United States Agency for Global Media

United States Agency ; for Global Media
State level	Federal authority
founding	October 1, 1999
Headquarters	Washington, DC
Authority management	Grant Turner
Web presence	www.usagm.gov

The United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) until August 2018 Broadcasting Board of Governors ( BBG ; German Broadcasting Board ) is an independent agency of the US government , based in Washington, DC It is for all international non-military radio - and Government television programs responsible.

task

The official mission of the USAGM is to promote and maintain freedom and democracy in the world. This is to be implemented by disseminating correct and factual news and information about the US and the world to the international audience. The channels can only be received abroad, as state-financed domestic propaganda is prohibited in the United States under a 1948 law.

The further vision of the USAGM is to create a flexible, multimedia, international broadcasting system in the USA that can reach a large audience. This should also include more regional networks and institutions that are geared towards individual countries and regions and complement the Voice of America (VOA) programs . The use of medium wave , ultra-short wave , short wave , satellites and the Internet is intended for distribution. The content should always be under the control of the USA.

history

In 1990, the US state broadcasting services began to be merged to enable closer cooperation. The United States Information Agency (USIA), which until then operated the Voice of America, Worldnet Television and Film Service, and Radio and TV Martí , merged these services in the Bureau of Broadcasting . The transmitters received technical support from the Office of Engineering and Technical Operations .

In 1991, the Office of Affiliate Relations and Audience Analysis (from 1996 Office of Affiliate Relations and Media Training ) was founded by the Bureau of Broadcasting . It was aimed at establishing a network of radio and television stations around the world, which as partners broadcast the programs of VoA and Worldnet. In this way, 1,200 radio and television stations are now taking over programs.

The structural changes in international broadcasting by the US government continued under President Bill Clinton . On April 30, 1994, the International Broadcasting Act (Public Law 103-236) was passed. This established the International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) within the United States Information Agency . The Broadcasting Board of Governors was also established.

The International Broadcasting Bureau comprises the services of the former Bureau of Broadcasting previously funded by the federal government. These are the three institutions Voice of America, Worldnet Television and Film Service and Radio and TV Martí. The Office of Engineering and Technical Services is also part of the IBB. The first Broadcasting Board of Governors was sworn in on August 11, 1995.

As a result of the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act (FAIR Act, Public Law 105-277) passed in 1998 , the Broadcasting Board of Governors became an independent body on October 1, 1999.

For the fiscal year 2015, the US President has asked Congress for a budget of 721 million US dollars for the BBG. The corresponding application for funds contains the plan to reorient the priorities of the US international radio, which is to further restrict linear radio in the future and to expand online and television offerings for this purpose.

On August 22, 2018, the name of the agency was changed to the United States Agency for Global Media. The name change took place in connection with further modernization and, according to the authorities, should better reflect the digital change from a broadcast-based to a multi-platform strategy.

Management structure and supervisory bodies

USAGM has been headed by a CEO since 2015 . This is appointed by the US President with the approval of the Senate . Conservative filmmaker Michael Pack has been in office since June 2020. Former managing directors were Andrew Lack (January – March 2015), André Mendes (March – September 2015), John F. Lansing (September 2015 – September 2019) and Grant Turner (October 2019 – June 2020, temporarily without the approval of the Senate).

The managing director is given a five-person advisory body ( International Broadcasting Advisory Board ), to which the Foreign Minister is an ex officio member and the other members of which are appointed by the President for three years. Further members of the former Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) belong to the body until the end of their term of office . Kenneth Weinstein was the chairman from January 2017 to June 2020.

Legal oversight of the USAGM lies with the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee . The budget committees in both Houses of Parliament are responsible for both the allocation of funds and program supervision.

Channel

USAGM operates the broadcasting units itself

Voice of America (VOA) and
Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB, with Radio and TV Martí )

and also finances the activities of

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE / RL)
Radio Free Asia (RFA)
Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN, with al-Hurra and Radio Sawa )
Open Technology Fund (OTF, since 2019).

The programs are broadcast in 58 languages.

Competitors

Former BBG chairman Walter Isaacson (member 2010–2012) regarded the channels Russia Today , Press TV , teleSUR and CCTV as the main competitors of the BBG and called them in 2010 when he called for an increase in the BBG budget as "enemies".

Web links

Official website of USAGM (English)

Annual Report 2012 (PDF; 6.0 MB) BBG Annual Report (English)

swell

↑ ^a ^b ^c About, BBG website, accessed on May 6, 2014 (English)

↑ Nina Rehfeld: " Bush-Funk ". In: Berliner Zeitung , October 16, 2006.

↑ 108 Stat. 432

↑ 112 Stat. 2681-761

↑ Budget submissions , website of the BBG, accessed on May 6, 2014 (English)

↑ Kai Ludwig: Further reorientation of the US international radio , ( Memento of the original from May 7, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The @1@ 2 archive link was inserted automatically and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. in: RBB Radio Eins Medienmagazin from April 5, 2014, accessed on May 6, 2014

↑ Legal basis: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (NDAA FY 2017, Pub. L. 114-328 ), Sec. 1288 (2) (A) (xii) = 22 USC § 6204 (a) (22)