Compiled by David Snyder, 1994 Transmitter Plant Supervisor

Voice of America Washington, D.C. 20547

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Voice of America AT A GLANCE

TELLING AMERICA'S STORY

The Voice of America's first broadcast went on the airFebruary 24, 1942, just 79 days after the U.S. entered World War II. The first program was a 15-minute presentation in German. Announcer William Harlan Hale opened the broadcast with the words:"Here speaks a voice from America."

Today, VOA broadcasts in 52 languages, including English, tolisteners around the world. Every week tens of millions of listenersworldwide tune their shortwave, medium wave (AM) or FM radios tothe Voice of America. They know they can rely on VOA for the mostup-to-date and accurate news possible.

The Voice devotes a major portion of its broadcast schedule tonews and news-related programs, as well as a variety of features oneconomics, science, medicine, technology, agriculture and music. Allprogramming is produced in VOA's Washington, D.C. headquarters,which is equipped with 34 studios, a 150-channel master control andtwo centers to record reports from VOA correspondents around theworld.

The Voice of America is the international broadcast service ofthe United States Information Agency. USIA was established in 1953to carry out the overseas information and cultural exchange programsof the U.S. Government. On October 1, 1990, USIA established theBureau of Broadcasting which includes the Voice of America and twoother broadcast services, Worldnet Television and Film Service andthe Office of Cuba Broadcasting (Radio and TV Marti).

COVERING THE NEWS

The reporters in VOA's central newsroom and correspondentsat 26 news bureaus throughout the world write an average of 180news stories every day. Part-time reporters -- known as "stringers" --file in English and many of VOA's other languages, broadening therange of breaking stories.

VOA news bureaus are found in Abidjan, Bangkok, Beijing,Berlin, Bonn, Cairo, Chicago, Geneva, Hong Kong, Islamabad,Jerusalem, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Miami, Moscow,Nairobi, New Delhi, New York, Paris, Prague, Rio de Janeiro, SanJosé, Tokyo, Vienna and Warsaw. VOA also operates a programcenter in Amman, Jordan.

RELAY STATIONS

The Voice of America sends programfrom its Washington studios to its relay(transmitter) stations via satellite. From thestations, shortwave, and in some casesmedium wave, transmitters broadcast VOAprograms to listeners worldwide. Currently,VOA operates 13 relay stations abroad. These are located in Belize, Botswana (SilebiPikwe and Moepeng Hill), Germany, Greece(Kavala and Rhodes), Kuwait, Morocco,Philippines, Sao Tomé, Sri Lanka andThailand. There are also three VOA relaystations within the continental U.S, at Bethany,Ohio; Delano California; and Greenville, NorthCarolina. VOA constantly improves its relaystation network. In addition, VOA is building anew site in Sri Lanka to replace its olderexisting station.

PLACEMENT PROGRAMMING

In recent years, VOA has begun toplace more and more of its programming onlocal radio stations. To meet the demand,VOA established the Office of AffiliateRelations and Audience Analysis in 1991 tocoordinate all placement activities. The officeassists VOA services in making arrangementswith stations throughout the world to carry theirprograms. Thirty-nine of VOA's 52 languageservices can place programs via satellite.

VOA uses a variety of placementtechniques to tailor programs for eachlanguage service's needs and capabilities. They range from satellite-delivered programsto radio bridges to partnership broadcasts. Atotal of 2,000 hours of programming per weekis now available to affiliate stations viasatellite. Stations either simulcast the feeds orrecord them for later use.

VOA Europe is a special service inEnglish that is relayed via satellite to Europeanaffiliate stations 24 hours a day. Designed fora young European audience, VOA Europeplays the latest musical hits from both sides ofthe Atlantic, presents American life and cultureand reports world news and sports. It wascreated in 1985 to revitalize the cultural bondsbetween the United States and the newgeneration of Europeans. VOA Europe cannow be heard in 369 cities and regions in 28

countries.

VOA FACTS

Staff: 3,074 Full-time permanentpositions, including 662 foreign nationalemployees.

Budget: Approximately $251 million foroperating expenses in FY 1993 and anadditional $104 million for modernization of theBureau's broadcast facilities

(These figures include funding forWorldnet Television and Film Service.) Thismeans that VOA's annual operating budgetcosts the American taxpayer approximatelytwo cents per listener per year, quite a bargainin reaching 100 million listeners weekly.

VOA CHARTER

The VOA Charter is the documentagainst which all VOA programming ismeasured. It was drafted in 1960 and signedinto law (Public Law 94-350) by PresidentGerald Ford July 21, 1976. It reads:

The long-range interests of the United Statesare served by communicating with the peoplesof the world by radio. To be effective, theVoice of America (the broadcasting service ofthe United States Information Agency) mustwin the attention and respect of listeners. These principles will therefore govern theVoice of America (VOA) broadcasts:

(1) VOA will serve as a consistentlyreliable and authoritative source ofnews. VOA news will be accurate,objective and comprehensive.

(2) VOA will represent America, not anysingle segment of American society,and will therefore present a balancedand comprehensive projection ofsignificant American thought andinstitutions.

(3) VOA will present the policies of theUnited States clearly and effectively,and will also present responsiblediscussions and opinion on thesepolicies.

Voice of America Washington, D.C. 20547

Voice of America

THE RADIO BROADCAST SYSTEM OF THEUNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY

POLICY AND SCOPE

When the Voice of America first wenton the air 79 days after the attack on PearlHarbor on December 7, 1941, listeners all overthe world were promised "the news from thewar may be good or bad -- we shall tell you thetruth." However, the means available to VOAto broadcast the truth to the world wereoperated by five commercial companies. Incomparison, the Axis nations possessed alarge network of high powered transmitters.

Today, -- more than 50 years later --VOA's continuing mission to broadcast thetruth is made possible by a sophisticatednetwork of communication satellite circuits andtransmitters with a total power of 25 millionwatts. The network includes 29 shortwavetransmitters within the United States and 74medium wave and shortwave transmitters atoverseas relay stations. Most programs aredelivered by satellite to VOA relay stations. This worldwide VOA network was created toovercome geographic and propagationalobstacles that hinder clear, effective receptionfrom transmitters in the United States. Usingstrategically located relay stations, the VOA isable to deliver a strong, reliable signal toalmost any place in the world. In some cases,VOA relay stations are close enough to theintended audience that medium wavetransmissions also can be used.

VOA WASHINGTON

The heart of the VOA is located inWashington, D.C., where VOA's totalbroadcasts of over 1,200 hours per week in 49languages originate.

The Washington facilities consist of 34studios, a central recording operation capableof producing more than 80 simultaneousrecordings, and a master control switchingcomplex. VOA's Master Control is one of thelargest and most flexible switching consoles inexistence. Through it, programs from VOAstudios are fed by land lines, microwave, andsatellite to transmitters in the United States forrelay overseas, and by satellite directly to VOAtransmitters overseas. The console canhandle material from 150 sources anddistributes up to 100 feeds simultaneously.

The VOA also operates an ElectronicAudio News Center. This sophisticated solidstate communications center, or "Bubble,"daily receives, records, and distributesbetween 60 and 80 reports from VOAcorrespondents around the world. It operatestwenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

INTERFERENCE TO VOA BROADCASTS

One problem of international radiobroadcasting that affects VOA cannot besolved by sophisticated network andtechnology. This is the interference caused toVOA by other countries either intentionally orunintentionally. Unintentional interferenceresults from the overcrowding that exists in theshortwave broadcasting bands because theradio spectrum allocated to shortwavebroadcasting is insufficient to meet thedemands. Deliberate interference is referredto as jamming: this consists of abrasivesounding noises causing severe interferencedirected against VOA and other Westernbroadcasts by China, Cuba, Iraq, and NorthKorea.

TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT

VOA maintains a worldwide technicalmonitoring network that provides current dataon signal strength and listening conditions. Every year the system collects millions ofpieces of technical data on atmosphericconditions, signal strength, and interferencethat are fed through computer to enable VOAexperts to evaluate current reception, makenecessary corrections, and plan effectively forthe future.

COMPETITION

Competition continues to grow in thefield of international broadcasting. Since1950, the number of transmitters around theworld has increased from 385 to 1,580. It isestimated that there are about 1.5 billion radioreceivers in the world. Of these, an estimatedfour hundred million are equipped to receiveshortwave.

Voice of America Washington, D.C. 20547

Voice of AmericaA Brief History and Current Operations

In an average week, all around the world,more than 130 million listeners tune their radiosto the Voice of America, the global network of theUnited States Information Agency. But whenextraordinary events take place, either in theUnited States or abroad, this basic listenershipincreases dramatically.

Today, the Voice broadcasts in 52languages. The first VOA broadcast (in theGerman language) went on the air 79 days afterthe United States entered World War II onFebruary 24, 1942. That broadcast included thestatement:

Daily at this time, we shall speak to youabout America and the war -- the news may begood or bad -- we shall tell you the truth.

This has been the aim of the Voice ofAmerica ever since.

The first U.S. Government broadcastswere to Latin America. These programs,however, were not identified as the "Voice ofAmerica." The first programs with the VOAidentification were under the supervision of theCoordinator of Information. His responsibility wasto carry information about the United States andits policies to all parts of the world except LatinAmerica, which was the responsibility of theCoordinator of Inter-American Affairs.

A few months after VOA went on the air,the Office of War Information (OWI) wasestablished, with the Voice of America as itsradio division. The need to inform overseaspeoples about the United States, its aims,culture, and history did not end with the cessation

of hostilities. The function of the OWI and theOffice of Coordinator of Inter-American Affairswas placed under the Department of State. InJanuary 1948, the Congress enacted legislation(Public Law 402, the Smith-Mundt Act) to"promote better understanding of the UnitedStates in other countries." This act establishedthe information program as a long-term adjunctof United States foreign policy, with VOA as anintegral part.

The Hoover Commission, in itsReorganization Plan #8, recommended that theinformation program be separated from the StateDepartment. Congress approved, and onAugust 1, 1953, the United States InformationAgency, of which VOA was a part, came intobeing as an independent agency reportingdirectly to the President, but taking policyguidance from the Department of State.

From its origins in 1942 to the present,the Voice of America has varied its broadcastingactivities, depending on the availability offacilities, the size of its appropriations fromCongress, and the international situation. Duringthe first few months of its operation, VOAbroadcast in English, German, French, andItalian. At the wartime peak, VOA wasbroadcasting in some 40 languages. At the endof the war, the schedule was reduced to 24languages. During the Korean War, expansionbrought the number of languages to 46. Twelveof these were dropped in 1953. In 1955, directshortwave broadcasts in Portuguese to Portugalwere started. VOA programs in English areheard throughout Europe and around the world.

Radio is the only regular means of

communicating America's story to largeaudiences throughout the world. Today, theVoice of America broadcasts in 52 languages. They are:

Albanian AmharicArabic ArmenianAzerbaijani BanglaBulgarian BurmeseCatonese CreoleCroatian CzechDari EnglishEstonian FarsiFrench GeorgianGerman GreekHausa HindiHungarian IndonesianKhmer KoreanKurdish LaoLatvian LithuanianMandarin NepaliPashto PersianPolish PortugueseRomanian RussianSerbian SlovakSlovene SomaliSpanish SwahiliThai TibetanTurkish UkrainianUrdu UzbekVietnamese

Since 1942, the Voice of America hasdeveloped an integrated network of over 100transmitters in different parts of the world. Allbroadcasts originate in Washington, D.C. and aretransmitted by microwave, landline, and satelliteto 29 transmitters in the United States and to 74transmitters at 13 relay stations overseas. TheU.S. transmitters are located in Greenville, NorthCarolina; Bethany, Ohio; and Delano, California.

The 74 VOA transmitters in othercountries include those in Belize; Tangier,Morocco; Munich, Germany; Kavala and Rhodes,Greece; Woofferton, England; Kuwait; Porro and

Tinang, Philippines; Sao Tomé; Bangkok andUdorn, Thailand; Colombo, Sri Lanka; andSelebi-Phikwe, Botswana. At Porro andBangkok, VOA has medium wave transmitters ofa million watts power each. The total power ofVOA transmitters worldwide is 25 million watts.

The headquarters for the Voice ofAmerica is in Washington, D.C. It was originallylocated in New York City, but was moved toWashington in 1954.

VOA maintains news bureaus in Chicago,Los Angeles, and New York. Overseas VOAcorrespondents cover stories from Abidjan,Amman, Bangkok, Beijing, Berlin, Bonn, Cairo,Geneva, Islamabad, Jerusalem, Johannesburg,London, Moscow, Nairobi, New Delhi, Paris,Prague, Rio de Janeiro, San José, Tokyo, andVienna. In addition to its own correspondents,VOA is able to call upon many part-timereporters in the United States and overseas toprovide program material.

In addition to its direct broadcasts, VOAnow places many of its programs on local radiostations around the world. Local stations receivematerial via satellite or through pre-recordedtaped material. VOA uses a variety of placementtechniques to tailor programs for each languageservice's individual needs and capabilities. Theyrange from satellite delivered programs to radiobridges to partnership broadcasts. A total of2,100 hours of programming per week is nowavailable to affiliate stations via satellite. Stations either simulcast the feeds or recordthem for later use.

U.S. Information Agency offices abroadalso originate radio programs in approximately adozen languages for use on local stations. Partsof these programs are based on VOA's suppliedtapes and scripts.

The Voice of America Radio MartiProgram began broadcasting to Cuba on May20, 1985. Created by Public Law 98-111, the

Radio Marti Program broadcasts 24 hours daily. Programs include news, commentaries,interviews, short features, music, populardramas, and in-depth focus programs on currentaffairs. The broadcast headquarters are inWashington, D.C., news and program bureausare located in Miami and a transmitter inMarathon, Florida.

In October 1985, VOA resumedbroadcasting to Western Europe for the first timein 25 years. The new service, VOA Europe, is aspecial service in English that is relayed viasatellite to European affiliate stations 24 hours aday. Designed for a young European audience,VOA Europe plays the latest musical hits fromboth sides of the Atlantic, presents American lifeand culture, and reports world news and sports. It was created in 1985 to revitalize the culturalbonds between the United States and the newgeneration of Europeans. VOA Europe can nowbe heard in 242 cities and regions in 25countries.

The day-to-day operation of the Voice ofAmerica is guided by the words of the VOACharter, which became law on July 12, 1976,when Congress passed a new section of the lawunder which VOA operates:

The long-range interests of the United States areserved by communicating directly with thepeoples of the world by radio. To be effective,the Voice of America must win the attention andrespect of listeners. These principles will governVOA broadcasts.

1) VOA will serve as a consistently reliable andauthoritative source of news, VOA will beaccurate, objective, and comprehensive.

2) VOA will represent America, not any singlesegment of American society, and will thereforepresent a balanced and comprehensiveprojection of significant American thought andinstitutions.

3) VOA will present the policies of the UnitedStates clearly and effectively, and will alsopresent responsible discussion and opinion onthese policies.

All newscasts broadcast by VOA daily arecarefully prepared. In the handling of anyunofficial material about which there may besome doubt, the details must be verified by aminimum of two independent sources. Accuracyis placed ahead of speed, although VOA newsmust compete with other international andnational broadcasters.

While VOA is part of the United StatesGovernment, the viewpoints of oppositionleaders and other important segments ofAmerican public opinion are presented in aneffort to provide perspective and balance. Theeditorial opinions of American newspapers andradio and television commentators are used toinform foreign audiences about the attitudes andopinions of the American people on subjects ofinternational interest. Significant national figuresare interviewed regularly on a wide variety ofsubjects -- cultural, scientific, economic, social,etc.

Music, sports, and the lighter aspects ofAmerican life are included in VOA broadcasts. For example, the program "Music USA," whichincludes jazz and popular music, has been onthe air since 1955 and has attracted atremendous audience around the world,especially in Eastern Europe and the NewlyIndependent States.

The Voice of America reflects what ishappening in this country and the world. Itinforms, it explains, it enlightens. It provides abackground and a context in which a listener canbetter understand the how and the why of whatis going on in the United States.

Voice of America Washington, D.C. 20547

Voice of AmericaFine Tuning

BY KIM ANDREW ELLIOTChief of VOA Audience Research

At VOA, we endeavor to verifycorrect reception reports, although it isdifficult to inspect each report minutely tomake absolutely sure that the programdetails or transmitter sites are accurate. One of the biggest problems in translatingreception reports into useful frequencyguidance is that most of our listeners useradios that do not have precise frequencyreadout. Digital radios with directfrequency readout are either unavailable ortoo expensive in most countries.

Though international broadcastersno longer rely on DXers as they once did,DXing is an excellent hobby, and collectingQSL-cards from as many stations in asmany countries as possible is an importantpart of that hobby. Just as I cansympathize with the broadcasters'disappointment in not receiving moresubstantive program comments, as anoccasional DXer I can also relate to theQSL-card collectors. The DXers may nowhave to mobilize and organize to save theQSL-card tradition. Perhaps one argumentin the DXer's favor is that many youngerpeople developed a considerableknowledge of the world by collecting QSL-cards.

Meanwhile, there has recently beena new development in QSL-card collectingin the United States. The Association of

North

American Radio Clubs (ANARC) hasformed a Committee to Preserve RadioVerifications. One of its major goals is tohave DXers bequeath their QSL-cardcollections, many of which include somefascinating verifications from manydecades ago, to ANARC's new permanentrepository.

Thus, as another argument in theDXers' favor, if QSL cards become a thingof the past, so will much of the historicalrecord and heritage of international radio.

And so the needs of the DXers andthe needs of the international broadcasters,both legitimate, seem to be somewhat atodds. At the EDXC conference in Antwerp,Belgium, Wolf Harranth of Austria aptlydescribed the situation: "It's the story of thebottle and the contents" he said. "Thebroadcaster is primarily interested in thecontents, DXers are primarily interested inthe bottle."

Voice of America Washington, D.C. 20547

Voice of AmericaTHIS IS BETHANY

On September 23, 1944, the Office ofWar Information, the Office of the Coordinatorof Inter-American Affairs and the CrosleyCorporation (later, the Crosley BroadcastingCorporation), officially dedicated three new 200kW transmitters at Bethany.

This was the culmination of a newadventure in the field of radio engineering. Nearly two years of planning, designing andbuilding had preceded the dedication at Bethany. This was the end of a trail that started with anurgent war necessity, and the beginning ofanother trail that led forward to a new kind ofair-wave supremacy for the United States ofAmerica. This was the "loudest voice in theworld" trying its young lungs.

The story of Bethany goes back farbeyond Pearl Harbor. In the early days of high-power, high-frequency broadcasting, when 10kW was the maximum power, Crosley's staff hadalready built a 50 kW transmitter long before theFCC made that output a license requirement. Through continuation of these experiments, tubeswere developed capable of 75 kW, and in 1940, amomentous dedication was held of the mostpowerful shortwave station in this country at thattime, WLWO.

On that fateful December Sunday in1941 when bombs rained down on Pearl Harbor,Uncle Sam was pitifully inferior to his Axisenemies in international broadcasting facilities. Six international licensees were operating only 14shortwave stations, several of which wereincapable even of 50 kW output. In contrast tothis, Germany had at least 68 shortwavetransmitters under her control and Japancontrolled 42.

In a drastic effort to remedy thissituation, the Board of War Communicationscalled a conference in Washington, D.C., atwhich all international radio licensees, equipmentmanufacturers, representatives of the Federal Communications Commission, Office of theCoordinator of Inter-American Affairs,Department of State and others, studied thepsychological warfare situation. At this andsubsequent meetings, plans were made to remedythe situation and an important part of those planswas the design and construction of six 200 kWtransmitters. The job of designing,manufacturing and installing these transmitterswas given to the Crosley Corporation. Under theleadership of R. J. Rockwell, Vice President andDirector of Engineering of Crosley, theEngineering Staff went to work. As part of thismammoth program, Crosley undertook toredesign its equipment for an output of 200 kW. Tubes were designed and developed, circuitswere calculated and antennas were devised to dothe job. Recalls Mr. Rockwell, "There were afew 'impossibilities' involved - there were novacuum tubes, no output circuits, no antennas inexistence capable of such power. The tubes,particularly were a serious problem. They had tobe designed, then built, and finally they had tooperate."

The wartime use of these stations is awell-known story; they were a vital link in theworldwide broadcasting system used by theOffice of War Information and the Office of theCoordinator of Inter-American Affairs. Theimpact of these broadcasts to the Axis countrieswas reflected in Hitler's statement calling thisoperation "The Cincinnati Liars."

When the war ended, Crosley's

shortwave station became an implement of policyprogrammed exclusively by the StateDepartment. The pairs of stations which duringthe war and for sometime afterwards were knownas WLWL, WLWS and WLWR. In the 1950sthese transmitters were operated under the callletters WLWO-1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.

In the early 1960s, the Government tookover the operation of the station. The station hasgone through two major modernizations. In themid- 1960s, the World War II Crosley slavetransmitters were removed from the west side ofthe building and three Collins Radio 821-A1 250kW broadcast transmitters were installed. Included in the modernization was a mastercontrol room located in the center of thetransmitter operations area. Also installed weretwo Continental Electronics 617A 50 kW P-E-Pindependent sideband transmitters for programrelay and other communications purposes. In1989, after 45 years of daily use, the remainingCrosley transmitters on the east side of thebuilding were replaced with three ABB SK53 C3250 kW broadcast transmitters.

The Bethany Relay Station uses 22directional antennas. Fourteen of them arerhombic type in groups of 2 or 3, and eight arecurtain type antennas. The antenna switchingmatrix consists of 232 manually-operatedswitches that allow connection of any of the sixbroadcast transmitters to be connected to any ofthe 22 antennas and test load. There are morethan 1000 wood poles ranging in height up to150 feet, supporting antennas and transmissionlines.

The Bethany Relay Station transmitsabout 40 hours of programming per day to Africaand Latin America on 18 frequencies from 6 to22 MHz. All programming originates inWashington, D.C. and is sent to the station viasatellite. The full staff of 22 consists ofAdministrative, Facilities, Logistics, Riggingpersonnel and 15 Electronic Technicians whooperate the station 24 hours per day.

Adapted from an article written in 1960 by R. J.Rockwell, Vice President and Director ofEngineering for the Crosley BroadcastingCorporation.

Voice of America Washington, D.C. 20547

Voice of AmericaModernization of the Voice of America

In 1982, the National Security Councildirected the Voice of America (VOA), currentlyhoused in the Bureau of Broadcasting of the UnitedStates Information Agency, to provide a stronger,more reliable signal into areas of the worldimportant to U.S. interests. In fiscal year 1983, aformal modernization program began with therecruiting of a skilled engineering and technicalstaff. Detailed studies and plans for an updatedrelay station network for a stronger "Voice"followed soon afterward.

WHY MODERNIZATION IS NEEDED

America's international broadcastingsystem falls short of modern internationalstandards and is increasingly difficult to maintain. Of the 114 transmitters in VOA's global network,about three quarters are more than 20 years old,almost half have been in operation more than 30years and 4 were manufactured over half a centuryago. For these old transmitters, some replacementparts have to be specially fabricated because theyare no longer manufactured. Deterioratingtechnical facilities restrict VOA from delivering ahigh-caliber signal to listeners in many parts of theworld.

Other major international broadcasters areusing newer, more powerful transmitters thatincorporate technical advances made in recentdecades. The present international standard is the500 kW shortwave transmitter which isdramatically more efficient than older models andmore than twice as powerful as most of thetransmitters VOA has been using. France, WestGermany, Great Britain, the former Soviet Union,Iran and Saudi Arabia use these more powerfultransmitters, and many smaller countries havebegun installing and operating them.

Since available frequencies are limitedand the worldwide listening audience has severalattractive alternatives, VOA must provide strongand clear signals into its major target areas toremain competitive. Otherwise, VOA can expect acontinual decline in the VOA listening audienceand a diminishing capacity to have America'sVoice heard.

Audience research data attests to the levelof competition VOA faces in the world listenermarketplace and to the need for a strong,unclouded signal to attract audiences. VOAalready lacks a competitive signal in most of Africa,throughout India and many parts of South Asia, inareas of China, portions of the Middle East andother regions vital to U.S. interests. The BBC,Deutsche Welle, and other countries' radio stationssound loud and clear in many of these areas. Evenduring the Persian Gulf crisis, VOA came in a farsecond to the BBC which claimed almost half of thelistening audience in the region.

CHANGE IN VOA MODERNIZATIONSTRATEGY

Despite the profoundly changed politicallandscape since the modernization program wasfirst launched, strong impact for the program hasremained. Unfortunately, fiscal realities havecaused VOA to alter its ambitious original courseand to reexamine how the limited resourcesavailable can best be used to meet broadcastneeds. A March 1989 report, "An Agenda forAction," set the scene for a new strategy andoutlined specific recommendations to achieveoptimal broadcast coverage within the tight fiscaltimes. The streamlined long-range planencompassed only high priority, new construction,upgrade/refurbishment of existing facilities,continued enhancement of operationaleffectiveness and appropriate pursuit of newservice opportunities. VOA's revised blueprint formodernization placed increased emphasis onextending the effective use of existing facilities foras long as possible through a concertedupgrade/refurbishment effort.

Each year VOA assesses and finetunes itsplan to maintain momentum and to provide acomprehensive approach to fulfill mission goals. Inthe fall of 1991, VOA modified its contractingapproach to accelerate project completion and toreduce costs in the overall modernization program.

Elements of VOA's current modernizationstrategy include:--Completion of the new shortwave stations inMorocco and Thailand. These important projectsare planned to be completed by fiscal year 1994.

--Completion of the Satellite Interconnect Systemwhich will link VOA studios with all major relaystations. This advanced technology willdramatically improve the quality and reliability ofVOA's program feed and concurrently reducecosts.

--Continued refurbishment of old facilities. Majorchanges in each station's complement ofequipment are required. As equipment ages, thequality of coverage decreases further. Adequateannual funding of relay station refurbishment isessential to prevent further erosion of missioncapability.

--Adequate and timely maintenance and repair(M&R) projects to keep the old technicalinfrastructure "glued" together and the newfacilities in prime working order. To address theneeds of 12 relay stations worldwide, VOAengineers may have 75 to 100 projects in variousstages of planning, design and construction. These projects encompass a gamut of facilitiesthat together comprise an operating relay station:transmitters, transmission lines, antennas, towers,roads, buildings, power plants, electrical systems,water systems and sewage systems.

--Pursuit of a new way of doing business. Evenafter new facilities are completed, VOA willcontinue to have gaps in broadcast coverage, anda low-cost means of closing these gaps is critical. Placing VOA programs on AM and FM stations incountries with competitive or developing media isbecoming increasingly more important. VOAcurrently uses placement services to reachimportant audiences in Western Europe, East Asia,Pacific Ocean areas and Latin America. In theopening of societies of Eastern Europe and theformer Soviet republics, placement serves as aneffective complement for shortwave broadcasts oflower technical quality. Closed societies, however,cannot be reached through placement nor canplacement services be considered reliable duringtimes of crisis.

--Continued development and promotion of DirectBroadcasting Satellite-Radio (DBS-Radio). Although shortwave is expected to remain thebackbone of VOA broadcasting for severaldecades to come, DBS-Radio, when fullyoperational, would enable a listener to receivehigh-fidelity radio broadcasts directly from asatellite.

VOA has been working closely with NASA,the Department of Commerce and the FederalCommunications Commission to ensure thatdevelopment of this advanced technology isencouraged and that U.S. interests at upcominginternational frequency allocation conferences arewell represented.

VOA's current strategy embodies anongoing analysis of network needs to meet mission

goals within the confines of budgetary constraints. It is an effort to rebuild the "Voice" and to maintaina viable broadcast capability with fewer resources.

Unforseen political events and naturaldisasters have further hampered measures to bringthe network into the modern electronic age and tofulfill VOA's critical public diplomacy mission. Withthe Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990 and theconsequent Persian Gulf War in January 1991came an upsurge of focused broadcasting. TheGulf crisis prompted a shift of resources thateffectively served new requirements to the MiddleEast but strained coverage to other areas. InSeptember 1990, VOA was forced to ceasebroadcasting from its 10 transmitter shortwavefacility in Liberia; the result -- VOA coverage tomost of the continent of Africa was devastated. Catastrophic natural disasters have damaged VOAfacilities in Ohio, North Carolina, Greece and thePhilippines. Particularly hard hit was thePhilippines Relay Station which has not onlysuffered damage from typhoons, an earthquakeand the recent Mt. Pinatubo volcanic eruption but issubject to security concerns stemming frominsurgent activity in the country.

PROGRESS SO FAR

Many accomplishments have beenachieved since the modernization program wasinitiated and a new course was charted.

Bahrain: During Operation Desert Shield/Storm,policymakers and engineers combined efforts toestablish an emergency medium wave station inBahrain. Within 90 days, this 50 kW medium wavetransmitter site was broadcasting VOA programs tolisteners in the region. Since the conclusion of thePersian Gulf War until May 1992, the BahrainRelay Station has continued to deliver VOAprograms in this area where coverage has beenweak.

Belize: Almost a year and a half after clearing240 acres of jungle, VOA began broadcasting froma temporary VOA station near Punta Gorda inSeptember 1986 with two 50 kW transportablemedium wave transmitters. Because of thestrategic importance in this location, VOA startedthe design of a permanent site in June 1987. Withthe completion of construction and the installationof two more powerful 100 kW medium wavetransmitters, a strengthened VOA went on the airJuly 3, 1990, delivering programs to listeners inCentral America.

Botswana: In response to the loss of the LiberiaRelay Station and to the desperate need forcoverage in sub-Sahara Africa, VOA completed therapid deployment of a temporary shortwave stationat Moeping Hill in northeast Botswana. The initialtwo of the four transmission systems, each with anindependent engine/generator, 100 kW transmitterand antenna, became operational in December

1991. The final two transmission systems becameoperational in April 1992.

In addition, a new medium wave stationwas started in 1991 at another site in Moeping Hillwith the purchase of a 500 kW medium wavetransmitter and with the award of the facilitiescontract.

Morocco: The new state-of-the-art relay stationwith ten 500 kW shortwave transmitters isoperational delivering strong signals into EasternEurope, former western Soviet Union, Middle East,Southwest Asia and West and Central Africa.

Thailand: The new state-of-the-art relay stationnear Udorn with seven 500 kW shortwavetransmitters is operational delivering strong signalsto China and Southwest Asia.

Germany: In April 1986, VOA entered into alease agreement with Germany for use of fourmodern 500 kW shortwave transmitters andassociated antennas at a Bavarian radio facility inWertachtal. Use of these powerful transmitters fordelivery of VOA programs to Eastern Europe, theMiddle East, former Soviet republics, northernAfrica and South Asia has enabled VOA to retiresome antiquated shortwave transmitters fromservice.

Sri Lanka: Following a 1989 visit to Sri Lanka, ateam of VOA engineers outlined a refurbishmentinitiative to fill critical coverage gaps in China,South Asia, the Middle East and Southern andEastern Africa. Using its modified contractingapproach to bring a refurbished Sri Lanka RelayStation on the air as soon as possible, VOAawarded a contract for a complete shortwavestation near Chilaw on the west coast of Sri Lanka. Replacing one of VOA's oldest and most seriouslyunderpowered stations in Colombo, this newfacility will include three transmitters andassociated antennas.

Rhodes: A refurbishment project was initiated in1991 to replace existing medium wave andshortwave antennas. A refurbished Rhodes RelayStation will enhance delivery of VOA programs tothe Middle East.

Sao Tomé and Principe: To overcome the loss ofthe Liberia Relay Station, VOA is building a newstation in Sao Tomé to renew coverage of theAfrican continent.

Kuwait: The Persian Gulf War gave the Bureauof Broadcasting an excellent opportunity toestablish a medium wave broadcast capability inthe Persian Gulf region. The permanent facilitywill provide a highly desirable medium wavecoverage to a broad area of the Middle East andnear regions of South Asia.

Bethany: Attention was focused in early 1989 on

updating the antiquated Bethany plant. Parts formany of the old, inefficient transmitters were nolonger available, and often extensive maintenancewas required to prevent undesirable spurioussignals that could interfere with other radiosystems. Three 45 year old transmitters weretaken out of service on November 7, 1989, and onNovember 1, 1991, three more powerful 250 kWshortwave transmitters were energized to beginbroadcasting a strengthened signal into Africa andCentral and South America.

Delano: Improvements under the modernizationprogram began at this California site in 1985 whenfour 250 kW shortwave transmitters replaced threeoriginal transmitters that had been in service for 40years. Progress continued in 1988 with theinstallation of a high-gain, multi-band curtain arrayantenna. This computer-controlled antenna allowsthe transmitter signal to be rapidly switched and theantenna pointed toward various reception areaswith a simple key stroke. In early 1989, acomputer-controlled audio routing switcher wasadded to streamline operations.

Greenville: This 16 shortwave transmitter facility,the largest in the domestic relay station network,has served as an important "laboratory" for VOA'seffort to upgrade its worldwide facilities. Four 500kW transmitters of contemporary design werepurchased and installed at Greenville to assess thestate-of-the-art in transmitter design and todetermine specific

requirements for VOA's new stations. In addition, aprototype of the computerized data gathering andcontrol system planned for VOA's relay stations isunder development. The North Carolina facilityalso is serving as the test site for a versatile newantenna design that is planned for use in VOA'snew stations.

Caribbean Coverage: In accordance with thecompressed modernization plan, a proposed stationin Grenada was canceled, the temporarybroadcasting facility in Costa Rica was closed in FY1989, and the temporary facility in Antigua wasclosed in FY 1991. To maintain coverage of theCaribbean, VOA is leasing broadcast time onBBC's Radio Antilles facility in Monserrat. Toimprove signal reception, VOA provided BBC witha new 100 kW medium wave transmitter in 1992 intrade for broadcast time.

Network Control Center (NCC): A new facility forcentral network control and management of relaystations and feed systems has been constructedand is in operation 24 hours a day. The installationof associated computer and electronic equipment iscomplete and software continues to be developed. The NCC routes Washington-produced programs toVOA stations around the world, maintains acontinuous awareness and display of the status ofall broadcasting-related equipment in the globalnetwork and assists relay stations in accomplishing

their broadcasting missions.

Satellite Interconnect System (SIS): Two-waySIS earth stations are operational in Washington,D.C., Bethany, Delano, Greenville, Belize,Botswana, Tinang, Porro, Thailand, Morocco andMunich. Receive-only SIS earth stations areoperational in Tangier, and Gloria, Portugal. SIShas significantly improved the reliability of thesignal feed to these stations. Additionally, theDelano Relay Station serves as a Pacific Oceangateway, the Greenville Relay Station serves as anAtlantic Ocean gateway and the Munich RelayStation serves as an Indian Ocean gateway. Receive-only stations are serving in UnitedKingdom, Kavala, Rhodes, Kuwait and Sao Tomé.

Television Receive-Only (TVRO): The TVROnetwork began in 1985 in Europe and expandedover the next three years to a worldwide servicereaching 150 USIS locations overseas. During thelast four years, the service capabilities wereexpanded to include multiple audio and datachannels for VOA language services and USIA'sWireless File text service. The TVRO network nowreaches over 300 sites worldwide including USISposts, Culture Centers, America Houses,Embassies, radio and TV broadcast stations andVOA relay stations.

Studios: Half of the 34 broadcasting studios andbooths have been completely refurbished in thelast ten years.

Master Control: A newly refurbished MasterControl, the switching center for all studios andother audio sources, replaced the 1950s vintageformerly used. The new Master Control doublesthe capacity of the old unit and provided a smoothinterface with the NCC.

Audio Processing: Studies on appropriatetechniques of audio processing have providedguidance for acquiring a new generation ofequipment that will significantly improve VOAbroadcast signal clarity.

Automated Control: A new scientific computer(DEC 8300) provides an in-house capability topredict broadcast performance through use ofsophisticated mathematical models and todetermine the most effective use of the overallnetwork. A parallel computer system monitorsmoment-to-moment status of critical componentsin the broadcasting network and assistsmanagement in all communications betweenWashington and the relay stations through theNCC.

System for News and Programming (SNAP): Aninnovative system for management of textmaterials in the Washington headquarters and inthe New York and London news bureaus has beeninstalled. This computer-based system allowswriters faster access to English texts of news

materials and assists in preparing foreign languagescripts even in non-English writing systems such asArabic, Chinese and Russian.

Other Initiatives:

--Pacific Islands: To supplement broadcasting fromthe highly vulnerable Philippines Relay Station andto provide a new broadcast path to Asia, VOA isexploring the possibility of constructing a newshortwave relay station on a site in the PacificOcean.

WHAT REMAINS TO BE DONE

Even with the momentous strides made,VOA's ability to compete with other majorinternational broadcasters is burdened by a largelyobsolete technical infrastructure and ishandicapped by severely constrained funding. Many years of intense activity remain ahead beforethe global relay station network can fill the glaringgaps in reliable service and substantially improveits poor competitive posture.

Certain issues need to be resolved to keepprogress on track. Appropriate legislative initiativescould give VOA sorely needed flexibility toaccommodate its restricted budget. For example,VOA could better fulfill its mission if it could directlyreinvest the proceeds of selling, leasing, orexchanging real property rather than returningthese proceeds to the general treasury.

VOA must have adequate resources toundertake essential negotiations with foreigngovernments. Agreements that permit theoperation of existing facilities are expiring and haveto be renegotiated to prevent any possibledisruption of service. Agreements to permit majorrefurbishments or the replacement of major newfacilities such as SIS also must be negotiated soonto maintain progress.

Increased emphasis on media andaudience research is essential for making thedifficult decisions to bring VOA's broadcastingmission in line with budget realities. A lack ofdetailed listener data hampers analysis and inhibitsnetwork planning. A modest investment inaudience and media research will pay enormousdividends in more effective targeted programming,better selection of media alternatives to reachbigger audiences and identification of firm andvalidated requirements to guide engineeringprojects. Effective monitoring also is critical toassure adequate reception quality and to validateuse of local placement material.

The steady upgrading of existingbroadcasting facilities coupled with the dispersal ofnetwork assets among fewer, smaller stations ofgeneric design and flexible facilities will enableAmerica's Voice to become stronger and lesssusceptible to silencing.

Voice of America Washington, D.C. 20547

Voice of AmericaOffice of Cuba Broadcasting

The Office of Cuba Broadcasting wasestablished in 1990 to oversee allprogramming broadcast to Cuba on the Voiceof America's Radio Martí and TV Martí. Inkeeping with the principles of the VOACharter, both stations offer their audiencesaccurate and objective news and informationon issues of interest to the people of Cuba.

RADIO MARTÍ

Radio Martí went on the air May 20,1985, from studios in Washington, D.C. Thebroadcast marked a three-year, bi-partisaneffort to provide the Cuban people "news,commentary and other information aboutevents in Cuba and elsewhere to promote thecause of freedom in Cuba." The result wasthe Radio Broadcasting to Cuba Act (PL 98-111), signed by President Ronald Reagan onOctober 4, 1983. By law, Radio Martíbroadcasts must be in accordance "with allVoice of America standards to ensure thebroadcast of programs which are objective,accurate, balanced, and which present avariety of news."

Radio Martí is on the air seven days aweek, 24 hours per day on medium (AM) andshortwave. The broadcasts include news,music and a variety of feature and newsanalysis programs. Audience reaction,including interviews with Cuban visitors to theUnited States, indicates that Radio Martí iswidely listened to, enjoying an audience ofover 70% of the population. It is consideredthe most popular in the island, despite Cubangovernment attempts to discourage listeningand, since April 1990, jam Radio Martí'smedium wave broadcasts in the Havana area.

Radio Martí is authorized 181positions. Its budget for FY 1993 is $15.8million.

NEWS

News and news-related programmingare the staple of Radio Martí's broadcasts andcomprise over half of the daily schedule. Radio Martí's objective and balanced newscoverage fills the information gap resulting

from 34 years of government control of theCuban media.

The focus of the station evolved togive emphasis to news and stories with aCuban angle, serving as the main source ofreliable information for the people of Cuba. Human rights and democracy-buildingprinciples are now priorities in theprogramming. News sources include theVoice of America's news service, national andinternational wire services, direct telephonecommunication with the island, Radio Martíreporters and a network of stringer-correspondents around the world, includingthe Commonwealth of Independent Statesand Eastern European countries.

PROGRAMS

Radio Martí's programs offer a morecomprehensive and balanced perspective oncurrent events than listeners receive from theCuban media. Features and specialprograms provide a wide range ofentertainment and information without politicalovertones.

Some of Radio Martí's programmingincludes roundtable discussions;commentaries on political, economic, social,religious and human rights issues by experts;testimonies from former political prisoners,recent arrivals, and human rights activists; in-depth "focus" shows on current events;programs of special interest to women, youthand laborers; and discussions on literatureand the arts.

RESEARCH

Radio Martí's research office providesthe station's broadcasters with up-to-the-minute information on Cuban media reporting,analysis on events in Cuba, background forthe news and programs departments andassessments of worldwide events for theirimpact on the Cuban people. The Office ofProgram Evaluation provides independent,objective evaluations of the station'seffectiveness through the use of surveys andfocus groups with recent arrivals to the United

States. The feedback obtained through thesesources comprises one of the most valuableelements in program development.

TECHNICAL OPERATIONS

Washington - All programs are broadcastfrom studios in Washington, D.C.

Marathon Key, Florida - Facilities include a50 kW transmitter operation on 1180 kHz(medium wave). The broadcast signal is fedby satellite from Washington to Marathon Key. Radio Martí also broadcasts on shortwavefrequencies from Bethany, Ohio andGreenville, North Carolina.

Miami Bureau - Miami constitutes the largestconcentration of Cubans outside of the island. As such, it is an important hub of informationof great interest to Radio Martí's audience. Programs and special coverage produced bythe Bureau are fed to Washington by satellite.

TELEVISION MARTÍ

Television Martí is intended to provideCuban viewers with the same qualityprogramming available to the other countriesin the Western Hemisphere, including news,features on life in the United States and othernations, entertainment and sports (i.e., theWorld Series). It also provides commentaryand other information about events in Cubaand elsewhere to promote the cause offreedom in Cuba.

TV Martí's Miami Bureau producesseveral news-analysis programs and providesdaily reports of important events. TV Martíalso benefits from the services of the Office ofProgram Evaluation for the development ofnew programs.

BACKGROUND AND BUDGET

In September 1987, following thesuccess of Radio Martí, bi-partisan support inCongress provided $100,000 to the AdvisoryBoard for Radio Broadcasting to Cuba tostudy the feasibility of implementing televisionbroadcasts to Cuba. In 1989, Congressdirected USIA to establish and test TV Martí,appropriating $7.5 million for a test program. On March 27, 1990, TV Martí began its testperiod, broadcasting to Cuba between 3:45a.m. and 6:45 a.m. (later changed to 3:30 a.m.to 6:00 a.m.) on Channel 13. The late hourswere chosen to avoid interference with localCuban broadcasts. On July 27, 1990,President Bush notified Congress of theresults of the initial test phase. In August1990, the President officially made TV Martí apermanent part of the U.S. government whenhe signed a Presidential Determination thatthe station's test broadcasts had

demonstrated their feasibility without causingobjectionable interference to domestic U.S.television signals. The Determination wasrequired under the Television Broadcasting toCuba Act. TV Martí is authorized 139positions, and the budget for FY 1993 was$12.6 million.

TECHNICAL OPERATIONS

TV Martí broadcasts from an aerostattethered at an altitude of 10,000 feet aboveCudjoe Key, Florida. Programming(consisting of originally produced news inaddition to material acquired from commercialsources) originates in Washington and inMiami and is transmitted to the Florida Keysby satellite. The signal is then relayed to atransmitter and a highly directional antennaaboard the aerostat for broadcast to theHavana area. The TV Martí system hassafeguards that prevent interference withexisting domestic and foreign televisionstations.

SIGNAL STRENGTH AND JAMMING

The TV Martí transmission systemdelivers grade-A television signals to theHavana area. Massive jamming efforts by theCuban government make it difficult to receivethe signal in center city Havana. However,mobile monitoring indicates that intermittentreception is possible in some outlying areas ofthe city and in other parts of the HavanaProvince.

The U.S. Interests Section in Havananow plays videotapes of TV Martí broadcaststo over 500 people who visit their facilitiesdaily.

BUREAU OF BROADCASTING

On October 1, 1990, the U.S.Information Agency, the parent organizationof the Office of Cuba Broadcasting,established the Bureau of Broadcasting whichincorporated the Voice of America, theWorldnet Television and Film Service and theOffice of Cuba Broadcasting (Radio and TVMartí).

ADVISORY BOARD FOR CUBABROADCASTING

The Radio Broadcasting to Cuba Actof 1985 required the establishment of a none-member, presidentially-appointed AdvisoryBoard to review the activities of Radio (andlater TV) Martí and to make recommendationsto the President, the director of USIA and thedirector of USIA's Bureau of Broadcasting.

Voice of America Washington, D.C. 20547

Voice of AmericaVOA’S NEW SATELLITE INTERCONNECT SYSTEM

BY GEORGE C. MACKENZIE, Jr.

Each year the Voice of Americareceives some complaints about the quality ofits broadcast signals. A recent letter fromKampala, Uganda, states: "You have left yourlisteners in Uganda with only one handicap tocomplain about. VOA reception in this part ofthe continent is poor." VOA is aware that itssignal does not always come in loud and clear.In some cases, the problem may be caused bythe listener's distance from the relay station. Inothers, it may be due to the degradation of theaudio quality of the signal as it is sent fromWashington to the relay, or transmitter, station.Unfortunately, it's not always possible to builda relay station closer to VOA's listeners.However, it is possible to improve the meansby which the signal is sent. That's exactly whatthe Voice of America is doing.

In September 1988, engineers at VOAinaugurated a Satellite Interconnect System(SIS) linking headquarters in Washington,D.C., and VOA relay stations in Greenville,North Carolina, and Delano, California. TheWashington-Greenville-Delano link was onlythe beginning of SIS. In the last few years,VOA expanded this satellite network to includeevery relay station in the United States andaround the world.

Right now, VOA's signal is transmittedthrough landlines, radio telephone, microwave,shortwave, and international satellites. Anycombination of these modes can be joinedtogether to form a circuit. "One of the thingswe're trying to improve with the SIS system isthe quality, " says Jim Hulen, chief of VOA'sOperations and Network Control Division.

Before the introduction of SIS, VOAused analog signals to transmit its programs.Analog signals are exact reproductions ofsound. The electric current copies the patternof sound waves of a speaker's voice. Sinceand analog signal is easily distorted byatmospheric conditions and has to go throughseveral different types of transmission withinthe circuit, a relay station does not alwaysreceive a studio quality broadcast. And if acircuit fails, it's difficult to isolate the problemand restore service.

As VOA's hours of broadcasting haveincreased over the years, more circuits havebeen added. They're often pieced togetherusing whatever means of transmission areavailable at the time. Until SIS, there had beenno uniform plan to add programs to VOA'sschedule except to lease a new circuit for eachadditional broadcast. VOA leased 43 individualcircuits, covering 10 routes and signed 16different leases with 7 countries to provideservice to 15 relay stations. Needless to say,the numerous circuits created a complicatedsystem that was often difficult to manage.

As the system had evolved, noprovision was made for two-waycommunication. Washington maintainedcontact with its relay stations through Telex,telephone, or high frequency radio and itsometimes took as long as two days to receiveinformation. Under those circumstances, engineers found itdifficult to recognize and deal with problemsquickly.

The idea for a new comprehensivesatellite system was originally conceived in1983 as part of VOA's modernization program.The technology for the system has been usedin the United States for several years. VOA,for example, first incorporated satellites into itsexisting system in 1976; back in those days,satellites were only used as one link withincircuits. But as the technology evolved, VOAengineers realized that satellites had greatpotential for improving the quality of VOA' sbroadcast signal. What was needed was aplan that adapted the satellite technology toVOA's needs. Devising the plan was theresponsibility of VOA's Control andCommunication branch headed by CliffordGuffee.

In 1984, VOA contracted withCOMSAT, a corporation established by theU.S. Congress to promote the use of satellitecommunications, to develop the hardware forsatellite earth terminals and the lease time fornational and international satellitecommunications. In the years since then,COMSAT, guided by VOA has been

VOICE OF AMERICA

SATELLITE INTERCONNECT SYSTEM

assembling the links in the satellite system.

Part of the new system can be seenatop VOA headquarters in Washington. Anantenna has been installed on the roof to sendprogram broadcasts to relay stations inBethany, Delano and Greenville through aU.S. domestic satellite. For internationalbroadcasts, COMSAT has arranged for VOAto lease satellite time from the InternationalSatellite Organization (INTELSAT), which wasestablished to aid in the development of aglobal communication satellite system.

Four floor below the roof is the heart ofthe SIS: a new Network Control Center (NCC).NCC personnel rely on four terminals tocoordinate all aspects of the system. Oneterminal is responsible for all outgoing programbroadcasts. The second monitors two-waycommunications between Washington and the

relay stations. The third is used for training,and the fourth is held in reserve for backupand maintenance. The terminals areconnected to computers that are programmedto control SIS.

The new system will eliminate the needto use only one circuit for one programbroadcast. At any given time during the day,VOA is broadcasting up to 16 differentprograms simultaneously. Under SIS, allbroadcasts are multiplexed, or combined, intoone digital signal for transmission. Digitalsignals are superior to analog because they donot accumulate noise during transmission and,therefore, contribute less distortion to thebroadcast.

Within the United States, signals will betransmitted over a U.S. domestic satellite on apoint-to-multipoint basis - for example, from

Washington to Bethany, Delano andGreenville. SIS will also use point-to-multipointtechnology for international broadcasts.Through the agreement with COMSAT, VOAwill lease time in INTELSAT satellites coveringthe Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean regions.Greenville will serve as a "gateway" relaystation for overseas broadcasts. It will receivea signal, which could contain as many as thirtyprogram broadcasts, from Washington via theU.S. domestic satellite. Greenville will then re-transmit the signal to the Atlantic Ocean regionsatellite, which will sent the signal back toearth over a wide area covering theCaribbean, Central America, Europe andAfrica. All relay stations in the area ofcoverage will have satellite earth terminals todecode the signal and select the program theyare scheduled to broadcast. A commercialrelay station in England, from which VOAleases satellite time, will serve as a second"gateway" station, receiving the signal from theAtlantic Ocean region satellite and then re-transmitting it to INTELSAT's Indian Oceanregion satellite which will cover relay stationsin Asia. "With SIS, we multiplex all theprogramming together, send it to the satellite,and re-broadcast it to a multipoint area," saysJim Hulen, chief of the Operations andNetwork Control Division. "That means anystation in that area can receive any program.Since programs for a particular time will besent to all relay stations simultaneously, aprogram can be shifted from one relay stationto another is there are technical difficulties.

SIS will also improve two-waycommunications between Washington and therelay stations. Engineers in Washington willhave almost instantaneous access toinformation on the status of all VOA relaystation throughout the world. They will be ableto have two-way voice communication, listento outgoing broadcasts, compare SIS signalswith studio signals, and test the quality of acircuit before it is used for broadcast.

As a precaution, VOA has includedplans for a backup system. If necessary,headquarters in Washington will use atelephone line to send programs to Bethany orDelano or a microwave circuit to transmit toGreenville. Overseas transmissions will besent through dial-up telephone lines. Althoughit will lack the audio quality of SIS, thisalternative will be available when needed.

VOA plans to expand the SIS networkto include all of its relay stations to further

improve its broadcast capabilities. Old circuitsused in the past have been discarded as VOArelies on SIS technology. As relay stationsbroadcasting in reception areas are upgraded,listeners in Uganda and other parts of theworld hear a clearer and more technicallyreliable Voice of America.

Voice of America Washington, D.C. 20547

Revised July 25, 1994 Eastern Daylight Savings Time

BETHANY TRANSMITTER OPERATING SCHEDULE________________________________________________________________________________

TRANSMITTER FREQUENCY ANTENNA LANGUAGE TIME EDST________________________________________________________________________________

BY-1 11930 kHz H2/168 R. MARTI 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM BY-1 6055 kHz H2/168 R. MARTI 10:00 PM - 12:00 MN BY-1 6055 kHz J3/168 R. MARTI 12:00 MN - 2:00 AM BY-1 11815 kHz H2/168 R. MARTI 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM

BY-2 17800 kHz A1/100 ENGLISH 2:00 PM - 5:30 PM BY-2 17800 kHz (Su-Fr) A1/100 ENGLISH 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM

BY-3 6030 kHz (Mo-Fr) J3/168 SPANISH 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM BY-3 9530 kHz A2/100 ENGLISH 2:00 AM - 2:30 AM BY-3 9530 kHz (Sa-Su) A2/100 ENGLISH 2:30 AM - 3:00 AM

BY-4 9775 kHz J2/168 ENGLISH 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM BY-4 9775 kHz (Mo-Fr) J2/168 ENGLISH 10:00 PM - 10:30 PM BY-4 7405 kHz L6/66 ENGLISH 11:00 PM - 2:30 AM BY-4 7405 kHz (Sa-Su) L6/66 ENGLISH 2:30 AM - 3:00 AM BY-4 5975 kHz (Mo-Fr) J3/168 BBC SPAN 7:00 AM - 7:30 AM BY-4 9600 kHz J3/168 R. MARTI 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM

BY-5 11730 kHz (Mo-Fr) J1/168 OAS ENGL 6:45 PM - 7:00 PM BY-5 11730 kHz J1/168 OAS SPAN 7:30 PM - 8:00 PM BY-5 11730 kHz (Sa-Su) J1/168 OAS PORT 8:00 PM - 8:30 PM BY-5 13740 kHz (Mo-Fr) J1/168 SPANISH 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM BY-5 9670 kHz (Mo-Fr) H1/168 BBC SPAN 7:00 AM - 7:30 AM

BY-6 9575 kHz T1/74 ENGLISH 11:00 PM - 1:00 AM BY-6 9665 kHz T1/74 ENGLISH 1:00 AM - 2:30 AM BY-6 9665 kHz (Sa-Su) T1/74 ENGLISH 2:30 AM - 3:00 AM BY-6 7405 kHz J2/168 ENGLISH 6:00 AM - 8:00 AM BY-6 15315 kHz (Mo-Fr) H1/168 BBC SPAN 9:00 AM - 9:30 AM________________________________________________________________________________ Schedule Z94

Voice of America Washington, D.C. 20547

Voice of AmericaWashington, D.C. 20547

Voice of America Bethany Facilities

TRANSMITTERS Manufacturer Power Frequency Range

BY-1, BY-2, BY-3 Asea Brown Boveri SK53-C3 250 kW 6-22 MHz

BY-4, BY-5, BY-6 Collins Radio 821A-1 250 kW 6-26.5 MHz

BY-9, BY-10 Continental 617-A 50 kW PEP 2-30 MHz

ANTENNAS

Curtain Antennas 250 kW Beam Center Area Covered

S1, S2, S3, S4 57.5 Degrees Southern Europe, North Africa

T1, T2, T3, T4 74.5 Degrees West and Central Africa

Rhombic Antennas 250 kW

A1, A2 100 Degrees South Africa

B1, B2 87 Degrees West and Central Africa

C1, C2, C3 62 Degrees Spain and North Africa

H1, H2, J1, J2, J3 168 Degrees Caribbean and South America

K6, L6 66 Degrees Spain and North Africa

K6, L6 (Reversed) 246 Degrees North Mexico, New Zealand

Antenna Switching Matrix - Any broadcast transmitter to any antenna. - BY-9 connected to Antenna C1 only - BT-10 connected to Antenna A2 only

Audio Switching - 12 program channels, plus test tone, plus cartridge tape machines to any transmitter via 3M computer-controlled audio matrix switch

Satellite Interconnect - 12 program channels from Washington Studios

A Global View

Voice of America Washington, D.C. 20547