280 partner stations in the region. Stäcker studied journalism in Leipzig. He first travelled to South Africa as part of a university exchange program in 1992. In the same year, he started to work for German public broadcasters MDR and DLF. In 1994 he witnessed the end of Apartheid and the resulting South African parliamentary elections as a freelance correspondent for the German press. After further study at the US School of Journalism at the University of Missouri, Stäcker worked as a freelance correspondent for ARD in South Africa until 2008, when he officially became the ARD correspondent for southern Africa."

From Dr. Metzgar's paper:

"Until legislation that creates a single executive for the BBG and then authorizes that executive to make decisions reaching across the five broadcasters and other BBG administrators, debate about everything from content delivery to budget requests to implementation of the strategic plan risks looking like wasted energy. Indeed, barring passage of such transformative legislation, it seems unlikely that any decisions that manage to emerge from the current structure could do more than nibble around the edges of the 'illogical patchwork' that is contemporary U.S. international broadcasting.

"Of all the issues surrounding USIB, this is the one most worthy of prompt Congressional intervention. The status quo allows various interests to play against one another in an effort to influence broadcast efforts for personal, political or bureaucratic gain, but such intragovernmental infighting benefits no one, least of which the audiences that this American public diplomacy tool purports to serve or the country in whose name the tool is wielded. One hopes that 2013 will bring the introduction of legislation and with it Congressional hearings that will result in substantive oversight, transparent policy debate, establishment of meaningful performance indicators, and ultimately, a measure of order to the 'illogical patchwork' that has been American international broadcasting in the post-Cold War era."

Dr. Metzgar's paper provides a very good and thoroughly documented overview of US international broadcasting. Each of the entities of USIB is described in a separate section. There is also useful history of recent legislation pertaining to USIB. The section on Radio Free Asia does not discuss the false premises about VOA that were used to justify the creation of RFA. This topic, however, would require a paper unto itself. Of course, I agree with Dr. Metzgar's recommendation about the creation of a single executive for USIB. As discussed in a previous post, that CEO must be appointed by the BBG, not by the president.

See previous post about another paper on the organization of US international broadcasting.

North Korea Tech, 30 Jan 2013, Martyn Williams: "Pyongyang Broadcasting Station (평양방송), North Korea’s Korean-language radio station aimed at nearby countries, is launching a website this week, according to announcements made Tuesday on domestic and international broadcasts. The new website will be called 'Grand National Unity' and will be available at www.gnu.rep.kp from February 1st, according to the announcements. That site currently holds a test page for the Apache web server. The site is the latest from the country carrying national news and propaganda to international audiences. While its adoption of the Internet for propagation of information has been slow, it has been steady and new sites have slowly been appearing. Other prominent sites include the Rodong Sinmun, the country’s main daily newspaper, and the official Korea Central News Agency. ... ... [Multilingual shortwave broadcaster] Voice of Korea currently has a web site. Pyongyang Broadcasting Station, with its overseas audience, is a natural second candidate for a home page."

NBC News, 7 Feb 2013, Ed Flanagan: "A controversial new documentary released by Chinese state broadcaster, CCTV, is alleging that the American government’s official broadcaster, Voice of America, is encouraging Tibetans to set themselves on fire. The story comes as China braces itself for the 100th Tibetan self-immolation since 2009. The 25-minute documentary ... showed a Tibetan man in a hospital bed who allegedly attempted to self-immolate. Seemingly prompted to explain why he had attempted to light himself on fire, the man says, 'I did it after watching VOA, I saw the photographs of self-immolators being commemorated. They were treated like heroes.' ... Citing the example of one 18-year old Tibetan named Sangdegye, who attempted to self-immolate last December, the China Daily noted that he 'adored the self-immolators VOA reported on,' citing them as 'heroes.' In addition to accusing VOA of inciting Tibetans to self-immolate, the CCTV piece also sensationally accuses the company [VOA] of employing secret codes to send messages to people inside Tibet. VOA Director David Ensor categorically denies the accusations. In a press release issued by Voice of America on Wednesday after the Chinese stories came out, Ensor called the documentary’s accusations 'totally false' and called the self-immolations a sign of distress in Tibet. ... Calls by NBC News to the VOA office in Beijing were referred back to their U.S. headquarters. VOA is asking that CCTV and the China Daily both retract their reports."

VOA News, 6 Feb 2013: "VOA’s Tibetan Service chief, Losang Gyatso, also denied that any news reports were influenced by the Dalai Lama or the Tibetan government in exile. He noted that VOA Tibetan's news reports often present the views of Chinese officials." With video.

VOA press release, 6 Feb 2013: "VOA was not contacted for a response to the allegations made in the CCTV documentary report."

Phayul, 7 Feb 2013: "According to Xinhua, the documentary will also be aired on CCTV's French, Spanish, Arabic and Russian channels on Wednesday and Thursday."

See also Xinhua, 6 Feb 2013. And China Daily, 7 Feb 2013, video on self-immolations.

See also Radio Free Asia's web page devoted to the subject of Tibetan self-immolations.

Shanghaiist, 7 Feb 2013, James Griffiths: "The exiled Tibetan community, especially the Dalai Lama, should be more vociferous in its condemnation of these horrible suicides, despite the ultimate blame lying with the CPC for creating the environment that fostered them. That being said, blaming 'outside forces' like VOA is the the laziest play in the book, and one Chinese officials come back to time and again. Accusing VOA of using "secret code" to send messages from the Dalai Lama to people inside Tibet, as the CCTV program did, is beyond absurd. Everyone involved in the production of this 'documentary' should be embarrassed to call themselves journalists."

If it has not already done so, the US State Department should issue a statement urging Tibetans to find ways to protest other than self-immolation. That statement would then be reported by VOA and RFA as part of their news coverage.

Five broadcasting heads reporting to nine Governors. And here I thought the National Review favored small government.

Mr. O'Sullivan writes: "reform should ensure that the broadcasting heads report ... directly to the governors." That's pretty much the inefficient situation that exists now. A BBG-appointed CEO who has authority over all of the entity heads is necessary in the short term. The consolidation of all the entities into one corporation is the step that must come after that.

Huffington Post, 5 Feb 2013, Michael Calderone: "Regarding the mass firing of [RL] journalists in Russia, [former RFE/RL president Jeffrey] Gedmin said that 'even if it does make sense, in some fashion or form, the way it was executed was universally acknowledged as a completely unmitigated disaster. [New acting RFE/RL president Kevin Klose is] going to have to develop his own strategy to fix it, and I don’t want be melodramatic, but it will take years for wounds to heal,' Gedmin said. 'People feel very damaged and very betrayed.'"

Boston Globe, 20 Jan 2013, Martha Bayles: "During the Cold War, American popular culture played a key role in alienating Soviet youth from stodgy communist regimes, so it made sense for RFE-RL and its sister organization, the Voice of America, to include jazz, rock, and other pop culture in their programming. But today, the authoritarians are onto us. To varying degrees, Russia, China, Iran, and others now do their best to keep their own media amusing. And while American pop culture retains its appeal, the people in these countries don’t need more entertainment from America. What they need is the kind of news and public-affairs programming that their rulers don’t want them to have." -- Generally-speaking, news and public-affairs programming makes the most sense for US-government-funded international broadcasting. There are, however, a few instances where entertainment programming can bring in audiences. Radio Sawa has been one example, and might still be.

See previous post about same subject.

And that Russian law resulted in RFE/RL losing a 24-hour medium wave outlet in Moscow. Would this US attention to the Voice of Russia leases have anything to do with that? Other international stations, including China Radio International, lease time on US AM (medium wave) stations. Similar deals involve television stations. Will the owners of those stations come under similar scrutiny? (Thanks to Sergei in Moscow for the news tip.)

Bernama, 26 Jan 2013: "Native Customary Rights (NCR) landowners in the state will be the ultimate losers if they allowed themselves to be influenced by instigation and opposition from Radio Free Sarawak (RFS) radio station. Deputy Minister of Information, Communications and Culture Datuk Joseph Salang ... said if Clare Rawcastle Brown, the owner of the radio station, could understand and speak Iban, its main language used, she would find that the radio was not always telling the truth."

Radio Free Sarawak website: "Esteemed listeners, BN spokesmen have made clear they want to get us off the air and to ban and jam us, so here is your opportunity to show the 'naughty' Radio Station, RFS some positive support over the coming weeks and prove we have some fans as well. How about investing in a We Love Radio Free Sarawak T-shirt that you can wear as a positive statement to show your support for a free media in Sarawak?"

Bernama, 31 Jan 2013: "The Information, Communications and Culture Ministry will rebut allegations made by Radio Free Sarawak to prevent the people, especially in the rural areas, from being hoodwinked into believing false news. ... Among strategies that will be unleashed include updating the content of RTM radio stations and Radio Kenyalang service for rural areas under Astro Njoi satellite service... . An independent radio station established by social activist and journalist Clare Rewcastle Brown (sister-in-law of former British prime minister Gordon Brown) in 2010, Radio Free Sarawak, which is operated by three locals, portrays land and NCR issues, and aired in Iban, Malay and English. Meanwhile, in a dialogue, Kamaruddin said the ministry did not plan to provide rural residents with free radio as a measure to counter accusations made by Radio Free Sarawak, but would strengthen existing medium such as extending the Njoi service in the interior as well as making changes in RTM radio stations. Kamaruddin said the Njoi service enabled the people living in remote areas to get better radio and television reception.

Borneo Post, 5 Feb 2013: "Trouble seems to be brewing within PKR in Betong as two potential election candidates bicker over comments made by one of them in Radio Free Sarawak (RFS). PKR Betong information chief Eddison Eddy Tinggi, who has been trying to get himself nominated, said he was upset by a recent RFS broadcast which favoured another potential candidate – Noel Changgai Bucking. He condemned RFS for being biased and unprofessional in their reporting, and blamed some personalities in the station for touting names of people who are their friends or relatives to be potential candidates."

See previous post about same subject.

In this op-ed, RFE/RL is described as "surrogate broadcasting" which provides "objective journalism ... to societies whose local media, because of censorship or state pressure, cannot provide it." This website, kimandrewelliott.com, is a surrogate website. It provides the accurate information about US international broadcasting as an antidote to the misinformation and disinformation about USIB that is endemic in US government circles, think tanks, and op-ed pages.

RFE/RL is given credit for, during the Cold War, "attracting an audience throughout the Soviet Bloc and becoming the go-to medium in times of crisis." VOA's Cold War role was much the same, a fact conveniently omitted by Diehl's misinformer. A recent GAO report (see previous post) confirmed the obvious: VOA and the Radio Free stations have been duplicating each others' efforts since the Cold War. That's a much bigger story than the problems at RFE/RL Russian but, so far, reporters and op-ed writers seem to be ignoring it.

BBG Watch, 5 Feb 2013: "[I]n one of the most bizarre displays of Washington bureaucratic arrogance, Diehl was immediately attacked in a private blog by an obscure IBB staffer who is known to be close to some of his bosses." Being called "an obscure IBB staffer" is the most fun I've had since a French-language publication referred to me as a "fonctionnaire."

Anyway, as for RFE/RL Russian, I'm still not certain if it's moving from hard news to an op-ed page, or from op-ed page to hard news. The following item by a former RFE/RL executive editor adds to the confusion....

National Review, The Corner, 17 Jan 2013, John O'Sullivan: "Here’s the money quote [from RFE/RL Russian director Masha Gessen]: 'I want to do a kind of journalism that no one is doing at the moment. I would describe it as normal journalism,' she told the Moscow Times shortly after her appointment. 'Something that’s not polemical, like opposition media, and something that’s not controlled by the Kremlin.' Ms. Gessen here distinguishes among three kinds or styles of journalism. Naturally she rejects pro-Kremlin journalism. But she also rejects a journalism that is 'polemical,' which is how she sees 'opposition media.' What she endorses is what she calls 'normal journalism,' which she defines negatively as 'not polemical.' And those are the choices in the debate over Radio Liberty. No one favors pro-Kremlin journalism on Radio Liberty; not even Putin thinks it a possible outcome. Ms. Gessen and those RFERL senior managers who appointed her favor what they call a 'normal journalism' of softer social features. The dismissed journalists and the Moscow human-rights community prefer the harder-hitting and, yes, polemical style of opposition journalism."

"Opposition journalism" is an oxymoron. How does the listener know when the news ends and the polemics begin? Is there a musical signature tune when that happens? Is Radio Liberty supposed to limit itself to an audience in the "Moscow human-rights community"? If that's the case, an anti-Putin website doesn't need US government funding. It will consist of commentaries off the top of the heads of anti-Putin activists, rather than the more expensive coverage by reporters who gather all the facts, not just opposition facts.

Masha Gessen's "money quote" -- "Something that’s not polemical, like opposition media, and something that’s not controlled by the Kremlin" -- seems to me right on the money. It's an excellent description of what could be a credible news organization. Mr. O'Sullivan's "polemical style of opposition journalism" is much scarier, especially coming from no less than the former executive editor of RFE/RL.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation, The World Today, 1 Feb 2013, Andrew Greene: "[F]ormer staff members have ... accused [former RFE/RL Steven] Korn of wasteful personal spending, including elaborate furnishings for his Prague flat. It's an allegation he angrily rejects. STEVE KORN: I have no idea to what you're referring. I haven't misused anything, okay. Whoever says that doesn't know what they're talking about. So that's absurd. These people are beneath contempt frankly. ANDREW GREENE: One Radio Free Europe broadcaster, who would only speak to the ABC anonymously, says despite the problems in Russia the organisation's other language services are all working well." With audio.

The Prague Post, 23 Jan 2013, Andrew Greene: "Some former employees at the embattled international broadcasting service have accused Steve Korn of gross mismanagement and say his tenure was 'disastrous.' In an exclusive interview with The Prague Post, the former lawyer has hit back at his critics and says he may even take legal action against them."

Voice of Russia, 22 Jan 2013, citing Interfax: "The employees of the Radio Liberty Russian Service have declared that their radio station lost its popularity in Russia over recent years due to slipping into ‘soft journalism’ and called the management to correct this mistake. They wrote an open letter to the US Secretary of State, the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) in the US government and the new head of the radio station Kevin Klose. The letter reads that the management moved the principle of protecting human rights to the background in favour of ‘soft journalism’ convenient to the authorities."

BBG Watch, 4 Feb 2013, translating letter from human rights activist Lyudmila Alexeeva to new RFE/RL acting president Kevin Klose: "Like in the Soviet era, Radio Liberty is becoming the principal source of alternative information; however, the new management in Moscow, headed by M. Gessen, and Vice-President J. Ragona seem to be in cahoots with our oppressors. They insist on making our programming more entertainment-oriented. We are more than adequately entertained by government-owned television networks and radio stations. Human rights reportage and cogent political analysis is what we are lacking. The demand for coverage of these issues by the progressive part of our citizenry is not even closely satisfied by what is currently available. It is Radio Liberty’s responsibility to fulfill this role. Gessen and Ragona do not understand the organization’s mission, and, in my opinion, should leave their posts."

See previous post about same subject.

Bernama, 31 Jan 2013: "Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) and China Radio International (CRI) today presented merit awards to 110 of their news writers, including prizes for the top 10 best news items broadcast by them. The awards presentation marked the climax of a two-way collaboration between CRI and RTM where they had shared expertise, information, news, documentaries and personnel to sharpen their profesionalism [sic] in the broadcasting industry."

Xinhua, 26 Jan 2013: "Nepal and China on Friday stressed the need for promoting the Chinese language in Nepal for bilateral tourism prosperity. In a discussion program organized by the Nepal China Language & Cultural Exchange Academy and China Radio International (CRI) Confucius Classroom Nepal, at Nepal Tourism Board in Kathmandu Friday, the two sides agreed to narrow down the linguistic differences between the two neighbors."

JTA, 23 Jan 2013: "Alexander Zanzer, JN1’s Brussels bureau chief, told JTA that Ukrainian police recently inspected JN1's offices in Kiev, 'but it is not sure who is ultimately behind this newfound interest in us.' He added, 'It would seem like someone decided they could use JN1 to exert control. I am not sure who it is, but we are speaking out against it before it becomes more serious.'"

The BBG statement says that the "international media environment is flooded with broadcasters." Actually, it's US international broadcasting itself that is flooded with broadcasters, often duplicating one another. The BBG's desire to "get more money" is the all-purpose solution offered by every Washington bureacracy. Before US international broadcasting gets more money, it first needs to eliminate the duplication that pervades its operations. Duplication is a significant form of waste in federal spending. The BBC World Services still have a larger audience than USIB, even though the United States spends more than the UK on international broadcasting.

This Fox news item might encourage a useful debate about news versus messaging in US international broadcasting. Many US decision makers seem to subscribe to simplistic bullet-theory notions of messaging in USIB. Understanding the role of news in the communication process of international broadcasting requires an intellectual leap, but not a very high one.

See previous post about same subject.

This may seem like a loss to VOA Persian. However, if Mr. Hosseini desires to express his views in a manner "less burdened by the complexities or requirements of news reporting," then the nonprofit International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran would be a better fit for him. As popular a Parazit was, in the long term VOA Persian is better served by positioning itself as a news organization rather than an opposition mouthpiece.

Mr. Hosseini's internet-delivered podcast can be blocked by Iran, so he might miss the previous VOA satellite delivery of his performances.

Satellite Today, 1 Feb 2013, Michel de Rosen, Eutelsat CEO, as interviewed: "From an operational point of view, when jamming is detected, we produce geolocation data as quickly as possible whenever it is possible (currently approximately 30 percent of incidents) and ensure that administrations are formally notified so they can do their own job. Second, we have to work on new procedures like Carrier ID and, over the longer term, new satellite and ground-based technologies that create more watertight systems."

AFP, 28 Jan 2013: "Iranian media said the office of Tehran’s prosecutor was to issue a statement on the arrests. Tehran deems as hostile the Persian services of various international media, including the BBC Persian, the Voice of America and Radio Farda -- a US-funded Prague-based Persian radio."

Bloomberg Businessweek, 28 Jan 2013, Ladane Nasseri and Yeganeh Salehi: "It isn’t unusual for Iranian authorities to crack down on the press in the period before elections. Iranians will vote on June 14 to determine who will succeed outgoing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad."

@LetitiaKing, 28 Jan 2013: "Of the 11 journalists arrested in Iran accused of cooperation with foreign-based media none work for @VOA or @RFE/RL."

The Guardian, 24 Jan 2013, Saeed Kamali Dehghan: "In recent weeks, the pro-regime [Iranian] activists have set up a number of fake Facebook accounts and blogs, purporting to belong to BBC journalists or their Iranian colleagues. Web users who want to access the real BBCPersian.com, might accidentally visit its counterfeit at persianbbc.ir. The fake site mirrors the BBC's site in design and fonts but has completely different content. 'Death of Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein: fabricated stories by Washington,' reads the headline of a recent article posted on persianbbc.ir."

The Stanford Daily, 25 Jan 2013, Sadeq Saba, head of BBC Persian, as interviewed by Jamie Kim: "The BBC operates according to its editorial guideline, which has been there for decades, and BBC Persian is no different from BBC English or BBC’s other language services; we all have one editorial guideline, and according to that editorial guideline, you have to remain impartial, to remain accurate, to remain fair, objective, and report what is happening in the country. We do our best, despite the fact that we are not based in Iran, again to reflect the Iranian government’s views on our channel. We do our best. We monitor all Iranian TV channels, we monitor Iranian newspapers, and whatever they say, usually you can hear them or watch them on our television, on our radio, so we do our best, and as far as our viewers are concerned, we are probably the most important impartial news channel in Iran, and our audiences have been growing, all the time, over the last few years. Actually last year, there was a news survey done in Iran about BBC, how many people were watching BBC Persian, and that survey showed that now, within a couple of years, our viewers have actually doubled in Iran."

Huffington Post UK, 26 Jan 2013, Jenny Norton: "In a special Israeli election day edition of the BBC's popular Persian language interactive show, Nowbat-e Shoma (Your Turn), callers from Iran put questions to a panel of Persian-speaking Israelis in a BBC studio in Jerusalem. What came across clearly was that despite the deep tensions between their two governments, Iranians and Israelis actually have a surprising amount in common. 'Although the conversations got pretty heated at times, it was great that everyone put their points across politely and really engaged with each other,' says Leyla Khodabakhshi, the editor of the programme."

I am, by way of disclosure, a dues-paying member in good standing (for now) of AFGE 1812. And what my union writes here is largely nonsense. No executive agency, BBG included, has ever been able to deflect Congressional scrutiny by saying "we are part of the executive branch and you are part of the legislative branch."

And, so, union brothers and sisters, be careful what you wish for.

I suppose if I wrote as badly as some of the people who write for BBG Watch, I wouldn't use my name, either. On the subject of Robert Reilly, he wrote in MercatorNet, 26 Jan 2013: "Men fight to protect their women. Or, at least, that’s the way it used to be. On Thursday, however, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said, 'Today Gen. Dempsey and I are pleased to announce that we are eliminating the ground combat exclusion rule for women and moving forward with a plan to eliminate all gender-based barriers to service.'" So the US international broadcasting team of the future, under the direction of Mr. Reilly, would not consist of men and women, but men and "their women."

Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan 2013, Daniel Hernandez: "Television viewers in Cuba reportedly had the chance to watch U.S. President Obama's inauguration on Monday via a news feed from Venezuela's Telesur network. ... Obama's inauguration speech was aired Monday on Telesur accompanied by a commentator who cast doubt on some of the U.S. president's assertions, reported Mexico's state news agency Notimex from the Cuban capital, Havana."

Rapid TV News, 16 Jan 2013, Iñaki Ferreras: "Panama's main cable operator Cable Onda has now added the Latin American news channel Telesur, making it available for 75.1% of the country's pay-TV market, according to Next TV Latam. ... [T]he channel also wants to spread its international reach with a presence in Europe, and in particular Spain, France, Belgium, Italy, Portugal and Bulgaria."

Al Jazeera English, Listening Post, 26 Jan 2013: "This week’s feature story takes us to Venezuela where who else but President Hugo Chavez could be the centre of attention – except that he is nowhere to be seen. For six weeks he has been in a hospital bed in Cuba after treatment for cancer. His supporters say he is still ruling the shop and sending kisses from his sickbed. But the state-run Telesur – or ‘Tele-Chavez’ as its critics see it – is finding it hard to fill airtime with their main man away from the cameras, especially while the opposition are raising uncomfortable questions not only about the Chavez’s health but also about the political future of the country. The Listening Post’s Marcela Pizarro delves into the media battle surrounding Venezuela’s invisible president.' With video.

Miami Herald, 25 Jan 2013, Juan O. Tamayo: "Two years after a fiber-optic cable reached Cuba from Venezuela, and at least five months after it was activated, Havana has confirmed the ALBA-1 cable is working but cautioned that doesn’t mean residents will have more access to the Internet."

Bizcommunity.com, 14 Jan 2013: "CNBC Africa, the business television news channel, [hosted] a live debate at the upcoming World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. The 2013 forum will take place from 23-27 January 2013. The hour-long broadcast of the debate 'De-Risking Africa' will be hosted by CNBC Africa's senior anchor, Bronwyn Nielsen ... . The panellists [included]: Goodluck Jonathan, president of Nigeria. Jacob Zuma, president of South Africa."

Over the past few years, we have seen many op-eds and commentaries about VOA Persian. Some are written by inviduals apparently unhappy about the paucity of face time they are getting on VOA Persian. What is needed is not another op-ed, but a comprehensive news investigation, including analysis of a generous portion of VOA Persian content.

Perhaps the real argument here is whether VOA Persian should be a news service or "opposition media." To assuage the many critics of VOA Persian, the United States might eventually have two channels directed to Iran: one that provides news, the other an anti-regime outlet. The audience in Iran can then decide which channel better serves their needs.

Update: Wall Street Journal, 23 Jan 2013, David Ensor, director of the Voice of America: "Mr. Ahmari is wrong to claim that Voice of America's Persian Service is 'often distorted by an editorial line favoring rapprochement with the mullahs.' He Mr. Ahmari supports the claim with a pair of quotes, taken out of context from an extensive interview with former Iranian nuclear negotiator Seyed Hossein Mousavian, but the full transcript shows the former Iranian official being questioned pointedly by VOA host Siamak Dehghanpour. ... For 70 years, VOA has been a beacon of hope to people in repressed and information-denied areas, and we are proud that more than one in five adult Iranians tune in to VOA every week, making it one of the most popular international broadcasters in the country." See also VOA, From the Director, 24 Jan 2013. -- A "beacon of hope" is a very good thing. A news organization, however, is perhaps better described a beacon of accurate and uncensored information, also a very good thing.

I think Secretary Clinton saw the Office of Inspector General's reference to the Broadcasting Board of Governors as "dysfunctional," and, in her memory, it morphed to "defunct." They are, after all, both "func" words. (See previous post about the OIG report.)

Meanwhile, at a Senate hearing the next day, Senator Tim Kaine expressed concern to Senator John Kerry, nominee for Secretary of State, about Iranian broadcasting to Latin America. Kaine was referring to Iran's Spanish-language satellite channel Hispan TV. Hispan TV, however, is on virtually no cable systems or mainstream DTH satellite service in Latin America, Even if it were, Hispan TV's programming is so inept (see previous post) that it would not attract much of an audience. Nevertheless, Congress might pressure the BBG to expand VOA broadcasting in Spanish, or, perish the thought, create an entirely new channel. The fact that CNN en Español is already successful and informing the Hemisphere very well, and at no cost to the US taxpayers, will probably be ignored. The result will be more duplication, the hallmark of US international broadcasting.

Multichannel News, 23 Jan 2013, John Eggerton: "Outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday that she created a new unit at State to counter jihadist propaganda in social media. When Al Qaeda puts up a video saying how terrible the U.S. is, she said, the State puts up one about how terrible they are."

Bernama, 17 Jan 2013: "Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud ... [described] RFS as 'naughty', Abdul Taib said the radio station, whose broadcast is mainly in Iban, had no respect for the truth while RK, reportedly linked to the opposition Sarawak Workers Party (SWP), was attempting to bank on its campaigns in the coming general election."

Free Malaysia Today, 18 Jan 2013, Joseph Tawie: Radio Free Sarawak "is the contentious bone poking at Sarawak Barisan Nasional’s native-based parties, and its Dayak leaders are helpless over what to do. The daily 6pm-8pm broadcast in Iban has gained widespread audience and given both the listeners and the opposition immense opportunities to flag abuses and failings of the ruling regime."

Borneo Post, 19 Jan 2013: "Radio Free Sarawak (RFS) founder Clare Rewcastle Brown claimed there have been previous attempts to jam its broadcast. In an emailed reply yesterday, she said these attempts were made during the last state election in 2011 but halted following protests made by RFS."

Borneo Post, 20 Jan 2013, Samuel Aubrey: "Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) will continue to distribute free radio sets to rural folk despite attempts to stop the broadcast of Radio Free Sarawak (RFS). Its state vice-chairman See Chee How said there was no reason for them to halt its distribution because RFS had proven to be an effective tool for the opposition. 'Why should we stop? We will distribute more now when we have "promoters" who make RFS even more popular,' he said ... . The ‘promoters’ referred to by See ... were leaders of the state BN who had been making calls against RFS, which broadcasts from 6pm to 8pm daily, mainly in the Iban language."

Bernama, 21 Jan 2013: "The Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) Youth movement today lodged a police report against two illegal private radio stations, Radio Free Sarawak (RFS) and Radio Kenyalang (RK) for allegedly airing false news and inciting the people."

The Star (Kuala Lumpur), 22 Jan 2013, Yu Ji: "RFS founder Clare Rewcastle Brown issued an immediate media statement on the police report on Sunday. In it, she said the BBC’s World Service and US-based Voice of America were also broadcasting via shortwave internationally — not just RFS. 'We are entitled to broadcast our programmes from London and we have not committed any criminal offence. They might as well accuse Voice of America and the BBC of committing criminal offence because they also broadcast free radio on shortwave,' Rewcastle Brown said."

Free Malaysia Today, 21 Jan 2013: "'RFS is not poisoning minds, it is liberating minds. A free media is a pillar of democracy,' said [station founder Clare] Rewcastle-Brown in response to both Taib and his Senior Minister James Masing’s accusations and demand that the federal government put a halt to RFS’s transmission."

Borneo Post, 22 Jan 2013: "Folk in Ngemah constituency are not on the same frequency with both Radio Free Sarawak (RFS) and Radio Kenyalang (RK) as they know these stations are only spinning lies. Tuai Rumah Sandai Lamit claimed this was because RFS was always making wild allegations against the government. ... 'We, the longhouse folk, know that the government has always assisted us and brought development projects to uplift our quality of life. It is best that they (both stations) stop their broadcast as their efforts can do more harm than good, causing confusion to people,' Sandai asserted."

The Star (Kuala Lumpur), 23 Jan 2013, Nigel Edgar: "Freedom of speech does not mean the freedom to tell lies, says a senior minister. Land Development Minister Tan Sri Dr James Masing said Radio Free Sarawak and Radio Kenyalang had abused their freedom by operating in a cowardly manner."

See also radiofreesarawak.org. About Iban-language Radio Kenyalang, see Borneo Post, 21 Nov 2012.

BBC The Editors blog, 14 Jan 2013, Andrew Roy, head of news for BBC World News: "BBC World News has come a long way since it launched as a shoestring commercial operation in a backroom at Television Centre more than 20 years ago. Our audiences have grown massively. We're required viewing from the President's White House in Washington to the President's Blue House in Seoul. And in an era when bad mortgages in the US can trigger a global economic meltdown, we know there is a huge appetite for world news delivered fast, accurately and objectively.

BBC News, 18 Jan 2013: "As part of the move and re-design, the BBC has re-recorded the music you hear at the start of each [BBC World News] news programme. A full orchestra was used at the Abbey Road studios in London, where The Beatles also did some of their best work." With video -- that, for me, does not work on Firefox, but does on IE.

Critical Distance Weblog, 23 Jan 2013, Jonathan Marks: "It looks to me like the new BBC newsroom was built by crossing the colour scheme of Al Jazeera English with the technology that you find in Al Arabiya in Dubai. ... For me, the BBC is at its best when it is humble, just getting on with bringing in the best reports from around the world."

See previous post about same subject.

MediaMughals, 22 Jan 2013: "BBC World News announced the appointment of Linda Yueh as Chief Business Correspondent, a new Singapore-based position that signals the channel's continuing commitment to Asia and determination to expand the breadth and depth of its international business coverage."

Update: China Daily, 18 Jan 2013, Xiaoling Zhang: "Analysis of CCTV's hour-long program Africa Live ... serves as a platform for re-emphasizing China's critical stand on foreign intervention in African affairs, the need to reform international systems and the promotion of a positive image of China, while trying to win over African audiences from its Western competitors such as CNN and the BBC. ... China's media advance will not be without complications. It remains to be seen how locally employed media professionals negotiate their often Western-oriented understanding and practices of journalism within a Chinese state organization. ... With international viewers as their target, they challenge the longstanding Western monopoly on information, transmit a Chinese perspective on events and produce their own stories and images otherwise portrayed in a critical light by the Western media."

Al Jazeera English, 24 Jan 2013, Colin Shek: "'The Chinese media is much more visible now in Africa,' said Mary Harper, a veteran journalist who has been reporting on Africa for more than 20 years. 'Even though there have been Chinese media operations in Africa ever since I started working on the continent, I've noticed a really dramatic rise in their presence,' said Harper. ... Harper, too, said China's journalism about Africa has been portrayed in an 'over-simplistic' manner. 'There's a sort of myth that they only cover the positive stories about Africa. They don't ignore the big, bad news stories of the day. They might not cover them in great detail, but they do cover them, so they're not only presenting some story of Africa as if everything is perfect and happy there.'"

China Daily, 8 Jan 2013, Liu Xiangrui: "Pili Mwinyi Khamis works for China Radio International (CRI) and she is involved in the production of several programs, including the weekly China in My Eyes. ... Khamis has worked with CRI for more than five years, and before that she was both a teacher and broadcaster in Tanzania. After she was selected for the exchange program in China, Khamis was as anxious as she was excited. ... To Khamis, China was very different from what she had in mind, especially its degree of development. 'I found it's more like a developed country,' she says. Khamis began to love her job as a journalist here, which she believes helps her understand China better and faster. Her work takes her out of Beijing and around China. Last year, she had a chance to visit Ningxia Hui autonomous region, where she found herself surrounded by Muslims. 'I saw men wearing Muslim caps and women covering their heads. We had so much in common. It was like going back home,' says Khamis, impressed by the diversity of Chinese culture."

NTD, 17 Jan 2013: "US funded media like Radio Free Asia and Voice of America have been failing to report on major issues in China, according to US Congressman Dana Rohrabacher. [Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, US Congressman, (R-CA)]: 'We also have China and the Chinese government exerting undue influence on our media because we have huge American corporations making quick and rapid profits from their association with this gangster regime in Beijing. And they're afraid to make the communists in Beijing mad at them.'"

A perusal of the RFA and VOA websites finds several examples of aggressive reporting on China by the two broadcasting organizations.

See previous posts on 16 Jan 2013 and 28 Nov 2012.

You can also "obtain" a copy of the report at the State Department Office of Inspector General website. For commentaries on the OIG report, see Critical Distance Weblog, 20 Jan 2013, Jonathan Marks; BBG Watch, 20 Jan 2013; and AFGE Local 1812 (undated).

The OIG report lost me when it stated that "the inspection team takes no position" on whether the proposed CEO for US international broadcasting should be appointed by the Board or nominated by President and confirmed by the Senate. Basically, then, the team is taking no position on whether USIB is to be independent or government-controlled. Whether it is to have credibility or not. Whether it is to have an audience or not.

The report singles out Governor Victor Ashe (without naming him) for particular criticism. Governor Ashe can be exasperatingly verbose. He often slows the pace of BBG meetings -- but, on the other hand, he also turns ceremonial meetings into real meetings. It is also true that the meetings (such as they are) are too short. I would rather a Governor err in showing too much interest in USIB than err on the side of "mailing in" his/her participation. Governor Ashe is also (interestingly, given he is a Republican) the voice of labor on the Board, and in USIB, the workers need all the help they can get. Perhaps instead of trying to stifle Governor Ashe, more Governors should join in the fray. Especially useful would be a Governor who interrupts meetings to call for real reform of USIB: consolidation into one entity and an unambiguous commitment to independent journalism.

Update: Washington Post, 22 Jan 2013, Al Kamen: "It’s not often that an inspector general’s report uses the word 'dysfunctional' several times. But the Broadcasting Board of Governors — which oversees the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, Radio and (the un-watched) TV Marti, Radio Free Asia and so on — has managed to earn that. And, after reading the 20-page report, it’s hard not to conclude that the chronically troubled agency desperately needs a top-to-bottom overhaul. The BBG’s 'dysfunction stems from a flawed legislative structure and acute internal dissension,' the report concludes, noting that a part-time board 'cannot effectively supervise' the operations." -- A "top-to-bottom overhaul" is needed, but there is danger of throwing the baby out with the bathwater. There is no substitute for a multi-partisan board to keep a publicly-funded broadcasting entity independent. If the managers (other than the board members themselves) are presidentially appointed and Senate approved, the broadcasting effort is not really independent.

Washington Post, Joe Davidson, 22 Jan 2013: "'Having spent two years in meetings and discussions with Victor Ashe, I think the OIG gave him a very light going over,' said S. Enders Wimbush, a former member of the board. Ashe quickly came to his own defense. Upon learning the Federal Diary was covering the inspector general’s report, he volunteered a link to a union statement in his support. He also called the report 'unwarranted, unfair and factually incorrect.' 'I feel my membership at BBG plays an important role in these difficult times for employees,' he added. No matter who is correct about Ashe, it is clear that the Broadcasting Board of Governors is a terrible mess and not just because of this latest report. That’s a shame because the employees practice 'journalism of the highest caliber,' according to the report issued by Deputy Inspector General Harold W. Geisel. They do so despite one report after another that, when taken together, can easily lead to the conclusion that the BBG is beyond hope."

Radio World, 22 Jan 2013: "We asked the BBG for a response. It responded: 'The BBG appreciates the work that the Office of the Inspector General has put into this report, and we respect the integrity of the OIG team. We take their findings seriously and have enacted some of the recommended actions, including devising guidelines for travel. We will work to implement others. ... Some of the reforms can come about only through legislation, which the BBG intends to propose for congressional consideration this year, and we will look to Congress to support this effort.'"

Broadcasting Board of Governors press release, 16 Jan 2013: "Alhurra Correspondent Bashar Fahmi remains missing and incommunicado 150 days after disappearing in Aleppo, Syria. Fahmi was on a reporting trip there on Aug. 20, 2012 when he was caught in the crossfire that led to the murder of one journalist and capture of another. Few clues have emerged concerning his whereabouts and wellbeing. ... The Alhurra correspondent was traveling with his cameraman Cuneyt Unal in Syria on Aug. 20th when a firefight erupted. Unal was captured and released 90 days later." See previous post about same subject.

Wall Street Journal, 16 Jan 2013, letter from Robert R. Reilly: "After serving as the director of the Voice of America, I joined the civilian side of Operation Iraqi Freedom as senior adviser to the Iraqi Ministry of Information in 2003. On April 9 that year the statue of Saddam Hussein was torn down in Firdos Square. I was still in Kuwait, where we had electricity, so I was able to watch the international television news coverage. Of the score of channels I fanned through, every single one was showing footage of the toppling of Saddam's statue, except Al Jazeera. It showed a procession of carts carrying baby coffins of children purportedly killed in the coalition bombing of Baghdad. Al Jazeera failed to provide any context for this moving scene by reference to the mortuary freezers in which Saddam's regime kept children's corpses especially for use in displays such as this. I had to hand it to Al Jazeera. It kept up broadcasting Saddam's propaganda until the very end. I wonder if, in his 'due diligence,' Al Gore was able to review any of this footage."

Ibid, letter from Brian Douglas: "Progressives generally think that state-run journalism is a step up from free-market bias; and, until there is an American World Service, Mr. Gore may have decided that if you can't beat 'em, join 'em."

Heritage Foundation, 16 Jan 2013, Helle Dale: "The common denominator for Current TV and Al Jazeera is a profound anti-American slant. Current TV is characterized by a strident left-leaning agenda, and Al Jazeera tends to ascribe the worst imperialist motives to any U.S. foreign policy move. Gore reportedly refused to sell the network to Glenn Beck, but found the Al Jazeera leadership more compatible. Anti-Americanism is not unheard of in American mainstream media, but there are limits, also shown by the lack of audience share of MSNBC. And anti-American bias coming from a foreign broadcaster delivered in strident tones straight to their living rooms will probably turn most Americans off."

BernardGoldberg.com, 14 Jan 2013: "Of course, Gore and Hyatt – and their supporters – will say there’s a difference between Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera English. And they’re right. But what is the difference? Does Al Jazeera save the vile bigotry for its Arab audiences because it knows that kind of venom will be received well in the Arab world? ... The so-called mainstream media ... couldn’t muster even a little outrage. By and large all they did was cover the business story — Al Gore sells to Al Jazeera. The Wall Street Journal did more and so did CNN and Fox. But that’s about it."

Forward, 18 Jan 2013, Gal Beckerman: "Let’s not imagine that Al-Jazeera, until 2011 owned by the government of Qatar and still not entirely editorially independent, doesn’t have a credibility gap to overcome when presenting itself as anywhere near a serious news station. ... The English-language channel, however, has kept the Arab populism at bay. In fact, there are many American media analysts who consider it to be a reliable and useful news source, covering events — like the fall of former Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak — in a much more comprehensive and serious way than Western outlets. Robert Kaplan, a national correspondent for magazine The Atlantic magazine, praised the channel, writing that it 'is what the internationally minded elite class really yearns for: a visually stunning, deeply reported description of developments in dozens upon dozens of countries simultaneously.' There is every reason to think that Al-Jazeera America will continue in this direction; it’s the best chance it has at building an audience. And if it does, there is nothing to be scared of."

Right Side News, 18 Jan 2013, Cliff Kincaid: "Playing a familiar role, Al Jazeera has been airing sympathetic coverage about the Muslim terrorists and running 'exclusive' interviews with terrorist leaders from Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), whose symbol is an AK-47 rifle and a black flag rising from the globe."

Right Side News, 17 Jan 2013, Cliff Kincaid as interviewed by Ryan Mauro: "The taking over of an American cable channel by Al-Jazeera is tantamount to giving American broadcast facilities during World War II to 'Tokyo Rose' and 'Axis Sally.' Tokyo Rose was the name given to an American broadcasting on Tokyo shortwave radio, while Axis Sally was 'The American voice of Nazi Germany' and was broadcasting on Berlin radio. Both of them, incidentally, were apprehended and prosecuted for treason and sent to prison. The purpose of the broadcasts was to demoralize the American side in the war. In Al-Jazeera's case, the channel, through the acquisition of Current TV, is seeking to establish a more permanent base on U.S. soil, in order to undermine the U.S. war on Islamic terrorism and provide support for President Obama's embrace of the Muslim Brotherhood. We are not at war with Qatar, which owns Al-Jazeera, but we are at war with thejihadists being supported by Qatar, Al-Jazeera and the Muslim Brotherhood. Qatar openly supports Hamas and Hezbollah and protected 9/11 mastermind and bin Laden lieutenant Khalid Sheik Mohammed from apprehension by U.S. authorities. [Congressional] hearings should examine why Al-Jazeera's current broadcasts into the U.S. are not being labeled by cable and satellite providers as foreign propaganda under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, and why public television stations are turning their broadcast time over to Al Jazeera and other foreign channels, in violation of Federal Communications Commission rules."

World Tribune, 15 Jan 2013, Cliff Kincaid: "The Al Jazeera story on [Chuck] Hagel was titled, 'Obama defeats the Israel Lobby.' The author, MJ Rosenberg, is identified as a former 'Senior Foreign Policy Fellow with Media Matters Action Network,' the George Soros-funded group. But if Al Jazeera likes Hagel, the feeling is mutual. The Washington Free Beacon has posted a clip from the Al Jazeera interview, in which Hagel agrees with the observation from a viewer that America has an image as 'the world’s bully.' He clearly enjoyed the appearance on the Qatar-owned propaganda channel and thought nothing about bashing his own country. At the very least, as the favorable coverage of Hagel shows, the new 'Al Jazeera America' network that is supposed to replace Al Gore’s Current TV will be extremely left-wing in its political orientation, possibly further to the left than MSNBC."

American Thinker, 16 Jan 2013, Andrew G. Bostom: "Fox's well-paid media personalities behave hypocritically when they ignore the morally cretinous Saudi/Rotana/Al-Risala dealings of their owner Rupert Murdoch, while lashing out at Al Gore's sale of Current TV to Qatar's Al-Jazeera English."

Portales (NM) News-Tribune, 19 Jan 2013, Wendel Sloan: "After much research, including watching Al Jazeera online, I hope providers don’t repeat the knee-jerk reactions of myself and Time Warner. I found the English version to be professional and objective, with in-depth stories from around the world. Sure, we’d prefer the U.S. be portrayed as always being welcomed with open arms, but that’s not reality."

Daily Maverick (Johannesburg), 15 Jan 2013, J. Brooks Spector: "[T]his whole bet might really pay off for Al Jazeera. American TV watchers, and especially news junkies, might well decide an Al Jazeera America news programme was just the thing to get yet another view beyond the usual suspects. If that happens, the lucrative advertising market the US represents could turn their gamble into a profitable venture. Success in America would also mutually reinforce Al Jazeera’s expansion globally, even if it also encourages more energy and investment by other international broadcasters into their own footholds in the American market. Moreover, if there was a big international story it could jump on hard and fast, American viewers might well tune in to it the way they did with CNN and its coverage of events leading up to the first Gulf War. ... In any case, if it all works out as everyone plans, American television viewers may be the ultimate beneficiaries as they get to see the world, and how others see them, through yet another set of eyes. And that wouldn’t be such a bad thing."

Al Arabiya, 19 Jan 2013: "[C]ommentators expressed surprise that Al Jazeera chose to invest so much in a TV network with so few viewers, when it could instead have chosen to build up its already popular Web-streaming service in the United States. 'Congratulations, cable guys! You’re in a business that’s so valuable that even a failed network with partial distribution and no audience is worth some $500 million,' wrote media commentator Peter Kafka on the AllThingsD website. 'Al Jazeera would have been a perfect candidate to bypass cable and go digital-only.' And so the issue of why Al Jazeera spent $500 million on Current TV is not the only question. For its fate also rests on whether the U.S. public will watch Al Jazeera America on their TV screens, or whether they already get their fix of the broadcaster’s shows via the Web."

See previous post about same subject.

The Majalla, 7 Jan 2013, Farahmand Alipour: "In November 1997, the leaders of the Islamic Republic decided to launch new TV channels to propagate their Islamic views and broadcast the self-professed ‘voice of the revolution’. These satellite TV channels started their work under the name Sahar, literally meaning “dawn”; programs were broadcast in Russian, Turkish, Urdu, Arabic, Azeri, French, Bosnian, and Kurdish. All of these continue operating and expanding their broadcasts, except those aired in Russian and Turkish. ... Al-Alam is a Tehran-based, Arabic-language television network that began its work at the start of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. From its birth, it was evident that the main target audience was Iraq’s Shi’ite population. Although Al-Alam lags far behind Al-Jazeera and Saudi Arabia’s Al-Arabiya in terms of popularity and penetration, it has been influential among the Shi’ite populations of Iraq, Bahrain and Yemen. ... In 2007, Iran launched its 24-hour English-language television channel Press TV, with the aim of breaking the monopoly of Western media. This was Iran’s first serious attempt at entering the arena of Western media. It has thus far failed in this mission, unable to breach the popularity of regional rival Al-Jazeera and certainly unable to compete with the quality of Western media. ... Hispan TV, the latest international 24-hour news channel launched by Iran, mainly targets South American countries. ... The channel appears to be totally out of touch with its target audience, mainly airing low-budget Iranian shows dubbed into Spanish and religious documentaries. ... Iranian officials have made costly mistakes in prioritizing their target audience. Instead of focusing their efforts on the domestic audience, they are trying to win over viewers abroad. In dealing with the needs of their own citizens, Iranian officials have so far excelled in jamming satellite signals and prohibiting the ownership of satellite dishes, while monopolizing the running of any kind of TV or radio station." -- Recommended reading. This is a good overview of Iran's international television broadcasting.

RFE/RL, 15 Jan 2013, Golnaz Esfandiari: "Stop writing about Iran, or face the consequences. That's the message being sent to Iranian journalists working outside the country, along with warnings that their reputations, finances, and families are at risk should they refuse to comply. ... One of the most recent examples is a claim made on January 3 by the hard-line 'Bultannews,' which is said to be close to security bodies. The website quoted an 'informed source' as saying that an intelligence body is aiming to create judicial cases against Iranians working for 'counterrevolutionary' networks supporting 'terrorists,' and obtaining international arrest warrants against them. The unnamed source added that all of the belongings and bank accounts of those individuals would be investigated and 'dealt with.' The website said those working with Persian-language media -- including Radio Farda, BBC, and VOA -- would be subjected to the measures."

Reuters, 15 Jan 2013: "On Tuesday, Brig. Gen. Ahmad Reza Pourdastan, Iran's ground forces commander, said that Iran was now capable of disrupting its enemies' communications. ... It was unclear whether Pourdastan was referring to military targets that Iran might consider a threat or civilian targets, such as what it considers to be subversive foreign media. Satellite operators and broadcasters have repeatedly accused Iran of jamming their satellite signals. European satellite provider Eutelsat complained to international regulators last year that Iran had jammed signals from Persian-language channels broadcast by the BBC, Voice of America, and other operators."

@LynnWeil, 17 Jan 2013: "@BBGgov to bring #inaugural events to 100+ countries, informing & engaging w/people hungry for news of #democracy." -- With families huddled around their mobile devices.

BBG Innovation Series, 10 Jan 2013, April Deibert: "A few months ago, I posted about HTML5 video and Randy Abramson (Director of Product and Operations) posted about News On Location (NOL). In this post, however, we want to take a look at how HTML5 mapping is evolving and how BBG’s NOL may make use of the technology in the near future. Knowing the location of users (with their permission of course) can be a good thing both for them and for one’s service. Not only do users often feel that they’re receiving personalized results, but there is potential for them to contribute to live maps and live feeds—making their entire interaction with your site more relevant."

GCN, 17 Jan 2013, Greg Crowe: "The Broadcasting Board of Governors, the federal agency responsible for such broadcasts as Voice of America and Radio Free Europe, recently announced that it put all of its content on the Google Currents mobile platform, giving its users a magazine-like experience. Because of the nature of its work, BBG’s feeds are delivered in 40 languages to a populace that’s increasingly mobile."

AOL Government, 10 Jan 2013, Judi Hasson: "The Currents application comes preinstalled on many Google Android devices and can give government agencies enhanced access to audiences on all mobile platforms. The app is available for both Apple iOS and Google Android supported devices. Users can find the BBG editions by downloading the application in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and search for VOA, RFA, RFE/RL, Marti and MBN respectively. 'Syndicating content to Google Currents can be as easy as simply providing an RSS feed. However, in our case, it got little more complicated due to the many languages and the fonts they required,' said Addie Nascimento, BBG's syndication product lead, who built all the BGG Current editions. In just a few months, BBG's Google Currents has brought in over 10,000 subscribers to VOA English alone, about 7,000 to VOA Mandarin and 3,500 subscribers to Radio Free Asia, all without any real marketing."

Update: Inner City Press, 10 Jan 2013, Matthew Russell Lee: "BBG's lawyers argued that it was somehow a 'personnel matter,' although Inner City Press did not and would not work for VOA. [VOA director] David Ensor wrote to the Governors and then Congress (but never Inner City Press or the UN) admitting that the request to get the UN to dis-accredit Inner City Press 'was not appropriate.'"

AP, 7 Dec 2012: "New Yorkers do care: A fellow rider helped a man who wound up on the subway tracks. It occurred days after another man was pushed to his death in front of an oncoming train. No one seemingly came to his aid. Voice of America journalist Margaret Besheer says it happened Thursday night at Bowling Green station in Lower Manhattan. She saw a disoriented man sitting between the rails. People on the platform were screaming 'a train is coming!' Next, she saw another man on the tracks helping the victim to his feet."

Meanwhile, "lead advertiser" Cadillac might be interested in this review of one of its products in BBC Autos...

BBC Autos, 10 Jan 2013, Jonathan Schultz: "The strengths of the [Cadillac] ATS ... only make its flaws that much more regrettable. Here was the best chance in two decades not only for Cadillac, but for the United States, to deliver a compact luxury car that could seize a Michigan-size chunk of the market dominated by German and Japanese models. The ATS may only rival those players, where it might have surpassed them. ... Perhaps a mid-cycle refresh in a couple of years will bring forward the segment champion the ATS is so clearly capable of being. Until then, it may merit a very close look, if not a purchase."

BBC Worldwide press release, 11 Jan 2013: "HISTORY announced today that new episodes for Season 3 of the U.S. version of Top Gear will premiere Tuesday, January 29 at 9PM ET/8C. The second season of the critically-acclaimed and popular series broke into the millionaire’s club with 1.1 million Adults 25-54 and 18-49 (+30 and +22 vs. S1, respectively) and is the youngest skewing series on HISTORY. Season Two was seen by nearly 60 million viewers. Top Gear is hosted by comedian Adam Ferrara, champion race car driver Tanner Foust and racing analyst Rutledge Wood. ... Top Gear is a produced for HISTORY by BBC Worldwide Productions and is co-production between HISTORY and BBC Worldwide. ... The U.S. version of Top Gear is currently seen in over 90 countries."

AP, 27 Dec 2012: "Huangnan prefecture in western China's Qinghai province is beefing up security and taking steps to shield the area from outside influence to deter self-immolations, the state-run, web-based Qinghai News reported. ... Authorities will confiscate illegal satellite dishes that allow local residents to receive anti-China programs from abroad, register every business that sells satellite signal receiving devices, and replace 3,000 television sets in monastery dormitories."

"'The transaction between the listener and the broadcaster is really quite simple, and has nothing to do with persuasion theories: the audience wants news that is more comprehensive, reliable, and credible than the news they get from the state-controlled or otherwise deficient domestic media. International broadcasters that provide such a product attract an audience. That’s International Broadcasting 101?' -Kim Andrew Elliott

"Kim Andrew Elliott no doubt honestly expresses his strongly-held personal opinions, not the official BBG position, but it’s rather obvious that he has never lived under an oppressive regime that practices press censorship.

"We asked international broadcasting experts, who actually experienced life in countries ruled by dictatorships, for their views on Kim Andrew Elliott’s and David Ensor’s comments about Iran:

"'Some of us who had lived under repressive regimes can tell Mr. Ensor and Dr. Elliott that accurate and objective news, while much needed and appreciated, were hardly enough for those of us who wanted freedom. What we also needed was a thoughtful but hard-hitting commentary, which Radio Free Europe and BBC were much better at providing than Voice of America, especially in the 1960s and 1970s.

"'We wanted all the lies of the communist regime and all the guilty of hypocrisy exposed and our faith in truth reaffirmed. Truth was an absolutely essential part of it, no doubt about it, but it was hardly everything we expected from these broadcasts. We were looking for a voice we could consider as our moral supporter, a friend and an ally with a message of freedom and hope. Mr. Ensor does not like 'hard-hitting' and that’s a shame because great journalism that made a big difference during the Cold War was very much "hard-hitting."

"'As a supporter of eliminating surrogate broadcasters and merging them with Voice of America, Kim Andrew Elliott is equally wrong that accurate and comprehensive news is enough to attract a larger audience in media restricted countries. Specialized analysis and hard-hitting commentaries by well-informed experts and journalists are also essential. That is why Radio Free Europe was more popular in Eastern Europe during the Cold War than the Voice of America and why BBC foreign-language programs with their hard-hitting expert analyses were also more popular than VOA.

"'But Kim Andrew Elliott does not have to look back at history because he can see it right now in the United States if he would check the relative popularity of various broadcasters like CNN, FOX, and CNBC. It appears that those with strong partisan commentaries usually do better than others. He should then imagine what people who are really deprived of freedom and support for their views feel like, what they need and where they can find it."

During the Cold War, VOA had larger audiences than RFE/RL in the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia and was virtually tied with RFE/RL in Poland.

See previous post about same subject.

University of Maryland Merrill College, 16 Jan 2013, Sean Mussenden: "Merrill College Dean Lucy Dalglish said the Broadcasting Board of Governors made a terrific choice in asking Klose to return to Prague to help Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty through these difficult times."

National Review, 17 Jan 2013, John O'Sullivan, former RFE/RL executive editor: "He is ... a very comfortable fit for the job description I suggested two weeks ago for the next RFERL president — which is to say, 'someone experienced editorially and internationally but detached from recent BBG politics (former NPR president Kevin Klose would be ideal), [who] can determine what went wrong in the course of putting it right.' So I can’t very well not welcome his appointment; my reputation is riding on it."

Deutsche Welle press release, 13 Dec 2012: "China’s largest financial TV Channel China Business Network (CBN) launched earlier this week its new media project dedicated to the topic of sustainability. Under the title The Future We Want, it will include, among others, five reports from DW's Global Ideas multimedia series, which showcases projects from around the world geared towards promoting climate protection. A three-hour live TV show will be broadcast on CBN on December 31. It will also air a 24-hour video live stream on the topic in cooperation with online partners YouKu and BestTV. Along with DW, The Future We Want is supported by several prominent international media partners, including the BBC Worldwide, CNN, TV5MONDE, Sky News and Earth TV. It also has the support of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF)."

Al-Monitor, 13 Jan 2013, Ali Hashem: "Many intellectuals and media professionals ... were questioning the standards [Al jazeera] was abiding to in covering certain revolutions whilst ignoring others, namely Bahrain. When faced with the allegations, seniors at the Qatari channel gave one answer: 'We have no access' in Bahrain. That answer could have had some weight if Al-Jazeera's English Channel hadn’t produced a masterpiece that will always be referred to as one of the best documentaries about Bahrain, Shouting in the Dark. The Al-Jazeera English Channel had undercover reporters in Manama covering the unrest, while the Arabic channel tended to derive its news from agencies. When a reporter was given the permission by the Bahraini authorities to cover, the reports seemed more like messages of reconciliation than field coverage of an ongoing uprising, a rhetoric that differs much from the one the channel adopted in approaching the Arab Spring. Al-Jazeera's main competitor, Saudi-owned Al Arabiya, had a different approach to the situation in Bahrain. The channel reflected the official point of view, accusing the activists of being Iranian proxies accusing demonstrators of being armed. The channel's editorial line wasn’t of a surprise to many given the fact Saudi troops entered Bahrain, to help put an end to the ongoing unrest."

Haaretz, 10 Jan 2013, James Kirchick (former RFE/RL writer-at-large): "[V]ital to understanding Al Jazeera is acknowledging that it does have an ideology. This is something that many of its Western fan boys choose to ignore. Calling the network’s ethos an 'ideology', however, gives its modus operandi a little too much credit; the network, despite its protestations, is ultimately a tool of Qatari foreign policy. ... Al Jazeera’s standpoint is just as pronounced, if not more so, than that of Fox News."

Columbia Journalism Review, 9 Jan 2013, Vivian Salama: "Al Jazeera English reaches 250 million households in 130 countries, but North American remains a place with potential for tremendous growth; officials with the company say that its English-language website receives some 50 percent of its daily traffic from the United States and Canada. ... Many questions remain about Al Jazeera’s American enterprise at this juncture, including whether the Qatari government will seek heavy involvement in its content, as well as about the news executives who will become the architects of this new network. 'There is an enormous interest in Qatar to have a greater presence in the US, and having that blackout is very harmful to that interest,' says Everette Dennis, dean of the Qatar campus of Northwestern University, on the fact that Al Jazeera is mostly unavailable to viewers here."

Politico, 12 Jan 2013, Dylan Byers: "In retrospect, the $500 million buy-in appears to have been the easy part. Now, Al Jazeera must convince American audiences that a Middle Eastern-based news network — owned by the Emir of Qatar, and therefore funded largely by foreign oil wealth — can be both credible and compelling. That effort is complicated by the network’s flagship Arabic channel, which is radically different from its English-language counterpart."

NewsBusters, 13 Jan 2013, Tom Blumer: "The burning question on the mind of Dylan Byers Saturday afternoon at the Politico -- a question that somehow merited over 2,000 words of content -- was 'Al Jazeera America (AJA): Will they watch?' He could have answered his question in eleven words: 'Except for segments of America's Muslim community, the answer is "no."'"

GOPUSA, 11 Jan 2013, Cliff Kincaid: "If Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) lets the Al Jazeera-Al Gore deal go through without scrutiny, then every broadcast entity or communications facility in America is ripe for the plucking by any of our nation’s enemies and adversaries. ... First, there are unresolved complaints to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) about Al Jazeera’s operations in the U.S. Jerry Kenney of Kenney Broadcasting has asked that the DOJ enforce the law by requiring that foreign propaganda pumped into American homes by Al Jazeera be labeled as such. He says, 'Why is it that if I buy a pair of tennis shoes made in China, it has to be labeled made in China? But foreign propaganda which is being aired in the U.S. is not being labeled as foreign propaganda, with its country of origin, in violation of the law?'"

CBC News, 11 Jan 2013, Neil McDonald: "Most Westerners have no idea where N'Djamena is. Al Jazeera English operates a news bureau there (it's the capital of Chad). AJE also has correspondents in Juba, Diyarbakir, Harare, Khartoum, Nouakchott, Skopje, and about 65 other cities, including a North American metropolis all but ignored by big U.S. media: Toronto. The network, owned and operated by the Emirate of Qatar, no longer has anything to prove about the quality of its journalism. It has won all sorts of prestigious awards and broken all sorts of stories. ... An old colleague of mine (there are no end of Canadians at AJE) thinks the key is to consciously look and sound as starkly different as possible from the rest of the American pack. '"I'd put up a picture of [reality star] Kim Kardashian,' he said, 'with a voiceover saying "Take a look at her. Because this is the last time you will ever see her on this station. Welcome to Al Jazeera."' That's a pitch I'd buy."

Toronto Star, 12 Jan 2013, Tony Burman, former head of Al Jazeera English: The sale of Current TV to Al Jazeera "is certain to shake up the U.S. media world. It challenges the selective fealty of the American political and corporate class to the principle of true free expression. It reveals how aggressively the tiny Gulf state of Qatar, which owns Al Jazeera, wants to expand its global profile and influence in the U.S. And Al Jazeera, which has always had an ambivalence about its mission in the U.S., will be forced to take America and its story seriously if it truly wants to attract American viewers. ... Al Jazeera’s challenge won’t be an easy one. My sense of Al Jazeera today is that it is becoming a more 'top-down,' centrally driven news operation than ever before. All news programs and most editorial decisions now come out of Qatar. Al Jazeera America will force it to change if it wants to succeed. For news channels to thrive in the U.S., America’s story must be 'made in America.' Al Jazeera has time to turn it around before 'the lights go on' in these 40 million homes, but not much time. The American TV marketplace waits for no one, and rarely grants a second chance."

US News & World Report, 10 Jan 2013, Leslie Pitterson: "For those who lament the lack of international news coverage, Al-Jazeera America is a promising development. Its coverage of global stories has guided the network's growth from the first uncensored network in the Arab world to a major voice in the global south. Today, Al-Jazeera can been seen in over 220 million households and in more than 120 countries. From reporting on the war on terror to unrest in sub-Saharan Africa, the network has reported world news from a unique perspective. But perhaps it is in the early stages of stories like the U.S. use of drones and the Arab Spring, which often required truncated history lessons from many American cable news outlets, that best illustrate the value of Al-Jazeera in the media landscape."

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 10 Jan 2013, editorial: "Americans ... who saw the value of checking out Al Jazeera's coverage of the Arab Spring, for instance, had to be content with accessing the network via the Internet. Those who tuned in were pleasantly surprised by the depth, sophistication and evenhandedness of a news network U.S. politicians have demagogued for years. At a time when U.S. news networks are shutting down foreign bureaus and reducing the airtime devoted to international news, Al Jazeera is expanding its coverage of the Middle East, Asia, South America and sub-Saharan Africa. Once Americans are exposed to credible alternatives to news coverage of international events, there may be pressure on their homegrown media to take other perspectives seriously. The world is a very complex place."

Baltimore Sun, 9 Jan 2013, David Zurawik: "[T]o those who wrote ... asking if I understood how biased Al Jazeera is. The answer is yes... . But you should know it's not the kind of bias some fools are talking about when they recklessly throw around words like 'terrorist' and 'terrorism.' The bias is toward a geographic orientation or consequent set of narratives described as 'Global South.' And given U.S. history, it is one we desperately need to understand and think about if we are truly going to function globally in the new world order. In some ways, it is a reaction to the history of 'Global North' colonialism, which is the underpinning of the structure and the orientation of the BBC. Think of it as a counterbalance to that bias, particularly in the Middle East." -- Mr. Zurawek's negative assessment of the BBC suffers from the same cause as the negative assessment of "some fools" of Al Jazeera English: he hasn't watched enough. In the past two decades, at least, BBC's coverage of the global South has been comprehensive and fair. Furthermore, BBC has the advantage of Al Jazeera by not claiming to be "the voice of the voiceless," but instead maintaining the detachment that befits a true news organization.

Forward, 9 Jan 2013, M. Berger: "In the Middle East, networks financed by Western countries — such as France24, the BBC’s Arabic Service, Russia’s RT and Voice of America — have long been a staple of local airwaves. Now, the United States may be about to experience a Middle East-owned network talking back."

The Rush Limbaugh Show, 8 Jan 2013: "Al Jazeera is from Qatar. Al Jazeera gave us the Arab Spring. Look how it turned out. Al Jazeera was the coverage there."

Human Events, 7 Jan 2013, David Harsanyi: "The problem with Al Jazeera isn’t just that it might be left of the mainstream or anti-American in perspective, it’s that it is anti-American in the purest sense – a network that is state-owned and operated. And not just any state, but Qatar an absolute theocratic monarchy and terror booster (I wonder how many New Yorkers would liked [sic] contribute to a network, whose owner just handed Hamas a $400 million check?)"

The Jewish Press, 9 Jan 2013, editorial: "In his Council on Foreign Relations blog, former senior State Department official Elliott Abrams said this about the sale: 'Henceforth, tens of millions of Americans will receive Al Jazeera English in their homes. It would be nice if the channel carried a little warning label to viewers, clarifying who owns Al Jazeera so that they understand they are getting all the news…that the Qatari government wants them to have.' Abrams went on to note that the British government owns the BBC, Deutsche Welle is owned by the German government, France 24 is controlled by a French government agency and even the Voice of America is owned by the U.S. government. But, he said, they and others like them openly disclose their provenance on their websites. Yet this is what Al Jazeera’s website declares: 'Al-Jazeera English is an international news channel with over sixty bureaus around the world that span six different continents…. Al Jazeera English is part of the Al Jazeera Network – one of the world’s leading media corporations, encompassing news, documentary and sport channels….' Nothing at all about the Qatar connection. Abrams summed up: 'Every government has the right to present a news channel, and has the right to decide whether that channel will be fully independent of government policy – like the BBC – or will reflect government policy – like Al Jazeera. The answer is not censorship, but candor; if Al Jazeera were called Voice of Qatar, and clearly labeled as that nation’s international broadcaster, the situation would be clear to its viewers."

The Jewish Press, 9 Jan 2013, Jonathan S. Tobin: "It’s not clear that the oil-rich magnates of Qatar will make their money back on this deal. Nor is it likely that Al Jazeera’s news with an Islamist and anti-American and anti-Israel slant will transform the discussion of the Middle East. But it may provide a bully pulpit to voices that have heretofore been confined to the fever swamps of U.S. politics and become another beachhead into the U.S. for those seeking to heighten international isolation of the Jewish state."

Washington Times, 8 Jan 2013, Ivan Kenneally: "Al-Jazeera has earned a reputation for its extreme illiberalism. First, the network is state-run and so premised on the rejection of free speech and an independent press. It has intimidated dissent and manipulates the news to serve despotic state ends. ... Al-Jazeera hates American conservatives and Israel. ... Tune in to Al-Jazeera U.S. soon to see for yourself."

Washington Post, 9 Jan 2013, Paul Farhi, via Philly.com: "Al-Jazeera says it will operate AJE and Al-Jazeera America as separate channels, although about 40 percent of AJE's content will appear on the new channel. It will utilize some of the resources of its existing Washington bureaus when it launches this year. In addition, it plans to add five news bureaus across the country to the 10 that AJE already operates. The deal could mark a new era in a new hemisphere for a news organization that helped smash apart government control of information in the Arab world. Al-Jazeera - the name means 'the peninsula' in Arabic - transcended national censors when it began broadcasting across the Middle East via satellite in 1996."

Huffington Post, 9 Jan 2013, Geri Spieler: "Are we uncomfortable with news that has not been sanitized by our own American-based networks? Is that the reason there is so much pushback to Al Jazeera English on U.S. network TV? I think so. It seems we don't want to see anything that doesn't show the U.S. in the best light. We don't want to see what really happens in the field. We don't want the visions of war in our faces. We only want to hear of casualties, not see them. We only want to hear how the good guys (us) win and the bad guys (them) are being defeated. American media sanitizes war. None of the violence or carnage is ever seen on American television. This selectivity blinds us to real world events. We sit safe in our homes only to hear about numbers of people killed, but never seeing the death and destruction. ... The jury is still out that their English version will not be biased in favor of the Arab world. It will, however, offer an alternative view from our own of the Arab world."

National Review Online, 10 Jan 2013, Clifford D. May: "I’ve appeared on AJ English quite a few times. Like Current TV and MSNBC, it presents itself as a voice of the Left. AJ English does not overtly promote the ideology of Islamism, but it does present it as mainstream, suggesting an affinity between Islamist and leftist values. Whenever I’ve been on a program, I’ve had an opportunity to provide my analysis and opinions. But, invariably, I will be outnumbered: At least two other guests, as well as the interviewer, will vehemently disagree with me. Anyone versed in Strategic Communications 101 will recognize this as a technique designed to marginalize one set of views and promote another."

The Daily Beast, 8 Jan 2013, Patrick N. Theos: "Al Jazeera, however, has faced down the opposition to become a media powerhouse and the voice of the region. I have no doubt that it will overcome the small-minded ignorance that seeks to block its entry into the U.S. Al Jazeera deserves a place on the U.S. broadcasting spectrum. More important, the American viewer deserves the opportunity to experience the network’s high-quality, uniquely positioned look at the Middle East and the world."

KCET (Los Angeles) , 10 Jan 2013: "Al Jazeera's English newscast runs here on KCET. From the start, Al Jazeera has had its share of controversy and more than its share of difficulty breaking into the larger American market." With video interview with Brian Stelter of the New York Times.

New York, 11 Jan 2013, Caroline Shin: "As the ink still dries on the Current TV-Al Jazeera deal, Fox News has unsurprisingly sounded the alarm on Al Gore's 'anti-American' nature. However, as Jon Stewart pointed out on last night's Daily Show, somehow they've overlooked boss Rupert Murdoch's twenty-percent stake in Rotana, an Arab station co-owned by Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal and accountable for airing Valley of the Wolves, a film in which American soldiers massacre Iraqi civilians and sell their organs to Jews. 'Rupert Murdoch profiting from the airing of that type of anti-American propaganda?' says Stewart. Say it ain't so." With video.

Times Union (Albany), 11 Jan 2013, Lloyd Constantine: "There are some positive signs that Al Jazeera America may be able to overcome its propagandistic past to become a major source of hard and objective news. It won high praise from Sen. John McCain and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton for its objective coverage of the Arab Spring and more recently for its reports about suppression of revolutionary movements in Arab countries. And while Al Jazeera's ownership still raises disturbing questions as it seeks a major audience in American homes, hard news on cable is something we really need — not partisanship, sensationalism and gossip."

Washington Post, 11 Jan 2013, letter from Shannon Sollinger: "About two years ago, whoever was masquerading as a news person on whichever network broadcast I happened to be watching at that moment said the words 'Charlie Sheen' one time too many. I fled, surfed channels in desperation and stumbled upon Al-Jazeera English. I’ve never left. By concentrating on and reporting news, Al-Jazeera English provides blissful relief from the info-pap that prevails on our so-called news shows. The reporters seem to be everywhere, including ducking incoming fire in Libya and on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. The televised discussion groups bring diverse viewpoints and informed exchanges — but not once, since I have been watching, has one of the panelists giggled. Or even chuckled."

See previous post about same subject.

"And, you know, when America sometimes has a story to tell that isn't altogether positive about itself, you know, issues of race, or Abu Ghraib, actually our credibility, Voice of America's credibility, we've discovered, grows when we tell the truth about ourselves. And that is when we build an audience around the world, when people say, ah, these Americans realize they're not perfect, they are analyzing their own flaws, trying to figure out how to make their selves a better country. That makes the Voice of America, which talks in these terms, worth listening to on other subjects, besides America, perhaps what's going on my country.

"So I think there's a real power to old fashioned journalism. We have to do it on an increasing number of different media. We have to stay with the times.;But the old-fashioned values of journalism I believe in. And that I think is what we're really based on now."

Mr. Ensor was responding to the other guest on the program, a communication professor who was, as communication scholars are wont to do (and is a reason I am no longer a communication professor), obfuscating the role of international broadcasting. The transaction between the listener and the broadcaster is really quite simple, and has nothing to do with persuasion theories: the audience wants news that is more comprehensive, reliable, and credible than the news they get from the state-controlled or otherwise deficient domestic media. International broadcasters that provide such a product attract an audience. That's International Broadcasting 101.

BBG Strategy, 4 Jan 2013: "As content offerings grew, so did requests for that content from a rising number of U.S.-based ethnic broadcasters serving diaspora populations. Under the domestic dissemination ban, those requests, which ranged from Sudanese broadcasters in Minnesota to Cuban community broadcasters in Miami, were officially denied. The truth is, however, that many ethnic broadcasters used them regardless. As internet distribution became available, keeping a lid on BBG content in the U.S. became even more difficult. The BBG could certainly geocode the content to prevent U.S. audiences from accessing it, but censoring the internet in a country with a founding tenet of freedom of the press was seen as a non-starter." -- This "non-starter" was the obvious way to adhere to domestic dissemination ban, had the BBG chosen to observe the ban. Moot point now.

Heritage Foundation, 9 Jan 2013, Helle Dale: "Incongruously for a country founded on democratic values and freedom of expression, Americans have until now been banned from accessing information and programming produced by the State Department and the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) for foreign publics—as though it was too toxic for domestic consumption. With the new revision, programming may be broadcast in the United States, though it may not be specifically produced for American consumption. ... The consequences have been unfortunate anomalies. Americans are now able to access via cable television the programs of government broadcasters from around the world: China’s CCTV, Russia Today, the BBC World Service, and France 1, to name a few. But Voice of America and the government’s other broadcasting units remained off-limits. At the same time, Congress has not been able to perform proper oversight, having Smith–Mundt conflicts cited to them by State Department and BBG lawyers. The BBG is famous for its defiance of congressional directives, and mismanagement of its services has been rampant.

The Heritage Foundation serves an important research function. When someone reads an essay at the Heritage website, he/she must then do research to learn what the facts really are. The fact here is that all Americans always had access to everything in all the websites of all the BBG entities. And I'm not aware of any content of US public diplomacy websites being blocked within the United States. Furthermore, I would be stupefied if any member of Congress had ever been denied access to USIB content in the name of Smith-Mundt.

American Security Project, 10 Jan 2013, Matthew Wallin "This is NOT the equivalent of passing a law approving the production of propaganda for domestic use. These materials must be produced for use overseas, and not made for a domestic audience. ... Ultimately, this is good news for the people of the United States, opening up our nation’s public diplomacy for more oversight and allowing us to better understand what is being 'said' in the name of the American people. This creates transparency, and gives the American people and Congress the ability to better understand how public diplomacy is being conducted by the State Department and the BBG. Inevitably, this will lead to the discovery of reporting by American news outlets such as Voice of America or Alhurra that is not necessarily flattering to U.S. policy. Yet in the course of providing objective, credible news, it is vital that we do not restrict our overseas broadcasters from reporting on the truth, even when it may not initially appear beneficial to the U.S."

Sabith Khan, 7 Jan 2013, Sabith Khan: "While the intent of the act seems to be to counter the propaganda of Al-Qaeda and other groups intent on false anti-American propaganda, the logic of 'countering fire with fire' seems a bit far-fetched. The American public is getting wiser, and one hopes that U.S. taxpayer dollars are not spent on propaganda campaigns." -- It is actually the writer's explanation of the repeal of domestic dissemination ban that is "far-fetched."

Blogger News Network, 3 Jan 2013, Ted Lipien, citing BBG Watch: “'There will be a very strong pressure on the part of the BBG government bureaucracy to focus on the domestic U.S. media market to increase their audience. Over the years, the BBG bureaucracy grew while international news programs and the number of journalists and international experts declined. Government bureaucrats will feel more comfortable doing business with people like themselves, people they know,' [Ted] Lipien said."

Another advantage of the repeal that I forgot to mention in the previous post is that USIB can now barter content with US domestic news organizations. For example, VOA could exchange its coverage of its target countries for a US news outlet's coverage of the United States.

"Harder-edged news" is good, but if it has an "opposition feel," then it may not really be news. RFE/RL will have to decide if it wants to be a better news service than Russians can get domestically, or an "opposition media" service. If the latter, the Russians can probably do it themselves, at no cost to the US taxpayers.

Putin has intensified his control of and restrictions on Russian media, but as long as there is a modicum of independent journalism left in Russia, Russians will generally turn to it rather than foreign sources. The foreign news organization with the best chance in Russia (and largest comScore numbers) is the BBC, because, in contrast to US international broadcasting, the BBC's resources are concentrated in one organization, and the BBC has more of a reputation for independence and credibility.

Newsmax, 10 Jan 2013, Todd Beamon and John Bachman: “'This is not just a question of soft power,' O’Sullivan ... tells Newsmax. 'It’s not just a question of cutting back on soft power. It’s a question of whether or not the kind of journalism that is ... subsidized by the U.S. taxpayer is going to be journalism that makes a difference in Russia — or whether it’s going to be journalism that the Kremlin will be quite happy with,' O’Sullivan said. 'Any amount of soft social stories, they can live with.'" With video interview.

Forbes, 9 Jan 2013, Mark Adomanis: "With the benefit of hindsight and distance, it seems obvious to me that this whole kerfuffle is not about democracy, autocracy, liberty, or anything nearly that elevated or important, it’s about a bunch of people who are angry because their jerk boss fired them and who want their jobs back. Like I said in my original piece, I find it perfectly plausible, perhaps even likely, that Masha Gessen is a terrible editor who is very unpleasant to work for. And having seen people be unceremoniously canned, I understand that it’s not very fun (though I confess to finding it terribly funny that a right-winger like O’Sullivan would suggest that employers have anything other than complete discretion in selecting their employees)."

UPI, 4 Jan 2013: "Russian listeners of American-financed Radio Liberty say they are disappointed the station, which had been on-air since 1953, is no longer available. ... Radio Liberty will still be available online via partnerships with a few other independent sites, including TV Rain, an online television channel, said Russian-American journalist Masha Gessen. 'It's extremely easy to shut off access to a single Web site,' Gessen said. 'We need to have a lot of alternative ways to get our content out.'"

Voice of Russia, 6 Jan 2013, Natalya Kovalenko: "President of Radio Liberty Steve Korn and the head of the Moscow office Masha Gessen are convinced that [Radio Liberty] needs change badly. Russian journalist and public figure Alexey Chadayev is speaking: 'Frankly speaking, with the Echo of Moscow and the Russian News Service, Radio Liberty did not stand out on the air at all. As for the contents, they are rather an old-fashioned propaganda radio. Their only chance of survival on today’s market is to provide better quality contents.'"

BBG Watch, 10 Jan 2013, quoting "a former high BBG official, who ... spoke off the record": "Does [Masha Gessen] maintain a security clearance? Has she compromised it? If she does not have a clearance—-why not? Can she be trusted with confidential or classified information? There may be a breach here."

I can understand that a present employee of USIB might want to write anonymously, although an anonymous essay has only a fraction of the impact as one that is signed. But why would a former official have to write without identification? This seems to be taking caution to a ridiculous extreme. Anyway, it was good of BBG Watch to provide the complete record of a statement by this former high BBG official who spoke "off the record."

Assuming it really is a former high BBG official who made the statement, it's remarkable that he/she asks why Masha Gessen does not have clearance. Could it have something to do that she is now supposed to be a journalist in charge of what is supposed to be a news organization? If this is how high BBG officials think about news (note that the new BBG mission statement does not even have the word "news" in it), then BBG Watch may have unwittingly identified what ails US international broadcasting.

See previous post about same subject. The Masha Gessen saga was first reported by this website on 18 Sept 2012.

Bloomberg Businessweek, 4 Jan 2013, Bryan Bradley: "U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s opposition to Russia’s growing economic might in Europe wasn’t practical, Vydas Gedvilas, the head of Lithuania’s new parliament, said in an interview with Russian radio. The international influence of Russian businesses is an economic reality that European countries must separate from politics and deal with pragmatically, Gedvilas, whose Labor Party joined a coalition government after October elections, said on Radio Svoboda yesterday." -- Radio Svoboda is probably pleased to be referred to as "Russian radio," but it is, of course, the Russian serice of US-funded RFE/RL.

BBC World Radio and TV web page, 10 Jan 2013: "On screen, BBC World News will look sharper and more dynamic than ever before, with high definition and virtual reality studios and innovative multi-platform content helping to bring the news to life like never before. The BBC employs more journalists than any other international broadcaster and produces news in 28 languages. The World's Newsroom is a melting pot for the best journalism in the world, using five custom-built studios with new sets and fresh creative graphics and cutting-edge cameras with virtual reality and 3D capabilities to create news that's immersive, dynamic, and more engaging than ever." With video.

The BBC aspires to be "the world’s best international news provider," while the US Broadcasting Board of Governors aims to be "the world’s leading international news agency by 2016" (see previous post). Let the competition begin. But USIB will not begin to compete with the BBC until the War of the Entities is concluded, USIB is consolidated, partnerships are forged with US domestic broadcasting, and the BBG commits unambiguously to journalism.

Broadcasting Board of Governors press release, 12 Dev 2012: "Radio Free Asia (RFA) continues to be in the forefront of coverage of self-immolations and other demonstrations in Tibet, with The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and major wire services relying on RFA content. Almost daily, ordinary Tibetan men and women, including a nun and young mothers and fathers, set themselves on fire to protest China’s rule and demand the return of Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. By Dec. 3, the number of self-immolations had risen to 92. RFA reported exclusively last month that more than 1,000 Tibetan students held a mass demonstration in Qinghai province to protest the release of an official Chinese booklet that ridiculed the Tibetan language as irrelevant and condemned self-immolations as acts of 'stupidity.' Chinese authorities arrested four students and opened fire on the demonstrators, wounding 20 and leaving five in critical condition, according to another Tibetan source. The students were also angered by statements by the Chinese authorities calling the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, 'the main cause for the split between Tibetans and Chinese,' the source said."

At about 0130 UTC, the Olivia 8-1000 mode will be centered on 1000 Hz, MFSK16 on 2000 Hz, and PSK63F (a.k.a. BPSK63F) on 2500 Hz. Decode one mode from the radio, the others from your recording.

At just before 0200 UTC, the Olivia 8-2000 mode (requires Fldigi custom setting) will be centered on 1500 Hz, and PSKR125 on 2800 Hz. This transmission will be formatted for Flmsg and will contain html. If everything is installed and set correctly, this transmission will open a new window of your web browser.

To decode, download Fldigi and Flmsg from www.w1hkj.com.

The Mighty KBC will also conduct test transmissions: Thursday, 10 January, at 1000-1200 UTC and Friday, 11 January, at 1300-1500 UTC, both on 6150 kHz. The content will be previous broadcasts of The Giant Jukebox, so digital text will be transmitted at 90 and 120 minutes into each transmission.

See previous post about same subject.

CNN, 7 Jan 2013, Howard Kurtz: "[W]hen I went to the home page of Al Jazeera English the other day, there was video of David Frost, the acclaimed British journalist who now works for the main network, interviewing Israeli President Shimon Peres. That's not to say Al Jazeera America, the working name for the new channel, won't have its own biases. Al Jazeera English is sometimes determined to paint the U.S. in a negative light. During a report on President Barack Obama signing a renewal of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which entails a legitimate controversy over civil liberties, the reporter said flatly that the law 'violate(s) U.S. constitutional rights in the name of national security.' ... I [don't] want to prejudge Al Jazeera America. The marketplace will decide its fate. But there is something unsettling about Gore making off with such a big payday from a government-subsidized channel after making such bad television. Nice work if you can get it."

WND.com, 6 Jan 2013, Aaron Klein: "Al Jazeera, which this week announced it purchased Al Gore’s Current TV for $500 million, has a long history of close ties to and support for the Muslim Brotherhood. Al Jazeera’s founders, themselves close to the Muslim Brotherhood, have long attempted to gain influence in the U.S., including through the financing of Arabic classes in American public schools via a Muslim Brotherhood-linked charity."

NPR, 6 Jan 2013, Bob Wheelock, Al-Jazeera's executive producer for the Americas, as interviewed by Rachel Martin: "What we do is try to produce news broadcasts that are editorially correct. They're not always politically correct. We take a couple of hits for that. You know, there's a certain hypocrisy involved in some of the people who've criticized, you know, you got a tape from al-Qaida and you've ran it. First of all, it's not run until it's authenticated, and I happen to know being at another network at the time, you know, the foreign desk was often calling and trying to see if they could get that tape."

Washington Examiner, 6 Jan 2013, Sean Higgins: "The Washington Post ran a fascinating op-ed column ... by Gary Wasserman ... [who] concedes that Al Jazeera’s reporters – who strive to 'appear' to be balanced, remember – are 'a bit' obsessed with Israel. Other than that? Nothing to fear."

Gannett News Service, 6 Jan 2013, Michele Chabin: "Itamar Marcus, director of Palestinian Media Watch, an Israeli research institute that studies Palestinian society and the Arab world through its media and educational materials, said there is 'a big difference" between Al Jazeera's Arabic programming and its international English-language broadcasts. The Arab broadcasts very often promote a very radical Islamist approach,' he said. 'What's brilliant,' Marcus said, is the way the company 'binds this in with all the latest technology and even occasionally interviews with differing opinions, including Israeli leaders.' This creates a 'perception' of balanced reporting, Marcus said, 'but in fact, the overall underlying agenda is very radical.'"

TriplePundit, 7 Jan 2013, Leon Kaye: "Not only was this the best possible deal for a dying cable TV news channel, but the acquisition of Current TV could be positive news for a TV audience who struggle to find a decent source of news."

Journal Register (Connecticut), 7 Jan 2013, Andy Thibault: "Why do I want the opportunity to see Al Jazeera English or the fledgling Al Jazeera America via my local cable provider? Because they cover a lot of stories I won’t see on ABC, Fox, NBC, CBS or CNN. Europeans have easy access to news networks from Japan, France, China and Russia. It shouldn’t be a problem for diversity of thought and reporting to be a part of the basic cable package here at home – even outside the major markets."

OneNewsNow, 8 Jan 2013, Becky Yeh: "California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has announced that he will not work for Al Jazeera -- the network that has purchased Al Gore's Current TV. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Newsom says he will not work for the pro-Arab network because of possible legal issues. The Democratic public official doubles as the host of the 'Gavin Newsom Show,' and working for a network owned by a foreign government could present legalities."

Washington Times, 7 Jan 2013, Frank J. Gaffney Jr: "Let’s call it Al Goreera. This seems a fitting title for the new network that former Vice President Al Gore is launching with the jihadists’ favorite television outlet: Al-Jazeera. The effect will be to create vast new opportunities for our enemies to propagandize the American people, a key ingredient of their 'civilization jihad' against our country. It is hard to overstate the magnitude of this treachery. ... Regrettably, the Federal Communications Commission has washed its hands of this transaction claiming, in the words of a spokesman, it 'doesn’t have regulatory oversight of transactions relating to ownership of cable networks.' It’s a safe bet that the deeply Islamist-penetrated Department of Justice won’t intervene, either. In light of the stakes, Congress must inject itself into the matter. At the very least, Al-Jazeera America should be obliged to register as a foreign agent."

Quartz, 7 Jan 2013, Christopher Mims: "[I]t shouldn’t come as a surprise if some House Republicans decide to cast a spotlight on the US expansion plans of a network still associated by many Americans with its early broadcast of al-Qaeda videos."

Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan 2013, Daoud Kuttab: "Some might argue that the differences between Al Jazeera Arabic and international Al Jazeera amount to deception or hypocrisy. But CNN has an international version, a Turkish version and a Mexican version. If you watch the U.S. domestic version versus the international broadcast, you will see a marked difference in the news lineup and the time spent on various topics."

Huffington Post, 7 Jan 2013, Emily Swanson: "By a nearly 2-to-1 plurality, Americans approve of Time Warner Cable's decision to drop Current TV from its lineup after the news channel was acquired by Al Jazeera, a new HuffPost/YouGov poll found. According to the new survey, 41 percent of Americans said they approve of Time Warner's decision, while 22 percent said they disapprove. Time Warner announced the decision to drop Current TV almost immediately after the Al Jazeera sale was made public, but then said it would consider carrying Al Jazeera America, which will be replacing Current TV. Republicans in the survey approved of the Time Warner decision 65 percent to 13 percent, and independents backed it 42 percent to 22 percent. Democrats, however, divided equally between those approving (26 percent) and disapproving (27 percent). Older Americans were more likely than younger Americans to support the cable giant's decision."

Huffington Post, 7 Jan 2013, Courtney C. Radsch: "I think it is unlikely that people who were not already inclined to watch foreign broadcasts, such as BBC or Al Jazeera English, or stream Al Jazeera online, are going to rush to check out Al Jazeera America. France 24, CCTV, Russia Today and a host of other English-language news stations barely make a blip on the radar and it is unclear what Al Jazeera's editorial plan is. ... If AJ focuses on the plight of the disenfranchised in America, and gives voice to the voiceless here at home, it would certainly be doing a service but would undoubtedly lead to further charges of anti-Americanism. I think it is the rising number of children living in poverty, the proportion of homeless families and veterans, the citizens unable to afford healthcare and education, that is truly anti-American, not the coverage of such issues. But it remains to be seen what the plan for coverage in the U.S. will be and what, precisely, Al Jazeera's goals for the U.S. are. Stay tuned."

Al Jazeera English, Listening Post, 5 Jan 2013: "This week: A Listening Post special - Whistleblowing and the US media. On the campaign trail four years ago, US presidential candidate Barack Obama said: 'Often the best source of information about waste, fraud and abuse in government is a government employee committed to public integrity, willing to speak out. Such acts of courage and patriotism ... should be encouraged rather than stifled.' As president, the reality has been very different. During his first term in office, six whistleblowers have been charged under the Espionage Act for allegedly mishandling classified information. That is twice as many as all previous presidents combined. ... In the first half of this full edition special, we blow the whistle on President Obama's America."

See previous post about same subject.

At the same location on 16 January at 4:30 pm, David Goren will give a talk: On the Air: Tuning in to the Secret Wars. "Under deep cover, a spy waits by a shortwave radio ready to copy down a long string of numbers. Dictatorships jam signals beaming in from clandestine stations operated by opposition groups. The first act of a conquering rebel group or invading army is to take over the radio station. During World War II the sarcastic and seductive voices of Lord Haw Haw, Tokyo Rose, and Ezra Pound tried to demoralize the troops and the folks back home. Urban gladiators like Skyhawk, Lt. Columbo and Switchblade take to Channel 6 on Citizens Band radio for a keydown. The winner takes the frequency. The loser is a 'Mud Duck.' Radio producer and audio archivist David Goren hosts a listening session and informal discussion about the way radio is used in battles of ideology and territory. The session will include a live tuning of a Cuban numbers station intended for Cuban spies in the United States."

The Sun, 4 Jan 2013, Alex West, Neil Syson & Graeme Wilson: "We have published our own letter in a Buenos Aires paper to warn her: Hands off our territory. ... We fired off our newspaper message to Kirchner in her native Spanish. She accused Britain of stealing the islands in adverts placed in left-wing British papers The Guardian and Independent. But in an open letter today in the Buenos Aires Herald ... The Sun tells her Britain has had sovereignty there before Argentina even existed."

Metro, 4 Jan 2013, Mark Molloy: "Argentines have reacted angrily by burning adverts and British flags after the Sun newspaper took out a full page advert in an Argentinian newspaper warning president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner to keep her ‘hands off’ the Falkland Islands."

Politics.co.uk, 4 Jan 2013, Ian Dunt: "British newspapers entered into a strange proxy war over the Falklands Islands today, after the Sun published an advert in Argentina's Buenos Aires Herald addressing the territorial dispute. ... While the Guardian was widely criticised yesterday for allowing the ad space to be sold, the Sun also won few plaudits for its move."

Advanced Television, 19 Nov 2012, Chris Forrester: "The Ukrainian version of EuroNews is in financial trouble and has reportedly not paid its fees for the current year. BBC Monitoring is reporting text from Russia’s Kommersant newspaper that the channel owes some $3.81 million which is supposed to be paid by the end of this year. If the bill isn’t paid then – says the report – the Lyon headquarters of EuroNews will cease transmitting the Ukrainian version." -- The Euronews Ukrainian website is operating as of today.

It will be interesting to see what the outcome of this will be. Will the Al Jazeera English stream be unavailable worldwide? Or geoblocked only in the United States? Will Americans eventually have streaming access to Al Jazeera English but not to the programs specific to Al Jazeera America?

Access to pay TV (cable, DTH, IPTV, fiber) channels limits the number of internation al channels that can be players in international broadcasting. However, as "cord cutting" becomes more popular, many viewers are starting to use OTT (over-the-top) services such as Netflix and Hulu to download individual programs. They are no longer bound to appointment viewing on 24-hour channels. International broadcasters such as VOA, which do not have 24/7 channels, can now make individual programs available through free apps. This will be a game-changer in international broadcasting.

Washington Post, 5 Jan 2013, Dominic Basulto: "At a time when many Americans are cutting their cable TV cord, foreign media outlets seem to have figured out a better mix of social media, live streaming and citizen journalism to keep visitors coming back again and again. ... This new competitive threat from abroad could be a good thing, if it forces U.S. cable TV news operators to re-think how to create, distribute and package video content for the YouTube generation. As a result, here’s one more item to place on your Out/In list for 2013. Out: cable TV talking heads sitting behind desks. In: curated news and views from intrepid journalists of the world."

The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Jan 2013, Paul Bond: "Al Jazeera America, the yet-to-launch network that will replace Current TV, might have to drop its license fee to zero in order to encourage a meaningful number of U.S. cable operators to carry it, according to a study released Friday from a research analyst at SNL Kagan. ... 'With the evaporation of 9 million Time Warner Cable subs and the license fees that go with it, this brings the channel closer to breakeven,' Derek Baine of SNL Kagan wrote in a research note released Friday. 'We think Al Jazeera may have to drop the license fee to zero to gain widespread support for carrying the channel in the U.S., a move that would certainly imperil its economic model, which relies upon license fees for 80 percent of the network’s revenue,' Baine wrote. 'But maybe this is the only way for Al Jazeera America to gain a solid foothold in the U.S.'"

Seeking Alpha, 6 Jan 2013, Felix Salmon: "CNN International [is] a cash cow which almost nobody watches unless they're in some far-flung hotel room. It doesn't matter what the viewership is or what the ad revenue is. The important thing is that TV providers around the world all feel compelled to offer it. ... While cable companies know they have to have Fox News (because it gets good ratings), and CNN (because it's CNN), they need to be persuaded to buy Current TV, and they have no particular desire at all to have Al Jazeera. Foreign stations are, well, foreign: even the BBC has had real difficulty making serious inroads on the distribution front. ... Al Jazeera isn't in this business for profit: this is more about projecting soft power into the world, demonstrating that the Arab countries can produce valuable, first-rate, uncensored journalism. For the prize of two Cézannes, Al Jazeera is buying the Arab world a significant measure of credibility in the single most important country on the planet. Or it's attempting to, anyway. Al Jazeera probably won't be able to persuade most of the cable companies to pay 12 cents per subscriber per month. It doesn't care much about that; it would happily take the slots on offer even if they generated no revenue at all. Indeed, it might even pay the cable companies, in the first instance, if it needs to do so in order to keep its potential viewership high. The important thing is that America is given the opportunity to discover what Al Jazeera is capable of. Then, if and when it starts getting traction, it will be Al Jazeera America which will have the upper hand in any future negotiations. Because there's something very special about high-quality news, and the cable companies know it."

See previous post about same subject.

MediaDailyNews, 18 Dec 2012, Wayne Friedman: "The worldwide pay TV market keeps growing in terms of subscribers, increasing 6% this year over 2012, with pay TV customer growth slowing down a bit next year. Some 47 million subscribers were added this year, to reach a total of 864 million subscribers, according to ABI Research. Next year, the company estimates a 5% rise, or 43 million to 907 million subscribers. IPTV (Internet-Protocol TV) services will grow at a faster pace -- 11% of 9 million subscribers to 79.3 million in 2013, with much of this coming from the Asia-Pacific region. By itself, China will add more than 3 million. Cable will continue to have the biggest market share this year at 66.2%, but will decline slightly to 65.4% next year. ... Overall revenue is projected to keep growing. ABI Research says the worldwide pay-TV market is expected to reach $236 billion in revenue by the end of the year, up from the $223 billion mark from last year. Pay TV revenue will continue to climb -- estimated to reach $281 billion by 2017."

New York Times, 3 Jan 2013, editorial: "Al Jazeera often brings a nuance to international stories that can be lacking on American networks, because it has more foreign correspondents and overseas bureaus than many established Western networks. Its coverage of the Arab Spring won a George Foster Peabody Award and its English-language service is broadcast to more than 250 million homes in 130 countries, including Britain, South Africa and India. Doubts about the independence of Al Jazeera do not justify removing it from cable and satellite systems. With the exception of a few places, like Washington and New York City, Al Jazeera English is not available to most American viewers. Why not let them make up their own minds about the network and its journalism?"

New York Daily News, 4 Jan 2013, David Hinckley: "My own research, consisting solely of my instinct, says if Al Jazeera English were giving away a Cadillac Escalade to the first 100 viewers every day, Americans still wouldn’t watch. Sad but true, branding today is everything. Al Jazeera’s brand is that it was the go-to network for video messages from Al Qaeda in the wake of 9/11. Way too many Americans make that association way too readily for them to ever take a step back and say what Al Jazeera wants to hear, which is, 'Here’s a network that gives us a perspective we won’t get anywhere else. Let’s give it a try.'"

Baltimore Sun, 4 Jan 2013, David Zurawik: "What’s important is that Al Jazeera has found a way into an estimated 40 million American homes through the purchase of Gore's mismanaged channel, and that is a good thing – a very good thing. In fact, the cable industry’s success in keeping Al Jazeera English off all but a handful of systems in the U.S. was one of the great wrongs of American media. And no one, it seems, wanted to address it. Media critics who looked the other way for whatever reasons should be ashamed. In August, Al Jazeera English offered a powerful documentary, 'Baltimore: Anatomy of an American City,' on the politics and sociology of Baltimore’s war on drugs. In reporting on the documentary, I became outraged that viewers in Baltimore would not be able to see it on cable TV. I had been a fan of Al Jazeera for its coverage of the Middle East for years, but this hit much closer to home. This was an informed and provocative critique of urban life, and viewers who could be enlightened about the city in which they lived were denied access to it."

Ha'aretz, 4 Jan 2013, Chemi Shalev: "American Jewish leaders have expressed 'concern' about the impending entry of the Qatari-owned Al Jazeera network to the U.S. television market, citing its record of anti-Israeli coverage and support for extremist Muslim regimes. Both Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents and Abe Foxman, head of the Anti-Defamation League publicly voiced their apprehensions on Friday in the wake of reports that former U.S. Vice President Al Gore had sold his Current TV network to Al-Jazeera for $500 million. The sale will allow Al Jazeera to gain access to tens of millions of American homes in which Current TV had been available through various cable providers. Hoenlein said that although the network’s English-language coverage has been more balanced and had given a platform to Israeli spokesperson, 'their general coverage has served to destabilize regimes and favor some of the more extremist elements in the Arab world.' Foxman was even harsher in his criticism of the station, saying in an official ADL communiqué that 'Al Jazeera has a troubling record and history that is very disturbing, particularly in its Arabic language broadcasts. It has exploited and exaggerated the Arab-Israel conflict in a heavy-handed and propagandistic manner, and always at the expense of Israel, while giving all manner of virulent anti-Israel and even anti-Semitic extremists access to its airwaves.' Both Hoenlein and Foxman, however, stopped short of calling for any public campaign or legal intervention in the sale. Hoenlein told Haaretz that according to legal advice he had received, there was no way to prevent the 'merger' between Al Jazeera and Current TV anyway."

Anti-Defamation league press release, 4 Jan 2013: "The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has ongoing concerns about the pan-Arab satellite network Al Jazeera, which it says has 'a troubling record' of providing a platform to all manner of virulent anti-Israel and even anti-Semitic extremists, and of serving as a propaganda tool against the State of Israel, particularly in its Arabic-language broadcasts. While it is true that Al Jazeera has toned down its anti-Israel propaganda in the network's English broadcasts, ADL said the Arabic-language channel's content 'continues to be of great concern.'"

Washington Post, 4 Jan 2013, Gary Wasserman: "With its alleged positions against U.S. foreign policies and wars, al-Jazeera is just too 'left' to be allowed access to our fearful public. Has anyone noticed that much of the world is 'left' of the United States? Because of my occasional appearances on al-Jazeera news shows, and having written opinion pieces for its Web site, I can be accused of knowing on which side my pita is being buttered. Fair enough. And my experiences with al-Jazeera will only confirm the obvious. In its selection of stories and editorial slants, it is to the left of mainstream American media. So what? Al-Jazeera is also an outlet of professional journalists, generally well-informed and seeking to at least appear balanced. No one has ever suggested to me what to say or write. The network may present Arab voices, but its coverage includes more of the world than this parochial image allows."

Ad Age, 3 Jan 2013, Jeanine Poggi: "Critics often complain that cable-news networks in the U.S. lack enough 'real news' and carry a surplus of opinion and fluff. Now enters Al-Jazeera and its tendency toward serious reporting. But will viewers prove the critics right? And what about advertisers? ... [T]he big three in U.S. cable news -- Fox News, MSNBC and CNN -- aren't funding global reporting on the scale of either Al-Jazeera or the BBC. CNN, which enjoys a large international presence compared with its domestic rivals, has 33 international news bureaus. Al-Jazeera and the BBC each have more than 70."

Accuracy in Media, 3 Jan 2013, Cliff Kincaid: "Al-Jazeera was regarded by the Bush Administration as hostile to American interests after the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 when information surfaced showing that the channel’s managing director, Mohammed Jassem al-Ali, had been acting as an agent of the Saddam Hussein regime. The Obama Administration, however, has praised Al-Jazeera, with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton saying the channel had provided 'real news' coverage of the Middle East riots and revolution that ushered in a Muslim Brotherhood takeover of Egypt and the rise of Islamists in such countries as Libya and Syria. Although the channel masquerades as an independent 'news' operation, the U.S. State Department’s own human rights report on Qatar notes that 'the government exercised editorial and programmatic control of the channel through funding and selection of the station’s management.' As such, the assumption is that the Obama Administration encouraged the sale of Current TV, since it financially benefits not only Al Gore and Joel Hyatt, the other co-owner who is also a prominent Democrat, but the Muslim Brotherhood and its backers in Qatar."

CNN, 5 Jan 2013, Hugh Miles: "Compared to the tens of billions [the Emir of Qatar's] neighbors spend on U.S. arms, the influence afforded by Al Jazeera represents very good value for money. ... Lots of state-sponsored channels broadcast news channels around the world, mostly from the U.S. and Europe in the direction of the 'Global South.' But Al Jazeera English, and soon Al Jazeera America, broadcast in the opposite direction, will give quite a different perspective on events to U.S. news channels, especially when it comes to Arab affairs. In particular Al Jazeera's reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is both more in depth and in line with the rest of the world's thinking than that usually found on U.S. TV."

New American Media, 4 Jan 2013, Uchenna Ekwo: "[I]t is expected that the United States being a strong advocate of free flow of information should support visible attempts to change the culture of secrecy that have permeated the Middle East for too long. Providing all practical assistance to Al Jazeera might be an effective strategy to achieve just that. The channel has demonstrated in different occasions its readiness to open up closed societies of the Middle East through accurate and independent reporting of issues and events around the world. Moreover, Al Jazeera will also help to open the eyes of most Americans who remain ignorant of international affairs and other civilizations. Americans need to learn more about other cultures, events, and issues happening overseas. Majority of US based news organizations are not able to cover the rest of the world effectively due to different reasons we cannot discuss in this piece. BBC America is no doubt filling that gap in the American media environment. The inclusion of Al Jazeera America with its vast financial power may just move the coverage of the world for US audiences to another level."

The Weekly Standard, The Scrapbook, 14 Jan 2013 issue: "Al Jazeera, contrary to the belief of many, is not just another cable channel with a distinct political perspective, like MSNBC or Fox. It is the strategic communications arm of Qatari foreign policy. For those many media experts who make careful distinctions between Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera English, decrying the excessive rhetoric, frequently anti-American and anti-Semitic, of the former, while praising the reportorial acumen of the latter, the reality is that the English station exists to lend legitimacy to the Arabic channel. The Al Jazeera America brand is a means to consolidate Qatar’s baleful worldview and extend it further into the American consciousness. ... We hope Al Gore enjoys the hundred million pieces of silver he pocketed in the transaction."

Time, 4 Jan 2013, Ishaan Tharoor: "Even if it never achieves top ratings in the U.S., Al Jazeera has in many senses already stolen a march on mainstream American competitors. For example, Al Jazeera English’s Washington-based social media news show 'The Stream' is the progenitor of other internet broadcasts such as HuffPost Live that may well become the norm in the decades to come. Yesterday, as detractors elsewhere bloviated over Al Jazeera’s mythical terrorist ties, The Stream hosted famous epistemologist Nassim Nicholas Taleb, author of The Black Swan. The show’s anchors quizzed him on systems of governance and the political dysfunction behind the fiscal cliff with the help of myriad viewers who joined in via a Google hangout or on Twitter. Questions came from a remote town in western Texas, New York City and many places in between. Al Jazeera knows that there’s already an American audience for a serious news network that manages to be at once both local and global. And it also knows there’s no other major American news network capable of matching that feat."

BBC Radio 4 Today, 5 Jan 2013: "Media analyst Claire Enders explains that Al Jazeera's decision to expand its distribution in the US 'makes sense because the US is the biggest TV market in the world and is a very important nation. It represents about 50 per cent of our total TV revenues, whether by advertising or paid TV.' She compares the US to Qatar: 'Al Jazeera doesn't generate revenue now anyway, it is a cost to the Qatari government, it's not a commercial decision, it's a very long term decision from an oil rich state.' She continues: 'Al Jazeera wishes to compete with CNN and the BBC...it presents a different perspective on the Arab Israeli conflict.' Nevertheless, Claire Enders believes that Al Jazeera will not do very well because '[it's] been very hard for Al Jazeera to develop any kind of audience in Europe, apart from when there are major events in the Middle East.'" With audio.

Saudi Gazette 6 Jan 2012, editorial: "The big question now is what Al-Jazeera plans to do with its new reach into America. It has to convince Americans to tune in. The problem is that people in America associate Al-Jazeera with the Muslim and Arab world and do not view the link as favorable. There’s a fair amount of paranoia when it comes to Arabs and Al-Jazeera. The challenge will be persuading Americans to watch — a daunting proposition given the crowded television marketplace and the stereotypes about the channel that persist to this day. Al-Jazeera has to override that and persuade people to watch it by providing quality news and analysis and maybe toeing the American line more often. In trying to attract Americans, Al-Jazeera will at times look more American than Arab which will cloud its identity and purpose. But it might also air a more moderate and compassionate Arab view of the West which will hurt neither side. However, although it will be called Al-Jazeera America, the name alone will not be enough to sway American public opinion."

See previous post about same subject.

International Radio Belarus, 31 Dec 2012: "In addition to Belarusian journalists, the team working on that project includes their Chinese colleagues Li Zuo and Wang Yuhong."

"The defense authorization bill that the President signed last night includes a provision that reduces restrictions on the dissemination of materials within the United States that were originally intended for audiences overseas. This means that news and information programs produced by BBG journalists for people in more than 100 countries can also be made available for broadcast within the United States; many already are available worldwide via the Internet. The provision was originally known as the Smith-Mundt Modernization Act when it was first introduced in Congress in 2010 and re-introduced last year.

"Presiding Governor Michael Lynton said the new law will allow the BBG to accept requests to provide its programs to organizations which, until now, it could not share them with, including U.S.-based broadcasters, publications, universities, non-governmental organizations, and others that have requested these materials over the years. ...

"The legislation updates the U.S. Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948, a section of which prohibited the State Department and U.S. international broadcasting from disseminating within this country any program materials that have been produced using funds appropriated for public diplomacy. A subsequent amendment to the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998 prohibited using such funds to influence public opinion in the United States. These two provisions together are popularly known as Smith-Mundt, named after the primary Senate and House authors of the 1948 bill, who could not have anticipated the advent of the World Wide Web or dramatic shifts in the population of the United States, including large communities of people from other countries seeking information via a variety of media in their native languages.

"'The new law is a major breakthrough for U.S. international media,' said Susan McCue, a member of the BBG Board’s Communications and Outreach Committee. 'All Americans will now have access to the vital and informative reporting of our accomplished journalists around the world who are working under difficult circumstances in closed societies and developing countries. The news and programs they produce every day will benefit many US audiences, including diaspora communities.'

"The BBG has been expanding its programming options overseas as more media platforms become popular among its key target audiences – emphasizing broadcasting via radio and TV where they have the greatest impact, while ramping up digital outreach in places where audiences increasingly indicate a preference for receiving news through websites, blogs, mobile devices or other means. The new law allows this process to continue without regard to whether these programs might also be watched or heard by people within the

"The law makes no change to the BBG’s enabling statute, the U.S. International Broadcasting Act of 1994, which does not authorize the agency to create new programs solely for U.S. audiences."

The widespread mistaken assumption is that the internet has obsoleted the domestic dissemination law. In fact, the internet has finally rendered it practicable. Through geoblocking, the content of USIB entities' websites could simply be made unavailable to US internet users. This, however, was never done. The most obvious way to observe the domestic dissemination ban was ignored. The new law, therefore, won't change much except to forestall any member of Congress or government lawyer from making mischief by calling for the old law to be enforced.

US government-funded international broadcasting should not duplicate and compete with US domestic media. On the contrary, they should cooperate as much as possible. This will be possible only if the latter is convinced that the former is truly and unambiguously in the news business.

Forbes, 2 Jan 2013, Mark Adomanis: "You can say that Gessen is a bad editor, a poor manager, or someone who ought never to have been put in charge of Radio Liberty. I don’t know if any of those things are true, but could easily believe them if provided with evidence. I have, in the past, heard murmurs that Gessen can be difficult to work with because of her penchant for taking non-negotiable moral stances, and I wouldn’t find it shocking that the journalists at RFE/RL didn’t particularly care for her. But it is absurd, and remarkably tasteless, to portray one of Russia’s bravest and most outspoken voices of political opposition as a soulless apparatchik complicit in the Kremlin’s campaign to muzzle press freedom."

Washington Post, 3 Jan 2013, Kathy Lally: "Lyudmila Telen, editor of the Radio Liberty Web site, was among those told in September that she would get severance through the end of the year if she resigned immediately. 'Over the weekend they let us in the office for an hour to get our things,' she said, 'and they sent security guards to watch us.' 'When I was editor I understood very well we had to find a new audience, but I thought it would be wrong to throw out the old one,' she said, noting that the station had been becoming more innovative and was widely quoted for its scoops, interviews and political analysis. Gessen, speaking by telephone Thursday, said the station couldn’t ignore that its Web audience was dropping while the Russian Web audience was growing. 'We were preaching to the converted,' she said. 'Our job was to deliver content, and that’s what we’ve started to do.' She has formed partnerships with a few other independent sites, including TV Rain, an online television channel, which will use Radio Liberty content. 'It’s extremely easy to shut off access to a single Web site,' Gessen said. 'We need to have a lot of alternative ways to get our content out.'"

World Affairs, 31 Dec 2013, Judy Bachrach: "'This will be a fantastic, exciting time,' [RFE/RL VP] Julia Ragona promised RFE/RL journalists in the fall. It certainly was exciting, in its own Putinesque way. By late November, Ragona was warning all staff against posting entries on the mass purge on Facebook. ... Last week, Elena Polyakovskaya, yet another journalist openly supportive of the purged correspondents and critical of the new Russian website, found her contract was not going to be renewed. When I discovered this, I immediately phoned a person of considerable authority and rectitude, who questioned [new RFE/RL Russian director Masha] Gessen. Lo and behold, Polyakovskaya was informed her services would still be needed. 'You can see how journalists who come from totalitarian countries feel when we see the same kind of treatment at RFE/RL,' says one source. I can indeed. To that end, I am writing a fuller and much longer investigative essay on this and other related subjects come mid-January. Thanks to all of you who are helping to end the outrage. Even more sources welcome." -- In this piece, she also writes: "No one could understand ... why Korn and Ragona made the meek decision in September to shut down the organization’s Russian medium wave radio broadcasts." Perhaps a larger protest could have been mounted, but, ultimately, there is no getting around a nation's communications laws. If the news can't be transmitted within, then it must be transmitted into, the target country. This can be done via shortwave, no longer popular in Russia, or (until it's blocked) via the internet, which is popular there. See previous post for Judy Bachrach's previous article about the same subject.

Steven Korn letter sent to the Wall Street Journal in response to op-ed by John O'Sullivan: "[W]e had to lay off a number of Russian-based staff, in some cases because of the shift from radio that had been forced on us by Russian authorities and in others because it had become clear their skills were not well suited to the demands of our new approach. This process was inevitably wrenching both for those who were affected as well as for those who continued in their positions. However, suggestions that any staffers were treated harshly in this process are patently false."

RIA Novosti, 2 Jan 2012: "Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty President and CEO Stephen Korn said in a statement on Tuesday he resigns 'solely for personal reasons' starting from January 25. In the past months, the US Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) whose members are also members of the RFE/RL Board of Directors, have repeatedly criticized Korn for poor management of the Radio Liberty Russian service."

MetroPulse (Knoxville), 2 Jan 2012: "At the November meeting of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, Victor Ashe, Knoxville’s former mayor and U.S. Ambassador to Poland, criticized Korn’s management and called on him to resign. Ashe said the firing of 41 staffers in Russia had led to dissidents there viewing the American radio network 'not as a friend but a foe.' Hits for information from the broadcasters have dropped from 110,000 to 30,000 and Ashe says the current management is buckling under to Vladamir Putin and losing its audience."

See previous post about same subject.

The Guardian, 2 Jan 2013: "Al-Jazeera's reach in the US has struggled to move beyond the few large metropolitan areas, where some people can watch Al-Jazeera English. The network's managing director, Tony Burman, in 2010 blamed a 'very aggressive hostility' from the Bush administration for reluctance among cable and satellite companies to show the network. Al-Jazeera has attracted respect for its ability to build a serious news product in a short time. But there may be a culture clash at the network. Dave Marash, a former ABC Nightline reporter who worked for Al-Jazeera in Washington, said he left the network in 2008 in part because he sensed an anti-US bias there."

Wall Street Journal, Speakeasy, 2 Jan 2013, reprinting memo to staff from Current co-founder Joel Hyatt: "As you may know, Al Jazeera is funded by the government of Qatar, which is the United States’ closest ally in the Gulf Region, and is where the United States bases its Middle East Air Force operations. ... While considering this decision, I spent a week in Doha, Qatar, where Al Jazeera is headquartered, and I am pleased to tell you that I could not have been more impressed with their operation. First of all, they are bringing large-scale resources to journalism – something which we have not been able to do. Al Jazeera has more than 80 bureaus around the world, and is seen in more than 260 million homes in 130 countries. Al Jazeera has a staff of over 4000 people, including 400 journalists. Its journalists hail from more than 50 countries, with every conceivable nationality and religion represented on its professional team. Al Jazeera is a major global media player. ... All of this is compelling, but what really convinced Al and me that Al Jazeera would be a great home for the people of Current was their publicly stated Values and Core Capabilities. Their mission includes the following: Diversity ('bringing stories from the underreported communities, societies and cultures from across the globe'), Journalistic Integrity ('committed to the uncompromising pursuit of truth and the ideals of journalism'), and A Voice for the Voiceless ('promoting the basic human right of the freedom of expression for people everywhere'). Al Jazeera is planning to invest significantly in building 'Al Jazeera America,' a network focused on international news for the American audience. Al and I will both serve on the Advisory Board of Al Jazeera America, and we look forward to helping build an important news network."

New York Times, Media Decoder, 2 Jan 2012, Brian Stelter: "Al Jazeera did not disclose the purchase price, but people with direct knowledge of the deal pegged it at around $500 million, indicating a $100 million payout for Mr. Gore, who owned 20 percent of Current. Mr. Gore and his partners were eager to complete the deal by Dec. 31, lest it be subject to higher tax rates that took effect on Jan. 1, according to several people who insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. But the deal was not signed until Wednesday. ... Going forward, the challenge will be persuading Americans to watch — an extremely tough proposition given the crowded television marketplace and the stereotypes about the channel that persist to this day. 'There are still people who will not watch it, who will say that it’s a "terrorist network,"' said Philip Seib, the author of 'The Al Jazeera Effect.' 'Al Jazeera has to override that by providing quality news.' ... News channels financed by Britain, China and Russia are especially hungry for American cable deals. To date, the BBC has had the most success; its BBC World News channel is now available in about 25 million homes thanks to a deal struck last month with Time Warner Cable. But the takeover of Current brings Al Jazeera to the front of the line. In recent weeks, Mr. Gore personally lobbied the distributors that carry Current on the importance of Al Jazeera, according to people briefed on the talks who were not authorized to speak publicly. Distributors can sometimes wiggle out of their carriage deals when channels change hands. Most consented to the sale, but Time Warner Cable did not, Mr. Hyatt told employees."

Huffington Post, 2 Jan 2013, Michael Calderone: "'Time-Warner cable shows abject political and journalistic cowardice by dropping Current because of Al Jazeera deal,' tweeted Dan Gilmor, a technology writer and founding director of the Knight Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship at Arizona State University."

Tampa Bay Times, 2 Jan 2013, Eric Deggans: "For years, I and other critics have argued that Al Jazeera, the newschannel founded and funded by the government of Qatar, has earned a prominent place in America's array of cable news outlets, thanks to their incisive coverage of the Arab Spring revolts and war in the Middle East. But even though Al Jazeera now has a foothold in the U.S. market following its purchase of Al Gore's floundering Current TV cable channel, many Tampa Bay area TV viewers may not get to see the America-based outlet anytime soon. Current TV will be dropped by the area's biggest cable TV provider, Bright House Networks according to spokesman Joe Durkin, who emailed: 'Our agreement with Current TV has been terminated and we will no longer be carrying the service.' Bob Elek, a spokesman for the area's other big cable TV company, Verizon FIOS, declined to comment on whether it would continue carrying whatever Current TV becomes, saying the situation was under review."

Fox News Opinion, 3 Jan 2012, Dan Gainor: "How much does presidential election loser Al Gore hate conservatives? Enough that he wouldn’t sell his little-watched Current TV to conservative Glenn Beck, but he would sell it to anti-American terror mouthpiece Al Jazeera for half a billion dollars. ... Al Jazeera, known as the network of the Arab street, is also known for taking anti-American, anti-Israel and pro-terror positions."

Al Jazeera, 2 Jan 2013: "The new U.S.-based news channel will be the latest addition to the Al Jazeera Media Network which consists of: Al Jazeera English, Al Jazeera Arabic, Al Jazeera Documentary, Al Jazeera Balkans, Al Jazeera Sport, Al Jazeera Mubasher, Al Jazeera Mubasher Misr (Egypt Live), Al Jazeera Mobile, the English and Arabic Al Jazeera web sites Al Jazeera.net and Al Jazeera.com, and supported by the Al Jazeera Media Training and Development Center, the Al Jazeera Center for Studies, and the Al Jazeera Public Liberties and Human Rights Department. As part of the Network’s expansion it is also planning to launch Al Jazeera Turk for the Turkish-speaking region in 2013."

Gigaom, 3 Jan 2013, Janko Roettgers: "Cord cutters won’t be able to tune into Al Jazeera America, the new cable news network that was announced Wednesday in conjunction with the news that Al Jazeera has purchased Al Gore’s Current.tv. At least not live, anyway: An Al Jazeera America spokesperson confirmed Thursday that the network won’t be live streaming its programming online. ... Cable TV providers don’t like to compete with free online distribution, and instead want content to be made available only to authenticated subscribers."

China Radio International, 31 Dec 2012, Chinese President Hu Jintao: "I'm delighted to extend New Year wishes via China Radio International, China National Radio and China Central Television, to Chinese of all ethnic groups, to compatriots in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macao Special Administrative Region and Taiwan, to overseas Chinese and to friends all over the world!"

China Media Project, 3 Jan 2013, David Bandurski: "The big breaking media story in China today concerns the 'New Year’s Greeting' (新年献词) at Guangdong’s Southern Weekly, a newspaper with a longstanding reputation for harder-hitting journalism. According to accounts on Sina Weibo and Tencent Weibo, Southern Weekly‘s 'greeting,' an annual tradition with notable precedents (including Chang Ping‘s 1999 letter, which is being actively shared today), was censored directly by propaganda officials without the knowledge or consent of editors. We have not yet independently confirmed how the changes to the 'New Year’s Greeting' as Southern Weekly occurred. But if the internal chatter among Chinese journalists is accurate, this direct interference by propaganda leaders is indeed unprecedented."

VOA News, 1 Jan 2013: "China has forced the departure of a New York Times journalist after failing to renew his visa, prompting fresh accusations that Beijing is retaliating against foreign media because of coverage critical of the Communist Party. The Times says correspondent Chris Buckley 'was forced to leave mainland China' Monday after authorities declined to issue him a visa for 2013 by year's end, despite 'numerous requests' by the U.S. paper. The paper also says its new Beijing bureau chief Philip P. Pan, who applied for a visa in March, has yet to be accredited. It said the visa and credential process normally takes only weeks or a couple months. ... Beijing blocked both the Chinese and English websites of the Times in October, after the paper published a blockbuster story detailing the massive alleged wealth of the family of Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. Just months earlier, China responded similarly to the reporting of Bloomberg News, which published an investigation into the riches of the Communist Party's new leader, Xi Jinping. ... In May, Al-Jazeera journalist Melissa Chan, who had reported on China's network of extralegal detention centers, was forced to leave the country after the Chinese government failed to renew her credentials."

AP, 31 Dec 2012, Tim Sullivan: "The warning came from Kim Jong Un, the North Korean ruler who sees his isolated nation, just across the border from this busy Chinese trading town, as under siege. The attack, he said, must be stopped. ... The assault that he fears? It's being waged with cheap televisions rigged to receive foreign broadcasts, and with smuggled mobile phones that - if you can get a Chinese signal along the border - can call the outside world. Very often, it arrives in the form of wildly popular South Korean soap operas smuggled in on DVDs or computer thumb drives. In North Korea, a country where international phone calls and Internet connections exist only for a tiny fraction of a tiny elite, and televisions and radios must be permanently preset to receive only state broadcasts, it's Korean-language TV heartache they crave. 'South Korean dramas, that's what everyone wants,' grumbled a Seoul-based Christian missionary who runs a string of safe houses in this part of China, where his network helps people living underground after fleeing North Korea. ... Soap operas, at first, might not seem like conduits of underground information. But they are threats nonetheless, offering windows into worlds that North Koreans both lack and desire. ... [A]nalysts say smugglers appear to have shifted to new techniques, at least for videos: carrying recordings on tiny thumb drives, and then transferring the programs to DVDs inside North Korea."

Daily Yomiuri Online, 26 Dec 2012, Akihiro Takeda: "Broadcast of the shortwave radio program Shiokaze (sea breeze), which has been sending messages to Japanese abduction victims in North Korea since October 2005, has entered its eighth year. The Tokyo-based Investigation Commission on Missing Japanese Probably Related to North Korea (COMJAN), which runs the radio program in spite of repeated jamming believed to have come from North Korea and financial difficulties, plans to start middlewave [medium wave, or AM] radio broadcasting if the necessary funds can be mustered. ... Shiokaze broadcasts messages from abductees' families and news twice a day in four languages--Japanese, Korean, Chinese and English."

Makeshift, 12 Dec 2012, Chris Duffy: Groups sending messages via balloons to North Korea "have a variety of motives. Some overtly encourage revolution and defection. Others, such as North Korean Peace, focus on messages of friendship. The group uses balloons to send warm socks to North Korea. A leaflet is affixed to the socks: 'The world has not forgotten the current hardships of our fellow brothers and sisters in North Korea.'"

See previous post about calls to start a BBC Korean service.

Indiantelevision.com, 19 Dec 2012: "Russia Today (RT), the global international news network, has switched all of its English-language news broadcasting to High Definition (HD) format, effective 16 December. The switch to HD was enabled by RT's move of its studios and headquarters offices to a brand new facility in Moscow, the news broadcaster said in a statement."

Voice of Russia, 14 Dec 2012, citing RIA: "Russia’s television channel Russia Today has opened a round the clock broadcasting service in Georgia. RT will partner up with Silknet, one of the leading cable TV operators in Georgia."