International Broadcasting Bureau

The International Broadcasting Bureau ( IBB ) is a US agency in Washington, DC , which is responsible for the technical support, administration and operation of the transmission systems and broadcasting facilities of all non-military international broadcasters in the USA . The IBB is subordinate to the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG). The IBB was founded in 1994 and was initially part of the United States Information Agency (USIA). After its dissolution in 1999 and the establishment of the BBG, the IBB is subordinate to the BBG as an independent US government agency.

Broadcasting station

The IBB's area of ​​responsibility includes the operation of the transmission systems of the following US foreign broadcasters.

• Voice of America (VoA), the official US broadcaster.
• Radio Sawa , a 24-hour foreign program in Arabic .
• Radio and TV Martí , programs in Spanish for Cuba from the Office of Cuba Broadcasting .

The IBB also looks after the transmission systems of

• Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE / RL).
  • Radio Free Afghanistan and Radio Free Iraq are special programs by RFE / RL for Afghanistan and Iraq .
• Radio Farda , a joint project by VoA and RFE / RL in Persian for Iran .
• Radio Free Asia .

Transmitters

The transmission systems are mainly short wave and medium wave transmitters in the USA, as well as relay stations all over the world. The latter are transmission systems to which the program of a radio station is transmitted via satellite and broadcast in the target area.

Within the USA, the IBB supports shortwave transmitters in Delano (California) , Greenville (North Carolina) and Marathon (Florida) . Relay stations are located in Germany , Morocco , Botswana , Sri Lanka , Thailand and the Philippines , among others . Since 1992 there has also been an IBB relay station on São Tomé that sends to Africa.

The shortwave transmitter from IBB near Biblis

In Germany, the IBB operates shortwave transmitters for Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty in Biblis ⊙ and Lampertheim ⊙ in Hesse . The transmission site in Holzkirchen in Bavaria was shut down in 2003. The operation of this transmitter, which is located in the immediate vicinity of a place, has led to massive public protests. The broadcasting facilities have since been transported to Kuwait and the Philippines. The Ismaning transmission system of the IBB has also been completely dismantled since the end of 2007, after shortwave transmitters had not been operated since 1994. The medium-wave transmitting antenna (1197 kHz) was dismantled on March 16, 2007.

Further IBB transmission systems for RFE / RL were located in Playa de Pals in Spain and Gloria in Portugal ; they were shut down in 2001.

See also

• List of known transmitters

Web links

• IBB - International Broadcasting Bureau (English)
• International Broadcasting Bureau's Germany Transmitting Station (PDF, 263 kB, 21 pages), final report on the inspection of the transmission systems in Germany by inspectors of the US State Department 2011 (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Anker Petersen (Club Santana, São Tomé): Visit to the Voice of America in São Tomé . March 16, 2003. Accessed December 31, 2015.