The Foreign Service Journal, January 2004

area; Eurasia, particularly Russia, Ukraine and Belarus; the Caucasus; the Balkans; Sub-Saharan Africa; Cuba; and the Andean region. Inmany of the priority areas, the BBG continues to face challenges in reaching audiences because governments jam, block and censor broadcasts and the Internet. China is a major offender, jamming VOA and RFA broadcasts in Mandarin and Tibetan as well as RFA broadcasts in Cantonese and Uygur. BBG files monthly complaints with the International Telecommunications Union over the jamming — and spends millions transmitting on extra fre- quencies to get through. China also blocks the Internet sites of RFA and VOA, requiring both services to experiment with proxy servers and mirror sites. But BBG Governor Edward Kaufman, a former chief of staff to Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., believes the Chinese are pursuing a losing strategy in cen- soring international broadcasting. “While pursuing more interaction in the global marketplace, the Chinese govern- ment is trying harder than ever to isolate its people, cut off the free flow of information and deny them access to accu- rate and credible news.” Other countries that routinely jam and/or block U.S. broadcasts include Cuba, Iran, Vietnam and North Korea. Recent and Upcoming Initiatives The BBG’s recent and upcoming initiatives include: a soon-to-be launched, Arabic-language Middle East Television Network; the popular Arabic-language Radio Sawa and Persian-language Radio Farda; new television programs for Iran and Indonesia; a country-wide, 24/7 radio network for Afghanistan; special e-mail packages for China, and new delivery options for Cuba, designed to elude jamming. The BBG recently announced a test to put TV and Radio Marti on Hispasat’s satellite, allowing Cubans and others with a dish and digital receiver to view the programs. One of the BBG’s most ambitious projects has been Radio Sawa, a 24/7 Arabic-language station that is broad- cast throughout the Middle East on a combination of AM, FM, shortwave, Internet and digital audio satellite. Sawa, aimed at listeners under 28 who comprise about 60 per- cent of the Middle East’s population, primarily broadcasts Arabic and Western popular music, but also mixes in news and current information. Not surprisingly, it took less than a year for Radio Sawa to become the leading international broadcaster in the region, according to an ACNielsen study. Nielsen’s research, conducted in July and August 2003, showed that Radio Sawa has an average listenership of 31.6 percent among the general population 15 years and older in five Middle Eastern countries. Listener rates were: Egypt 10.6 percent; Jordan, 30.4 percent; Kuwait, 39.5 percent; Qatar, 40.8 percent and UAE, 36.6 percent. (Typically, interna- tional broadcasters get between 4-5 percent listening rates.) Because the BBGmanages Sawa’s transmission, includ- ing FM and AM stations, the U.S. government is able to deliver crucial information at key times. During the Iraq War, Sawa broadcast as much as five hours of news a day. And when U.S. forces bombed Baghdad in April 2003, res- idents heard live coverage from Sawa’s correspondents on the ground. Joining Sawa in the near future will be the Middle East Television Network — an Arabic-language, full-service net- work that will compete with Al-Jazeera, Al-Arabyia and other direct-to-home satellite channels in the region. This product will be the first Arabic-language Western network in theMiddle East, a region where 90 percent of the people own television sets, and satellite viewing is growing rapidly. “Impressions of the U.S. in the region come from gov- ernment-controlled stations,” says Pattiz, chairman of the BBG’s Middle East Committee. "We’re changing that with Radio Sawa — now we want to do the same with METN.” He adds that the United States needs to get involved in the “media war,” where “the weapons include disinformation, incitement to violence, hate radio, govern- ment censorship and journalistic self-censorship.” Based outside Washington in suburban Virginia, with bureaus across the Middle East, the new network will fea- ture news, information and public affairs programs, along with family and children’s entertainment. More than 100 Arabic-speaking broadcasters will comprise the core staff. Startup is expected in early 2004. In December 2002, VOA and RFE/RL launched Radio Farda — a 24/7 program stream targeting young Iranians with popular Persian and Western music, as well as news and special features. With studios in Prague and Washington, this program offers a fresh alternative to lis- teners in Iran, a country where 70 percent of the popula- tion is under 30 years. Farda is available on AM, short- wave, Internet and digital audio satellite. Listeners’ response to Farda has been strongly positive, judging from e-mail traffic, Internet use and reports from inside Iran. “You cannot imagine what a big impact you F O C U S 22 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 4