VOA cutback is rescinded (02/29/04)

VOA cutback is rescinded

by Andrew Nynka

PARSIPPANY, N.J. - Citing "a crackdown on media" in Ukraine, the organization that oversees Voice of America radio broadcasts to Ukraine made it known on February 24 that it would rescind an earlier decision to cut that service in half.

"We are committed to seeing that millions of Ukrainians continue to receive trusted news and information that is vital to helping them make decisions about their lives and their country," said Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), the federal agency that oversees all U.S. international broadcasting, including VOA and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).

Mr. Tomlinson's remarks were part of a statement released on the BBG's website on February 24. The statement, headlined "BBG seeks to enhance broadcasting to Ukraine," said that "U.S. international broadcasting officials are exploring new ways to reach listeners in the Ukraine in the wake of a crackdown on media."

The statement said that "VOA ... will continue to produce two hours of Ukrainian programming daily," and that their programs would be carried on Ukrainian state radio, on 12 FM affiliates across the country and on shortwave.

Just three weeks ago, on February 8, The Weekly reported on an announcement made on February 3 by VOA Director David Jackson. The VOA director said that his organization's Ukrainian radio service would reduce its daily broadcast from two hours to one hour per day beginning on March 1.

Mr. Jackson was quoted in the February 24 BBG statement saying that "VOA's news broadcasts will be available to the Ukrainian people on every medium: radio, television and the Internet," but did not elaborate further. Mr. Jackson could not be reached for a comment on the decision to leave VOA broadcasting untouched, and VOA spokesman Joe O'Connell was not available.

The staff of VOA Ukrainian radio, meanwhile, has already been reduced by five people and has worked that way for over two weeks. Sources close to the VOA Ukrainian Service say it will take some negotiating in order to hire five employees back to the service.

RFE/RL President Thomas Dine was also quoted in the BBG statement, saying that he supports U.S. broadcasts to Ukraine. "We want to and will be a part of the Ukrainian mass media," Mr. Dine said.

Mr. Dine's comments came following news last week that the privately owned Ukrainian FM Radio Dovira network dropped all RFE/RL programs, a move that Mr. Dine earlier called a "deeply disturbing political development and serious setback to freedom of expression in Ukraine."

Mr. Dine also called Dovira's decision "a political act against liberal democracy, against free speech and press, against RFE/RL, and show, once again, that Ukraine's political leadership is unable to live in an open society and is compelled to 'control' the media as if it were the good old days of the Soviet Union."

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