La ristrutturazione della public diplomacy americana via radio

Il Broadcasting Board of Governors è pronto a una radicale riforma delle sue attività di trasmissione verso l'estero. Due i punti essenziali di questa revisione: l'accorpamento in una sola entità delle tre stazioni radio "non federali", ossia Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia e Middle East Broadcasting Networks; e approvazione di un nuovo progetto di legge denominato International Innovation Broadcasting Act 2012 (IBIA).

Come forse ricorderete i responsabili del BBG avevano già affidato ad alcune società di consulenza (Deloitte e Baker and Mackenzie) un accurato auditing della situazione attuale. Uno dei suggerimenti riguardava, ovviamente, un forte ridimensionamento delle trasmissioni in onde corte. Un riassunto delle decisioni prese si trova nella minuta della riunione che il BBG ha tenuto qualche giorno fa, il 13 gennaio. Ecco invece un estratto del comunicato stampa, con le dichiarazioni del presidente del BBG, Walter Isaacson:

Washington, D.C., January 18, 2012 – The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) announced its intention to restructure U.S. international broadcasting. It will seek legislation that would include establishing a Chief Executive Officer to manage the enterprise. In addition, the Board called for a plan to consolidate the agency’s three non-federal broadcast networks: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks.

“The Board is ready to strengthen U.S. international broadcasting in part by freeing up resources locked up in inefficient and duplicative administrative structures and reinvesting in programming,” said BBG Chairman Walter Isaacson. “This is a historic agreement by the Board to streamline international broadcasting into one great organization focused on quality journalism with many brands and many divisions but unified as one organization.”

In a resolution passed at its January 13 meeting in Washington, the Board announced its intention to restructure international broadcasting in accordance with its recently released 2012-2016 Strategic Plan. The Board outlined proposed reforms and its intent to develop a draft legislative package to be called the International Broadcasting Innovation Act of 2012 (the “IBIA”). It would establish a CEO who would report to the Board and provide day-to-day executive leadership. In addition the proposed package calls for a new organization that would reflect the optimal mix of federal and non-federal assets in support of international broadcasting; repeals the domestic dissemination ban in the Smith-Mundt Act; and renames the agency to reflect the mission of a unified structure. The restructuring package would be subject to appropriate administration approval and Congressional consideration.

“While there is a compelling case for streamlining the BBG’s complex structure and leveraging the highly professional newsgathering activities of our independent broadcast services, any reform plan will retain and celebrate the individual and historic brands and their journalistic mission,” said Isaacson in summarizing the Board’s recommendations. “We look forward to working with internal and external stakeholders and experts as well as with the Administration and Congress on these proposals.”

Al di là della triste constatazione di un mondo che sta profondamento cambiando, se non scomparendo, trovo notevole questo modo di procedere, così analitico. Mentre altri broadcaster pubblici devono semplicemente accettare chiusure e tagli decisi dai rispettivi governi, l'agenzia responsabile delle trasmissioni e delle attività di Radio Free Europe e di tanti altri brand a cavallo tra giornalismo e public diplomacy (nell'era del pre-politically correct si chiamava propaganda, ma molte cose sono cambiate) segue un approccio critico e costruttivo. Sarà interessante soprattutto vedere come finirà l'idea del progetto di legge, immagino uno dei primi se non il primo tanto circostanziato sul concetto di broadcasting internazionale. Sono un assiduo frequentatore dei siti Web di Radio Free Europe e confido che tutto questo grande lavoro di informazione sull'est europeo e l'Asia ex sovietica non vada perduto per sempre.

Immagino anche che sia un caso, ma il comunicato del BBG viene pubblicato quasi in concomitanza con un bellissimo articolo di un ex vicedirettore della Voice of America, Alan L. Heil, che sulla testata online American Diplomacy, dell'organizzazione no profit American Diplomacy Publishers (fondata da un gruppo di ex diplomatici americani) si interroga sui prossimi cinque anni di trasmissioni americane verso l'estero. Nel caso della VOA sono settant'anni di attività che, insieme a tante altre emittenti di Europa e Nord America, secondo Heil hanno offerto:

«... a window on the world and a beacon of hope for hundreds of millions of information-denied or impoverished people on the planet. They have done so by offering accurate, in-depth, credible news, ideas, educational and cultural fare, consistent with Western journalistic norms and the free flow of information enshrined in the 1948 U.N. Declaration of Human Rights. The broadcasts have enhanced America’s security, and even saved lives. They helped foster a largely peaceful end to the Cold War.»

Trovate l'articolo di Alan Heil, All quiet on the Western Front, titolo che ricalca quello di un celeberrimo romanzo, a questo indirizzo. Secondo l'autore oggi gli Stati Uniti hanno l'opportunità di colmare il vuoto lasciato da broacasters come la BBC, Deutsche Welle e Radio Nederland, nella fondamentale offerta di un contenuto vitale per una quota ancora molto significativa della popolazione mondiale: una spiegazione puntuale di quello che sta veramente succedendo nel mondo.

La radio internazionale targata USA conquista 106 milioni di audience

BBG, l'organo che gestisce la programmazione delle stazioni radiotelevisive finanziate dal Governo americano ha pubblicato i suoi dati di audience. Su scala mondiale, i programmi di VOA, Radio RFE/RL, Radio Sawa e altri raggiungono ormai 187 milioni di persone. Strabiliante il dato relativo alla radio: 106 milioni di ascoltatori, contro i 10 che utilizzano Internet. I risultati sono stati ottenuti in un arco di tempo piuttosto lungo, cinque anni, attraverso 172mila interviste in una ottantina di nazioni.

Come si vede la radio rappresenta il mezzo principe dell'offerta BBG, che raggiunge anche una audience di 97 milioni di telespettatori. Come si sa, una discreta percentuale di questa offerta radiofonica oggi viaggia sulle onde corte, che però vengono percepite come un medium troppo costoso e desueto. In effetti molti programmi viaggiano ormai sulle frequenze FM frutto di accordi con emittenti e gruppi editoriali locali e il piano di rinnovamento recentemente introdotto dal Board of Governors prevede un ridimensionamento dell'intero comparto onde corte.

BBG Broadcasts Reach Record Audiences

(WASHINGTON, D.C.—November 15, 2011) U.S. government funded international broadcasters reached an estimated 187 million people every week in 2011, an increase of 22 million from last year's figure, according to new audience data being made public by the Broadcasting Board of Governors.

“We are pleased that people the world over are responding in unprecedented numbers to our high-quality journalism and active audience engagement,” said BBG Chairman Walter Isaacson. “The ability of our broadcasters to inform, engage and connect audiences through traditional and social media alike lie behind these impressive results and will be essential to driving future audience reach and impact.”

The record numbers, released in the BBG Performance and Accountability Report (PAR), measure the combined audience of the Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), Radio and TV Martí, Radio Free Asia (RFA) and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (Alhurra TV and Radio Sawa). The report details impact on audiences around the globe including people in the world’s most repressive media and political environments.

The BBG’s PAR follows on the heels of BBG’s latest strategic plan, Impact through Innovation and Integration, which sets an over-arching objective of making BBG the world’s leading international news agency working to foster freedom and democracy with the goal of reaching 216 million people weekly by 2016.

This year there were significant audience increases in Afghanistan, where RFE/RL and VOA together reach 75% of adults weekly; in Egypt, where Alhurra TV doubled its weekly audience to 15% in tandem with the Arab Spring; and in Indonesia, where VOA’s aggressive affiliate strategy has boosted weekly audiences to some 38 million adults.

Audiences in many other strategically relevant countries held strong. In Nigeria, VOA retains its position as a news source of record with 23 million weekly listeners. In Burma, VOA and RFA reach 26% and 24% of adults, respectively, amounting to a weekly audience of 10 million.

Audience declines took place notably in Iran, where the government continues aggressive jamming of every BBG transmission platform, including satellite uplink jamming; and Pakistan, where the media market is increasingly fragmented and use of radio is declining.

While radio remains the BBG’s number one media platform, reaching 106 million people per week, television’s growth puts it 97 million people. The Internet audience was approximately 10 million, with the largest online audiences measured in Iraq, Russia, Indonesia, Egypt and Iran.

· Download 2011 Performance and Accountability Report (PDF)

· BBG 2011 Audience Overview (PDF)

· BBG Research Methodology (PDF)

The Broadcasting Board of Governors is an independent federal agency, supervising all U.S. government-supported, civilian international broadcasting, whose mission is inform, engage and connect people around the world in support of freedom and democracy. BBG broadcasts reach an audience of 187 million in more than 100 countries. BBG networks include the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (Alhurra TV and Radio Sawa), Radio Free Asia, and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (Radio and TV Martí).

Afghanistan, radioline al posto di bombe

In occasione delle recenti elezioni afghane, Radio Azadi ("libertà") emittente in pashto promossa dall'organizzazione Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty ha organizzato la pacifica distribuzione di armi di "informazione" di massa: ventimila radioline con pannellino solare e alimentazione a manovella sono state regalate alla popolazione di villaggi e campi di rifugiati, proprio nelle aree sotto la copertura delle emittenti FM che diffondono le parole di incitamento dei leader della guerriglia talibana. In queste zone l'analfabetismo raggiunge soglie del 90% per le donne e 60% per gli uomini e la radio è uno strumento fondamentale per poter accedere a quel poco di istruzione, informazione e svago di cui possono disporre gli abitanti. I programmi di Radio Azadi, sostiene RFE/RL possono contribuire a contrastare l'azione propagandistica di "Radio Mullah" offrendo un punto di vista (si spera) più equilibrato. E comunque meno bellicoso.

RFE, Afghan Air Force Deliver Thousands Of Radios To Remote Afghan Villages, Refugee C

amps

September 17, 2010

KABUL, Afghanistan) On the eve of parliamentary elections in Afghanistan, RFE's Radio Azadi -- with the help of the Afghan Air Force and U.S. military -- has launched a new initiative to help Afghans participate in the democratic process by having access to reliable news and information.

At a refugee camp outside Kabul yesterday, Radio Azadi staff began handing out the first of 20,000 solar-powered, hand-cranked radios to Afghans who live in remote places or lack the means to access news and information.

More than 2,000 radios were delivered this week to Afghans in the provinces of Logar, Shamali, Parwan, Kapisa, and Kabul. Over the next few weeks, the Afghan Air Force will distribute the remaining radios via Mi-17 helicopters to isolated villages throughout the rest of the country.

"Many of Afghanistan's displaced persons camps and remote villages have limited electricity," says RFE President Jeffrey Gedmin. "These battery-free radios are similar to the ones distributed in Haiti after the earthquake. Our objective is to ensure that Afghans everywhere have access to the kind of reliable information necessary to make important decisions about their lives."

In the last few years, there has been a proliferation of Taliban-sponsored radio stations in the region, mainly in the tribal areas along the Pakistani border. These stations - commonly called "Mullah Radio" - incite hatred, intolerance, and ethnic violence.

"In Afghanistan, radio equals access," says Matthew Warshaw, the head of D3 Systems, a leading research firm that examines Afghanistan's media environment. "If the international community hopes to have influence on Afghans -- especially in rural areas where the illiteracy rate is 90 percent for women and 60 percent for men -- radio will be a large part of their media strategy."

Hindu Kush: guerra di onde nella lingua dei pashtun

Radio Free Europe dai ieri trasmette un nuovo programma di due ore verso la zona di confine tra Afghanistan e Pakistan, la valle dello Swat. L'obiettivo della nuova Radio Mashaal, Radio Fiaccola, è contrastare l'azione delle stazioni pirata in FM gestite dagli esponenti religiosi talebani attivi in territorio pakistano. A questo proposito vi segnalo uno splendido servizio trasmesso il 10 gennaio dagli Speciali TG1, con molti riferimenti proprio a questo tipo di guerriglia radiofonica Con il suo "Hindukush", dal nome della catena di monti che segna il confine tra i i due Stati, Duilio Giammaria ha fatto un lavoro accurato, andando a intervistare molti responsabili regionali e tribali, indagando nei limiti consentiti da una situazione ad altissimo rischio personale e formulando interrogativi scomodi, senza timore di tirare in ballo le respnsabilità militari e politiche degli occidentali. Bravo Duilio, considerando che anche in patria, coi tuoi capi, rischi parecchio...
Si comincia con due ore al giorno, curate dagli studi di RFE/Radio Liberty di Praga, e da un nuovo studio in Pakistan, ma l'obiettivo è arrivare a settembre a trasmetterne molte di più, in onde corte e con ripetitori FM locali. Tra le star della nuova emittente ci sarà Haroon Bacha, musicista molto popolare che nel 2008 aveva scelto l'esilio negli Stati Uniti dopo aver ricevuto molte minacce dai talebani. Con Radio Marshaal l'offerta radiofonica americana nella regione dell'Afghanistan e più in generale della zona linguistica del pashtun si moltiplica. Secondo alcuni diventa ridondante. RFE trasmette già due canali di Azadi Radio (Radio Free Afghanistan) in pashto e dari. Voice of America trasmette in entrambe le lingue - in pashto e dari - e dal 2006 ha aggiunto la programmazione di musica a notizie, sempre in pashtun di Deewa Radio.

RFE/RL Launches Radio Station in Pakistan's Pashtun Heartland
January 14, 2010

(PRAGUE, Czech Republic) On January 15, RFE/RL will begin broadcasting in the local Pashto dialects to Pakistan and the border regions between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The new station - called Radio Mashaal ("Torch" in Pashto) - will offer an alternative to the growing number of Islamic extremist radio stations in the region.
"There is an urgent need for accurate, objective news and information in Pakistan's tribal areas," says U.S. Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke. "Radio Mashaal's commitment to professional journalism in the local language will be an important contribution toward peace, reconciliation and democracy in the region."
Veteran Pakistani journalist and author Ahmed Rashid says he hopes Radio Mashaal "will provide people the kind of information they need to make the right decisions about their lives."
One surprise in store for listeners will be the reappearance of Haroon Bacha, a popular Pashtun singer who fled the region last year amid death threats from the Taliban. The 36-year-old recording artist - whose dozens of albums, music videos and television appearances made him one of the most famous entertainers in the region - will be hosting a cultural affairs show for Radio Mashaal. [see The New York Times: "U.S. Refuge for Singer Fleeing the Taliban," 10/12/08]
There is an urgent need for accurate, objective news and information in Pakistan's tribal areas
The first broadcast will air live on January 15 at 4pm local time. Radio Mashaal's correspondents will be covering local and international news with in-depth reports on terrorism, politics, women's issues, and health care (with an emphasis on preventive medicine). The station will feature roundtable discussions and interviews with tribal leaders and local policymakers in addition to regular call-in programs aimed at giving listeners the opportunity to be heard.
Radio Mashaal will operate out of a new bureau in Pakistan and broadcast from RFE/RL's Prague headquarters. The station will share a frequency with VOA's Radio Deewa and transmit via FM and shortwave. Online, Radio Mashaal's website will provide a live stream of its broadcasts.

Shortwave broadcast at frequencies:
(LOCAL BROADCAST TIME [UTC +4,5 o +5?])
every day 9395 16:00 - 18:00
every day 11605 16:00 - 18:00
every day 13700 16:00 - 18:00