What is Voice of America®?
The Voice of America® (VOA) is a broadcast radio station funded through the United States government. It broadcasts programs internationally in over 40 languages to provide news and information about the United States to people living outside of the country. In addition to news programming, Voice of America® also offers educational programs and features on American life. Along with other government funded non-military broadcasting, the Voice of America® is managed through the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), an organization which is designed to maintain the fidelity of the Voice of America® regardless as to internal American politics.
The roots of Voice of America® can be found in the Office of War Information, which was founded during the Second World War to broadcast information into the Axis nations of Japan, Italy, and Germany. In 1942, Voice of America® was formally founded, with the idea of acting as a source of balanced information about America in countries which might not have alternative sources of news. Voice of America® targeted programming at nations like China and Russia during the Cold War, and expanded its broadcasting throughout the twentieth century.
Listeners within the United States can pick up the Voice of America® on shortwave and through streaming media broadcasting, but the group does not formally broadcast within the United States. This is due to an agreement between Voice of America® and privately owned broadcasters within the United States, which were concerned about having to compete with the federal government.
Over 115 million listeners worldwide tune in to Voice of America® programming. In the latter part of the twentieth century, the company expanded into multimedia international broadcasting, offering television in addition to radio programming. According to its charter, the Voice of America® is accurate, objective, and comprehensive, and aims to represent all segments of American society and thought. Finally, it clearly represents the policies of the United States at home and abroad. In addition to running numerous region desks and stations, the Voice of America® also provides content to radio stations worldwide.
One of the more unique features of the Voice of America® is their Special English programming. Special English programming is aimed at people who are not native English speakers. It uses simple language and very plain sentence construction to convey information and promote English learning. Special English offerings are very popular among listeners all over the world, providing news and information about American life and culture.
Written by S.E. Smith
