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BBG STILL LOOKING TO MAKE CUTS
Dateline: WASHINGTON, 04/24/08. The BBG is still looking to make the same cuts they proposed to make in their FY 2008 budget request. Even though Congress made clear that it did not agree with the cuts, the BBG is attempting through the FY 2008 Program Plan to implement the very same cuts. AFGE Local 1812 got a peek at the Program Plan (the very same Program Plan the BBG's General Counsel's Office has failed to provide in response to a Freedom of Information Act request from the Union.)
In the Program Plan, the BBG is requesting the elimination of the VOA Cantonese, Croatian, Georgian, Greek, Thai, and Uzbek Services. The BBG also seeks the elimination of the radio broadcasts in the VOA Albanian, Bosnian, Hindi, Macedonian, Serbian, Tibetan, and Ukrainian Services. The BBG also requested reductions of the VOA Portuguese to Africa broadcasts. In an apparent attempt to disguise their desire to eliminate the VOA News Now global English radio broadcasts, the BBG has asked for permission to reorganize the English Services.
The BBG is requesting permission to make these cuts by September 30, 2008 and desires that the targeted employees be off the roles during the first quarter of FY 2009.
Part of the Program Plan makes clear the BBG's antipathy to shortwave radio broadcasts:
"Expansion of the BBG Internet capability will continue the
technological evolution of program delivery from shortwave to Internet".
As if it is a question of either/or. The BBG fails to address the problem of television broadcasting and reliance on affiliates. The BBG's largest television project has proven to be non-competitive. Al-Hurra in the latest Annual Arab Public Opinion Poll conducted by professor Shibley Telhami of the University of Maryland shows Al-Hurra garners only an aggregate 2% audience in the Middle East. Also, the BBG is paying affiliates to air the BBG produced television programs instead of the other way around and in some cases such as Russia, Indonesia, and Pakistan the affiliates have been or are currently prevented from airing the material.
The program Plan is replete with other important omissions. The BBG states that shortwave listenership is down but fails to mention that it cut broadcasts and frequencies and that almost every sector of media is losing audience share with the possible one exception of the Internet.
So far it seems that Congress has not been hoodwinked by this latest scheme from the BBG.
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HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN A BBG MEMBER IS LYING...
Dateline: WASHINGTON, 02/12/08. In their most recent Townhall meeting, members of the Broadcasting Board of Governors told Voice of America employees that their meetings were subject to the Sunshine Act implying that they were conducting their business in the open. In response to concerns that they conduct their deliberations in secret, the Board members agreed that providing the Agenda for their meetings in advance was a good idea. Following is a response AFGE Local 1812 President, Tim Shamble received regarding members' desire for more open government.
HERE THEY GO AGAIN
Dateline: WASHINGTON, 02/04/08. It was two days after Groundhog Day but it's the same old thing over and over again. The Broadcasting Board of Governors is once again attempting to use the budget request process to advance their desire to abort the VOA shortwave radio broadcasts. In an email to the staff dated February 4, 2008 the BBG states that "the FY 2009 budget request...reflects implementing most of the language service reductions proposed in the FY 2008 request."
AFGE Local 1812 believes it is necessary and will seek Congressional investigations into BBG spending and the effectiveness of their pet broadcasting projects.
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AFGE LOCAL 1812 ATTACKS ABUSE OF POVS
Dateline: Washington, 11/19/07. AFGE Local 1812 has approached a Congressional office to request a GAO investigation into the Broadcasting Board of Governor's (BBG) use of Purchase Order Vendors (POVs) at the Voice of America (VOA). The BBG claims that these individuals are "independent contractors" thus denying them many rights they would be entitled to as employees.
The Union claims that the vast majority of these workers are being "misclassified". This "independent contractor" dodge is well known in the private sector particularly in the construction industry. It is a way to cheat workers out of basic legal rights, in this case, such as civil service protections and union representation.
AFGE Local 1812 has also filed a petition with the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) seeking union rights for a certain group of people working as POV television editors at the VOA.
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BBG USING TAXPAYERS' MONEY TO FIGHT AGAINST THE RIGHTS OF TAXPAYERS
Dateline: WASHINGTON, 10/02/07. On September 25, 2007, the BBG appealed to the FLRA Arbitrator George E. Marshall's decision. Arbitrator Marshall had decided in favor of AFGE Local 1812 determining that the Agency had violated the Smith-Mundt Act by hiring non-U.S. citizens despite the fact that qualified U.S. citizens were available for the positions. The Agency's over 40 page document requests a de novo review of the matter. The really reprehensible part of all this is that as a government entity, the BBG is funded with United States citizens' dollars. The Agency is now using these funds to fight against the rights of those very same United States citizens. The Union has 30 days in which to respond to the Agency's exceptions.
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BILL INTRODUCED TO STOP INDISCRIMINATE BBG CUTTING
Dateline: WASHINGTON, 09/27/07. AFGE Local 1812 has been given a copy of a Bill that has been circulated in the House of Representatives. The Bill, H.R. 3598, would finally put a limit on the BBG's authority to decimate the Voice of America. A copy of the Bill appears below. AFGE Local 1812 is asking all to support this much needed legislation.
The BBG had been given almost absolute authority to do as it pleased and had used that authority to eliminate numerous VOA radio broadcasts year after year. The BBG had been jettisoning shortwave radio frequencies and using resources for pet projects of questionable value. Perhaps the final straw was the planned elimination of the VOA's global English news service, VOA News Now. The BBG had made numerous cuts to this important service over several years and had proposed eliminating it entirely in its FY2008 budget request. In 1999 the English broadcasts had 342 radio frequencies. By 2006 the frequencies had been reduced to 70. The BBG is also proceeding with its plan to close the Delano, California transmitting station, one of only two VOA transmitting stations left in the continental United States.
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TIME TO STOP
WASTING U.S. TAXPAYER DOLLARS
The Broadcasting Board of Governors has informed AFGE Local 1812 that it intends to appeal the "binding arbitration" decision concerning the non-U.S. citizen grievance. This is just more of the same from the successor of the United States Information Agency that through appeals and other delay tactics in the Hartman case cost U.S. taxpayers millions upon millions of dollars (remember many of those officials involved in that case are still with the Agency).
The insidious part of all this is that those responsible for being good stewards of the taxpayers' money - money collected from U.S. citizens - are using that money to fight against the interests and rights of U.S. citizens. After all it isn't coming out of the Agency officials' pockets so what do they care.
We are sick and tired of these government officials using our money against our best interests. AFGE Local 1812 encourages all to write their Senators and Representative and demand that the BBG stop wasting U.S. taxpayer money and negotiate a remedy of this arbitration with the Union as soon as possible.
If you need information on how to contact your Senators and Representative just stop by or call the AFGE Local 1812 office.
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UNION WINS ARBITRATION
Dateline: WASHINGTON, 08/28/07. AFGE Local 1812 filed an arbitration request regarding the matter of the BBG hiring non-U.S. citizens despite the fact that there were suitably qualified U.S. citizens who had applied. On August 27, 2007, Arbitrator George E. Marshall, Jr. ruled in favor of the Union. According to Arbitrator Moore:
The Agency, by interpreting and applying the statutory term "suitably qualified" to mean "equally or better qualified" to U.S. citizen members of the Union employed pursuant to a NLMA with the Agency, did violate the NLMA and the United States Information and Education Exchange Act of 1948, as amended (Act), in requiring U.S. citizen employees to be "equally or better qualified" than a non-U.S. citizen, in order to fill a vacant position, thereby depriving employee members employment and promotional opportunities under the NLMA and the Act.
The parties have been instructed by Arbitrator Moore to determine a remedy and he is retaining jurisdiction to assist the parties with the determination and implementation of the remedy including "the extent and calculation of damages suffered by the Union and its members as a result of the violations."
Representing AFGE Local 1812 in the case was Bryan G. Polisuk of the law offices of Woodley & McGillivary.
(Updated 09/10/07)
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BBG ANNOUNCES IT WILL END BROADCASTS FROM DELANO
Dateline: WASHINGTON, 07/24/07. In its continuing assault against the Voice of America, the Broadcasting Board of Governors announced today the closure of the Delano, California transmitting station. The closure is scheduled for October 30, 2007. Employees then will be RIFed as a result of the manufactured ?lack of work?. The plan would have the employees on the payroll only through January 5, 2008.
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SENATE APPROPRIATORS BEND TO BBG
Dateline: WASHINGTON, 07/17/07: Senate Appropriators approved a budget for the Voice of America that was approximately $7 million less than what was approved by the House. The Senate version of the bill is still an increase of almost $9 million over the BBG's request.
The Senate version did specify that it was in favor of continuing broadcasts in many of those areas the BBG plans to cut. The House version did not mention Russian but the Senate version did mention Russian as one area that should not be eliminated. Both the Senate and House versions left out any mention of VOA's broadcasts of Portuguese to Africa. Curiously the Senate made no mention of the VOA's Hindi Service.
The Senate and House versions will now have to be reconciled in a conference committee made up of Senate and House Appropriators. There is no word yet on when those meetings will begin.
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HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE APPROPRIATORS ALLOW FOR CUTS TO PORTUGUESE AND RUSSIAN
Dateline: WASHINGTON, 06/21/07. In what appears to be an oversight, the wording of the BBG's FY 2008 appropriations bill from the House of Representatives left out the reversal of cuts for the Portuguese to Africa Service and the Russian Service. All other Services were specifically mentioned in the bill and the bill provides funding for all of the targeted Services except Portuguese and Russian. However, despite the bill, there are very strong indications that the BBG is feverishly preparing to announce the elimination of most if not all of the targeted Services and a major reduction in force.
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REPORTS INDICATE THAT THE HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE CALLED FOR A FULL RESTORATION OF THE BBG'S PROPOSED CUTS
Special thanks to the House Subcommittee Appropriators, especially, Nita Lowey, Mark Kirk, Betty McCollum (excellent job at the hearing!) and the D.C. area's very own Frank Wolf.
AGENCY DECLARES END TO NEGOTIATIONS
DATELINE: Washington, 06/01/07. The I.B.B. Chief of Labor Relations declared by fiat that negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement between AFGE Local 1812 and the BBG are over until a Federal Mediator is called in. She then offered to call in her personal acquaintance, Lynn Sylvester.
According to an email she sent to the Union:
"[I]n view of the Union's latest demand for a no-rif clause and its withdrawal of proposals which had already been agreed upon, it would be futile to continue negotiations. We will be contacting FMCS and requesting a mediator."
In an attempt to prevent the Union from being able to meet she also wrote:
"Rick and Morris should return to their regular duties while we are awaiting the appointment of a mediator."
"The conference rooms have been canceled."
WHAT HAPPENED
The charge that the Union withdrew proposals that had already been agreed upon is not true. What she is referring to is a section of an Article in which some wording had been deemed okay but other portions of the section had been rejected by management. The Union simply offered another counterproposal for that section.
On another issue, the Agency requested an "expedited RIF" clause for the new Contract. (The current contract requires the Agency to negotiate over each proposed RIF). The Union bargaining team informed the Agency that it would need something big in return for a "fast track for throwing employees into the street". The management team demanded that the Union team let them know what it is the Union wanted.
DIDN'T LIKE THE ANSWER
But when the Union negotiators provided a proposal that would prevent separation of career employees with more than 10 years of service (which was based on a proposal in the AFSCME 1418 contract and which was agreed to by BBG management) the management team got furious, this lead to the infamous "feeding at the government trough" statement. After some heated discussion the Agency declared, unilaterally, that the negotiations were over. The management team refused to offer any counterproposals and would not tolerate any discussion of the proposal except to declare imperially that the proposal was "non-negotiable". The Union then offered another counterproposal in the same vain but that too was declared "non-negotiable". Later that afternoon, at another meeting, the IBB Director of Human Resources subjected members of the Union bargaining team to a browbeating session in which she insisted that the Union agree that the parties were at impasse. The Union negotiators refused to do so. She then stated that it was necessary to reach agreement on a RIF article or threatened that the Agency would go ahead and RIF anyway and insisted that the old contract allowed the Agency to RIF without negotiations. Why the Director of Human Resources would interject herself into the negotiations is anybody's guess.
FILING A CHARGE
The Union then notified the Agency that it was going to file a negotiability appeal and an unfair labor practice charge.
FINDING MIDDLE GROUND
Obviously the two parties have different interests. The management team has a desire to find a way to quickly throw career employees out of work. The Union side wants to keep employees working. A middle ground, a compromise must be reached. But to petulantly end negotiations because the other side's interests are different than yours is no way to negotiate and is hardly an attempt to reach agreement.
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SOOEY!
(A Negotiations Update)
DATELINE: Washington: 05/30/07. After several months of grueling negotiations over a new Contract, it seems management has decided they no longer want to be bothered to continue bargaining in this manner. Instead, they have decided to press for an expedited bargaining process for the proposed upcoming RIFs. In other words, they are in a hurry to get rid of career employees. In response to these demands, the Union negotiators offered a compromise that mirrored a clause from the current AFSME 1418 contract that contains a protective no RIF provision. The management team refused to discuss the idea.
According to a management negotiator speaking to the Union bargaining team:
"is it your job to ensure that your people continue to feed at the government trough?"
The Union team members were stunned and took great offense at this arrogant, self-righteous statement from this management elitist. After all, we are the ones who produce the actual product of this Agency. We are ones who have been subjected to mandatory overtime. We are the ones who have been forced to work on Holidays. We are the ones who have been burdened with increasing workloads. We are the ones who have risked our lives year after year to come to work during weather emergencies. Just ask our families.
"What is it the Agency really wants?" we asked. "Does the Agency only want to throw employees out of work?" The Agency negotiators could only respond with a cliché answer about changing mission priorities. The Union team offered to work towards a compromise in which the Agency could make their desired changes but without such draconian measures that would have such a terrible impact on its employees. The management team would not even entertain the possibility of such a concept.
It is obvious to us that the Agency's primary objective is to throw career employees out in the street.
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The latest edition of News & Views is now available. (Just select News & Views from the menu on the left side of this page.) This editon's underlining theme is "Morale".
11 FORMER DIRECTORS DECLARE CUTS TO VOA A MISTAKE
DATELINE: Washington, 03/09/07. Eleven former VOA Directors issued a statement this week urging Congress to reverse the cuts to VOA language services that were targeted by the BBG through the budget request process. Those services included Cantonese, Hindi, Russian, Tibetan, Ukrainian, Uzbek and Worldwide English radio services. A copy of the press release can be found at:
http://www.afge1812.org/index.cfm?PageToWork=Content_Page_2
PETITIONS CIRCULATING ONLINE
DATELINE: Washington, 03/05/07. There are currently two petitions circulating via the Internet protesting the cuts to the VOA radio services. One survey primarily deals with the Russian and Ukrainian Services. The other tackles the Uzbek Service cut.
The first petition can be found at the following address: http://www.PetitionOnline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?tl1122
The other is located at: http://www.PetitionOnline.com/voauzbek/petition.html
AFGE Local 1812 encourages everyone to read the petitions and then sign them.
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BBG DESIRES CUT OF 197
DATELINE: Washington, 02/20/07. The Broadcasting Board of Governors wants to eliminate a total of 197 positions through the FY 2008 budget request process. 153 of those positions would come from the Voice of America.
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The Latest News & Views is now available. Just click on the News & Views page on the left.
AFSCME 1418 and AFGE Local 1812 Jointly Oppose the BBG's Proposed Cuts
WE WILL NEED TO INFORM APPROPRIATIONS MEMBERS OF THE ILL ADVISED CUTS PROPOSED BY THE BBG. A LIST OF THE MEMBERS FOR BOTH THE HOUSE AND SENATE SUBCOMMITTEES CAN BE FOUND ON THE PRESIDENT'S PAGE.
THE BBG ANNOUNCES MAJOR CUTS
DATELINE: Washington, 02/05/07. The Broadcasting Board of Governors is seeking once again to eliminate VOA radio broadcasts in Albanian, Bosnian, Croatian, Hindi, Georgian, Greek, Macedonian, Russian, Serbian, and incredibly the VOA Global English broadcasts.
All these services were targeted in the BBG's FY 2007 budget request but the Board was prevented from making these cuts since the FY 2007 budget was never passed by Congress. The BBG will apparently operate for the rest of FY 2007 at FY 2006 spending levels.
The only service previously targeted in the FY 2007 budget to survive the cuts is the VOA Turkish Service.
Television broadcasts will remain in Albanian, Bosnian, Hindi, Macedonian, Russian, and Serbian.
Added to the list of cuts in the FY 2008 budget request is the elimination of the VOA Cantonese and Uzbek services. The VOA Ukrainian, Tibetan, and Portuguese to Africa services will be severely reduced, almost certainly the radio broadcasts will be eliminated.
According to a high ranking IBB official, no RIFs will occur until the FY 2008 budget is passed by Congress and signed by the President.
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THE BBG'S FY 2008 BUDGET REQUEST TO BE RELEASED FEBRUARY 5TH
DATELINE: Washington, 02/01/07: Upper level management of the IBB and the VOA will brief Union leaders on the details of the BBG's FY 2008 budget request, Monday, February 5th. All indications are that it will include draconian cuts.
In the meantime, the FY 2007 budget request was rolled into an omnibus budget bill in the House of Representatives. That bill will keep funding at the FY 2006 level but will add funding to cover employee raises and colas. The bill does not include earmarks. It must now go to the Senate which may add earmarks. If the Senate changes the bill it will have to go to a conference committee.
THE BUDGET BILL FOR THE BBG LIKELY TO BE ROLLED INTO AN OMNIBUS BUDGET BILL
Dateline: Washington, 11/15/06. The budget bill for the BBG passed the full House but did not go to the full Senate. It is likely that the bill will be rolled into an omnibus bill and that it will be passed before the new Congress takes control in January. There will probably be an omnibus conference committee and the members of that committee (who will be working on the BBG bill) will be the chairman and ranking members of the Subcommittees who oversee the BBG budget. They are:
Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs
Chairman: Mitch McConnell 361A Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Fax: (202) 224-2499
Ranking Member: Patrick Leahy 433 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Fax: (202) 224-3479
Send letters to(with copies to the Senators listed above)
Senator Barbara Mikulski 503 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Fax: (202) 224-8858
U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee for Science, the Departments of State, Justice and Commerce and Related Agencies
Chairman: Frank Wolf 241 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Fax: (202) 225-0437
Ranking Member: Alan Mollohan 2302 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20215 Fax: (202) 225-7564
CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE
A FISH TALE FROM THE TURTLE TANK
DATELINE: Washington, 11/13/06. After several weeks of moving swiftly negotiations have bogged down over the issue of using details and reassignments for conduct and performance matters. The Agency wants to be able to detail or reassign employees for a variety of reasons including conduct and performance but is in no mood to follow procedures that are already in the Contract. The Union's position is that if the Agency wants to discipline employees or address matters of poor performance by using a detail or a reassignment , it should follow procedures in Article 19 and Article 20. The Agency's chief negotiator has said that reassignments and details cannot be used for discipline but if they are the Agency is not about to negotiate procedures or appropriate arrangments. In explaining her position, the Agency's chief negotiator accused the Union of trying "to make a fish into a turtle since they both are cold blooded." "We're just not buying that argument because we just can't figure out what it has to do with any of our proposals," said Tim Shamble, President of AFGE Local 1812.
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SENATE APPROPRIATORS LET THE VOICE DOWN
THANKS TO HOUSE APPROPRIATORS
THE VOA IS NOT YET DOA
(Though It Is Not Over)
HOUSE APPROPRIATORS REVERSE CUTS
DATELINE: Washington, 06/21/06. The United States House of Representatives Appropriations Committee reversed the request of the Broadcasting Board of Governors decision to cut the Voice of America radio broadcasts in Albanian, Bosnian, English, Hindi, Macedonian, and Russian. The House Appropriators also reversed the total elimination of broadcasts in Croatian, Georgian, Greek, Turkish, and Thai.
(More on the President's Page)
THE RIGHT THING TO DO
It's not often that we defend management but the removal of VOA reporter Alisha Ryu from the Baghdad Bureau has lead to criticism. The unnecessary budget cuts to the Voice of America have insured that the Agency cannot guarantee even minimal safety standards for its reporters.
VOA personnel have been sent on dangerous assignments without adequate safety protections or self-defense training, and Iraq has proven to be especially risky for journalists as the recent story involving Kimberly Dosier has shown. Even the big corporate news broadcasters cannot keep their employees safe there. Under-funded government broadcasters such as the VOA are even less equipped to do so.
Last week a story was planted in the Washington Post about the VOA's closure of the Baghdad Bureau. The story's purpose was, no doubt, to give the VOA a black eye right before Congress takes up the issue of VOA's funding for FY 2007. The story by Howard Kurtz is being used by some on Capitol Hill to justify the draconian budget cuts to VOA's radio broadcasts.
But no matter the outcome of the budget debate, the decision by VOA management to remove Alisha Ryu from a life-threatening situation and the hesitancy to put another reporter in the same situation were the right decisions.
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FIVE U.S. SENATORS SEND BUSH LETTER ASKING TO STOP THE CUTS
SITES PROVIDED FOR INFORMATION ON EARLY RETIREMENTS & BUY OUTS ON RIF PAGE
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FIVE FORMER VOA DIRECTORS OPPOSE THE RADIO CUTS
DATELINE: Washington, 03/30/06. VOA Directors from the Reagan era to the present administration have publicly weighed in against the cuts of the VOA shortwave radio broadcasts proposed by the Broadcasting Board of Governors in its FY 2007 budget request. Sanford Ungar and Geoffrey Cowan, who served under President Clinton, Richard Carlson, who served under President George H.W. Bush and President Reagan, and Eugene Pell and John Hughes who served under President Reagan all stated publicly that the proposed cuts are a mistake.
The Board has been eliminating VOA radio broadcast services for a number of years starting in the 1990s in order to fund expensive and unfocused television projects that have little or no value. So far the Board has eliminated language service radio broadcasts to Brazil, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and severely cut back its global English broadcasts.
Now the Board would like to eliminate radio broadcasts in Albanian, Bosnian, Croatian, Georgian, Greek, Hindi, Macedonian, Russian, Serbian, Thai, Turkish, and completely wipe out its global English broadcasts.
According to the Board the latest round of cuts is necessary to fund its broadcast efforts to the Middle East and the Islamic world. But that excuse makes little sense in light of the fact that the Board is proposing the elimination of the Turkish broadcasts as well as the elimination of the radio broadcasts to the Balkan nations which have large Islamic populations.
The cuts are really meant to fund the multitude of uncoordinated television projects. The Board has had a healthy increase in its funding each year since 9/11 in which to produce broadcasts to the Middle East and the Islamic world. The proposed budget for FY 2007 is $671 million. That is an increase of $231 million over its FY 2001 budget. The largest portion of the increases have been wasted on the failed Radio Sawa and Alhurra TV boondoggles.
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ADMINISTRATION'S ANTI-EMPLOYEE NSPS SUFFERS JUDICIAL SMACKDOWN
Dateline: WASHINGTON, 02/28/06. U.S. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan ruled Monday that the Department of Defense could not implement the adverse actions, appeals, and labor-management relations sections of its NSPS.
The DOD NSPS was challenged by a coalition of Unions led by AFGE. The DOD must now decide whether it will appeal the ruling.
Judge Sullivan's decision parallels the decision rendered in NTEU v. Chertoff.
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POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK
Dateline: WASHINGTON, 02/24/06. On February 6, 2006 the Broadcasting Board of Governors announced that it would be closing all radio broadcasts in Albanian, Bosnian, Croatian, Georgian, Greek, Hindi, Russian, Serbian, Thai, Turkish, and its global English service.
Although presented as a choice between broadcasts to the Middle East and these language broadcasts, it is really a choice between many radio broadcasts and a few television broadcasts. The cuts mentioned above will be used to fund upgrades to the BBG's television production facilities.
According to BBG Chairman, Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, those who support shortwave radio broadcasts "are kind of like the people who wanted to preserve...horse-drawn buggies." However, it is Tomlinson and his Board who are stuck in the past. They support replacing radio broadcasts with television broadcasts as if television is some sort of brand new technology. Television has been commercially viable since 1949. People back then predicted that television was the wave of the future and that it spelled the end of radio. Almost sixty years later radio is still alive and thriving.
The problem with television broadcasting for this Agency has not changed. It is easily interdicted. This is not a new lesson for this Agency. It has been dealing with this issue since TV Marti went on the air. It has recently been reinforced with the problems of the television broadcasts to Uzbekistan and Indonesia. Where television is blocked shortwave radio can get through.
The old BBG television/buggy folks refuse to see the obvious. The future of broadcasting is the Internet where audio, video, and text can all be combined. There is no need to sink more and more money into the black hole of television broadcasting in multiple language services.
And as to tight budgets, does the BBG really care about saving the taxpayers of this country money? Their budget requests have gone up every year. Even the FY 2007 budget request is an increase over the previous year. The BBG is just spending the money unwisely. The BBG's television plans are unfocused and wasteful. Let's look at the costs. To fund these various uncoordinated television projects the BBG has jettisoned VOA radio broadcasts in over ten language services so far: Brazilian, Bulgarian, Czech, Estonian, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Slovak, and Slovene. Now they will add twelve more: Albanian, Bosnian, Croatian, Georgian, Greek, Hindi, Macedonian, Russian, Serbian, Thai, Turkish, and global English. At a time when this country should be communicating as much as possible with the rest of the world cutting 22 languages is too high a cost. Especially if the money is being spent on wasteful television projects just for the sake of doing TV. The cutting of the radio broadcasts are unnecessary and in the case of the English broadcasts especially galling. If you had to cut all the other broadcasts at least you could reach a large portion of the population in the various countries via English broadcasts. It has been seriously hinted on Capitol Hill that the real reason these cuts are being made is to punish employees for speaking out to Congress. It is hard to ignore the fact that VOA Director David S. Jackson warned employees in his funereal meetings with the various affected language services that contacting Congress had a way of "backfiring" against employees.
Before any more radio broadcasts are eliminated the BBG should be forced to develop a focused television plan. And all minutes of their meetings where these decisions have been made should be released. Afterall they do not own the Voice of America. The VOA is owned by the American people. These decisions should be opened to full debate. Isn't that the idea of democracy? Decisions on what language services should be cut and whether the VOA radio broadcasts should be converted to television broadcasts should not be made by a group of eight individuals who may have their own private interests at heart.
The money spent on televison should be consolidated. A television satellite broadcast channel with CSPAN type programming interspersed with occasional newscasts in limited strategic languages would make sense. Important congressional hearings, major speeches, and government briefings could be covered and the rest of the world could witness American democracy at work.
The bedrock of the VOICE of America is English and the VOA should broadcast news and information in English 24/7 globally on shortwave. This can be supplemented with AM and FM affiliates and as many other language broadcasts as possible.
The money now being poured into television projects should be redirected to an Internet product which could be vastly improved and made world class.
So BBG members, put away your horse and buggy television shows and concentrate on getting America's message out to the world in the most effective and cost efficient manner possible.
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