Broadcasting Board of Governors
Encyclopedia
The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) is an independent agency of the United States government
responsible for all non-military, international broadcasting sponsored by the U.S government. It was previously a department within the United States Information Agency
until 1999.
, WORLDNET Television and Film Service, and Radio y Televisión Martí – under one umbrella organization, supported by a single Office of Engineering and Technical Operations.
In 1991, the Bureau created the Office of Affiliate Relations and Audience Analysis (later renamed the Office of Affiliate Relations and Media Training in 1996) to establish and maintain a network of "affiliated" radio and TV stations around the globe that would broadcast VOA- and WORLDNET-produced programs. Today, more than 1,200 radio and TV stations receive programming through the Office of Affiliate Relations.
U.S. government international broadcasting was consolidated even further when President Clinton
signed the International Broadcasting Act (Public Law 103-236) on April 30, 1994. The legislation established the International Broadcasting Bureau
(IBB) within the U.S. Information Agency (USIA), and created a Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) with oversight authority over all non-military U.S. government international broadcasting.
The Voice of America and Radio and TV Marti – the federally funded services of the former Bureau of Broadcasting – along with the Office of Engineering and Technical Services, comprise the IBB. WORLDNET TV was folded into VOA in 2004 and no longer exists independently.
The bipartisan BBG includes the Secretary of State (ex officio) and eight members appointed by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate
. The first Broadcasting Board of Governors was sworn in on August 11, 1995.
. By law, no more than four members shall be from the same political party. The president designates one member (other than the Secretary of State) to serve as Chairman.
In November 2009, President Obama nominated to the board:
Although a handful of Republican senators initially forestalled the appointments in order to draw attention to alleged lack of transparency and ineffectiveness of the organization, the Senate unanimously confirmed all eight of the nominees on June 30, 2010, including Isaacson as chair.
Past members of the board have included:
Announced in April 2011, the BBC will receive $10 million from Congress. During the federal funding dispute for the fiscal year 2011, President Obama sided with the BBG agreeing to language that the organization would “expand unrestricted access to information on the Internet.” This work includes anti-censorships campaigns in China and other repressive regimes.
Their 2012 budget request was US$767 million.
However, according to a series of reports beginning in 2004 and generated by the Government Accountability Office
, the BBG has struggled to live up to its mission. For instance, GAO highlighted a structural issue of the BBG in a 2004 report claiming that "organizationally, the existence of five separate broadcast entities has led to overlapping language services, duplication of program content, redundant newsgathering and support services, and difficulties coordinating broadcast efforts." The report also added that "marketing challenges include outmoded program formats, poor signal delivery, and low audience awareness in many markets."
In April 2010, Senator Tom Coburn
held up the appointments of the Obama administration, with the aim of drawing attention to the organization's perceived ineffectiveness, stating in an interview: "The BBG is the most worthless organization in the federal government. It's full of people who know nothing about media or foreign policy." Senator Jim DeMint
also attempted to use the nominations to force a hearing on the BBG, after frustrations with a perceived lack of congressional oversight over the organization. Coburn had written an open letter to then-Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
in August 2010 citing "longstanding concerns regarding transparency and effectiveness of our taxpayer funded international broadcasting agencies under the purview of the Broadcasting Board of Governors."
Independent agencies of the United States government
Independent agencies of the United States federal government are those agencies that exist outside of the federal executive departments...
responsible for all non-military, international broadcasting sponsored by the U.S government. It was previously a department within the United States Information Agency
United States Information Agency
The United States Information Agency , which existed from 1953 to 1999, was a United States agency devoted to "public diplomacy". In 1999, USIA's broadcasting functions were moved to the newly created Broadcasting Board of Governors, and its exchange and non-broadcasting information functions were...
until 1999.
Origins
Starting in 1990, all U.S. government international broadcasting services began to work more closely together. That year the U.S. Information Agency, then VOA's parent Agency, established the Bureau of Broadcasting to consolidate its three broadcasting services – the Voice of AmericaVoice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
, WORLDNET Television and Film Service, and Radio y Televisión Martí – under one umbrella organization, supported by a single Office of Engineering and Technical Operations.
In 1991, the Bureau created the Office of Affiliate Relations and Audience Analysis (later renamed the Office of Affiliate Relations and Media Training in 1996) to establish and maintain a network of "affiliated" radio and TV stations around the globe that would broadcast VOA- and WORLDNET-produced programs. Today, more than 1,200 radio and TV stations receive programming through the Office of Affiliate Relations.
U.S. government international broadcasting was consolidated even further when President Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
signed the International Broadcasting Act (Public Law 103-236) on April 30, 1994. The legislation established the International Broadcasting Bureau
International Broadcasting Bureau
The International Broadcasting Bureau is an entity within the Broadcasting Board of Governors , which is a U.S. independent agency. The IBB supports the day-to-day operations of Voice of America and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting...
(IBB) within the U.S. Information Agency (USIA), and created a Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) with oversight authority over all non-military U.S. government international broadcasting.
The Voice of America and Radio and TV Marti – the federally funded services of the former Bureau of Broadcasting – along with the Office of Engineering and Technical Services, comprise the IBB. WORLDNET TV was folded into VOA in 2004 and no longer exists independently.
The bipartisan BBG includes the Secretary of State (ex officio) and eight members appointed by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. The first Broadcasting Board of Governors was sworn in on August 11, 1995.
Early history and past activities
The BBG became an independent, autonomous entity on October 1, 1999, as a result of the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998 . BBG had 3,200 employees and a budget of US$535 million in 2002.Current organization
The bi-partisan board consists of eight members nominated by the President of the United States and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. The ninth member ex officio is the Secretary of StateUnited States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
. By law, no more than four members shall be from the same political party. The president designates one member (other than the Secretary of State) to serve as Chairman.
- Walter IsaacsonWalter IsaacsonWalter Isaacson is a writer and biographer. He is the President and CEO of the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, D.C. He has been the Chairman and CEO of CNN and the Managing Editor of TIME...
, chairman - Victor AsheVictor AsheVictor Henderson Ashe II is the former United States Ambassador to Poland. From 1987 to 2003, he was mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee. Ashe is a Republican. Ambassador Ashe concluded his service as Ambassador to Poland on February 6, 2009....
- Michael LyntonMichael LyntonMichael Lynton is an American businessman who has led several media related companies including Time Warner, The Walt Disney Company's Hollywood Pictures and Pearson's Penguin Group. Since January 2004, he has been Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment and has served on many Boards of...
- Susan McCue
- Michael MeehanMichael MeehanMichael Meehan is an Irish Gaelic Footballer from Galway. Meehan plays his club football with Caltra and county football for the Galway senior team.-Career:...
- Dennis Mulhaupt
- Dana PerinoDana PerinoDana Maria Perino is an American political commentator for Fox News. She served as the White House Press Secretary for President George W. Bush from September 14, 2007 to January 20, 2009...
- S. Enders Wimbush
Although a handful of Republican senators initially forestalled the appointments in order to draw attention to alleged lack of transparency and ineffectiveness of the organization, the Senate unanimously confirmed all eight of the nominees on June 30, 2010, including Isaacson as chair.
Past members of the board have included:
- Norman J. PattizNorman J. PattizNorman J. Pattiz is an American broadcasting executive. He is a founder and former chairman of radio industry giant Westwood One.He is also a member of the University of California Board of Regents and used to sit on the board of the Broadcasting Board of Governors...
May 2000 – March 2006. According to one commentator, "political patron [was then-]Senator Joseph Biden." - Kenneth Y. Tomlinson August 2002–
- Robert M. Ledbetter, a Mississippi broadcaster nominated in 2003, according to one commentator "at the behest of Trent LottTrent LottChester Trent Lott, Sr. , is a former United States Senator from Mississippi and has served in numerous leadership positions in the House of Representatives and the Senate....
"
Functions and supervised organizations
BBG supervises the following independent broadcasting organizations, which collectively broadcast in 65 languages in more than 125 markets around the world:- Voice of AmericaVoice of AmericaVoice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
(VOA) - AlhurraAlhurraAlhurra is a United States-based Arabic-language satellite TV channel funded by the U.S. Congress that broadcasts news and current affairs programming to audiences in the Middle East and North Africa...
- Radio SawaRadio SawaRadio Sawa is a 24-hour 7-day-a-week Arabic language radio station broadcasting in the Arab world. The station is a service of theMiddle East Broadcasting Networks, Inc. and is publicly funded by the Broadcasting Board of Governors and the U.S. Congress...
- Radio FardaRadio FardaRadio Farda is the Iranian Branch of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's broadcast services. It broadcasts 24 hours a day in the Persian language from its headquarters Prague, Czech Republic. Radio Farda first aired December 2002. Radio Farda broadcasts political, cultural, social, and art news...
- Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)
- Radio Free AsiaRadio Free AsiaRadio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation that operates a radio station and Internet news service. RFA was founded by an act of the US Congress and is operated by the Broadcasting Board of Governors . The RFA is supported in part by grants from the federal government of the United States...
(RFA) - Radio MartiRadio MartíRadio y Televisión Martí is a radio and television broadcaster based in Miami, Florida, financed by the United States government , which transmits Spanish radio broadcasts to Cuba...
and TV MartiTV MartíTV Martí was created by the US government to provide news and current affairs programming to Cuba. It is named after Cuban independence leader José Martí, and is the television equivalent to Radio Marti.-History:...
Funding
The BBG solicits annual funding from Congress via a proposed budget summary which is also available on their website. The Board submits an annual budget submission in which they lay out specific initiatives. Initiatives in 2011 included improving the global satellite distribution capacity, creating Radio Free Asia video programming and improving distribution of Voice of America content.Announced in April 2011, the BBC will receive $10 million from Congress. During the federal funding dispute for the fiscal year 2011, President Obama sided with the BBG agreeing to language that the organization would “expand unrestricted access to information on the Internet.” This work includes anti-censorships campaigns in China and other repressive regimes.
Their 2012 budget request was US$767 million.
Criticisms
The BBG's stated mission is to promote and sustain freedom and democracy by broadcasting accurate and objective news and information about the United States and the world to audiences overseas. They claim their long-term vision for the BBG is "a flexible, multi-media, research-driven U.S. International Broadcasting System, incorporating regional networks and single-country operations, that reaches mass audiences by programming the distinct content of the Voice of America and the surrogate services through state-of-the art formats and the distribution channels – AM, FM, audio and video satellite, shortwave, and the Internet – that our audiences use and we control."However, according to a series of reports beginning in 2004 and generated by the Government Accountability Office
Government Accountability Office
The Government Accountability Office is the audit, evaluation, and investigative arm of the United States Congress. It is located in the legislative branch of the United States government.-History:...
, the BBG has struggled to live up to its mission. For instance, GAO highlighted a structural issue of the BBG in a 2004 report claiming that "organizationally, the existence of five separate broadcast entities has led to overlapping language services, duplication of program content, redundant newsgathering and support services, and difficulties coordinating broadcast efforts." The report also added that "marketing challenges include outmoded program formats, poor signal delivery, and low audience awareness in many markets."
In April 2010, Senator Tom Coburn
Tom Coburn
Thomas Allen "Tom" Coburn, M.D. , is an American politician, medical doctor, and Southern Baptist deacon. A member of the Republican Party, he currently serves as the junior U.S. Senator from Oklahoma. In the Senate, he is known as "Dr. No" for his tendency to place holds on and vote against bills...
held up the appointments of the Obama administration, with the aim of drawing attention to the organization's perceived ineffectiveness, stating in an interview: "The BBG is the most worthless organization in the federal government. It's full of people who know nothing about media or foreign policy." Senator Jim DeMint
Jim DeMint
James Warren "Jim" DeMint is the junior U.S. Senator from South Carolina, serving since 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party and a leader in the Tea Party movement. He previously served as the U.S. Representative for from 1999 to 2005.-Early life and education:DeMint was born in...
also attempted to use the nominations to force a hearing on the BBG, after frustrations with a perceived lack of congressional oversight over the organization. Coburn had written an open letter to then-Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
Mitch McConnell
Addison Mitchell "Mitch" McConnell, Jr. is the senior United States Senator from Kentucky and the Republican Minority Leader.- Early life, education, and military service :...
in August 2010 citing "longstanding concerns regarding transparency and effectiveness of our taxpayer funded international broadcasting agencies under the purview of the Broadcasting Board of Governors."