 | | Young fans of VOA's Deewa radio pose for photos in a remote area in the north of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in Pakistan's Tor Ghar district. The kids say they like the morning program "Jump Jump Camel" and Deewa's music program for children. Sardar Ali collects and composes folk songs for the popular Deewa music program. |
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The Buzz is Back! Where was it?
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A lot has happened since the last edition of The Buzz. For one, VOA is now broadcasting in two new languages. Yup, we're up to 45 with the addition of Bambara and Songhai, which are spoken in Mali. The Buzz also has a new format and it's linked with the Public Relations website. It's still a work in progress, but as we fine tune we'll keep bringing you news about the people and programs that are VOA. To kick things off we've rounded up some of the most recent highlights.
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Building the Audience in Africa
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 "Africa is not only VOA's largest audience, it has the most potential for growth," Director David Ensor said after this month's visit to Nigeria, Mali and Senegal. The director used the trip to cement ties with key affiliates, kick off some new programs, and lay the groundwork for future relationships. In Nigeria, he met with senior officials and took part in the roll-out of the new Hausa language SMS headline service and got a look at the new bureau that is being opened soon . In Mali, he took part in the launch of a new FM transmitter that reaches residents of Bamako with a high quality signal, and discussed ways to further enhance programming, beyond the many new initiatives like the Mali 1 mobile site. The director also stopped in Senegal on the way home to meet bureau staff and embassy officials. |
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Timing is everything. So it was a lucky break when the new Pope emerged just as Spanish Service reporter Celia Mendoza was doing a live shot from Rome with VOA's TV affiliate in Peru, ATV+.
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"This was one of the most emotional stories we've ever done," says Shahnaz Aziz, host of Urdu's weekly radio program, Meri Kahani or My Story.
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Congratulations to Ilir Ikonomi, Team Leader of VOA's Albanian Service, who has been awarded the Medal of Gratitude by Albanian President Bujar Nishani.
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Indonesian university students Wayan Alit Sudarsana and Emman Marpaung were deeply disappointed when they arrived at VOA last week, just a few minutes too late to catch the studio tour. But things worked out better than they could have thought.
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Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng told VOA that the Chinese government had lost its legitimacy and failed to honor commitments he says it made to not punish family members accused of helping him to escape house arrest last year.
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"In Uzbekistan, cotton is commonly referred to as 'white gold,'" says VOA Uzbek Service editor Navbahor Imamova, "it's the country's main product." But little is known about the lives of the farmers who work the fields.
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"The Voice of America is saddened by the death of Mohammed Ali Nuxurkey, a local VOA reporter in Somalia, who was killed Monday in the bomb blast that left 10 people dead in Mogadishu," VOA Director David Ensor said Tuesday. The 29 year old had been contributing to VOA for the past several months. "Mohammed was smart and professional and a pleasure to work with and we will miss him dearly," said VOA Nairobi Bureau Chief Gabe Joselow. |
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Dangers Faced by our Journalists
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 Local journalist Fayaz Zafar, a regular contributor to VOA's Deewa Radio and other local stations, was returning to his home in the Swat Valley on Feb 27th with two other journalists, when they were attacked by Taliban gunmen. Police escorting the reporters fired back at the gunmen and foiled the attack. |
A hip new high-energy TV program is tapping into VOA's multi-cultural talent, and attracting a young global audience with character-driven stories about life in the U.S. Inside America, which started as an occasional TV segment produced for a VOA Persian program, relies on reporters from all of VOA's language services to contribute entertaining stories that are uniquely American.
Read the complete story here. Watch Inside America's episode The Sundevich Sandwich Showdown below.
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Every year, the President of the United States delivers a State of the Union address to Congress. It is an opportunity to take stock of where we are, and where we are going. Taking advantage of the news peg, here is a look at how the Voice of America is doing and some of our plans for 2013.
Continue reading here. |
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VOA Shout Outs
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Patsy Widakuswara
Wins Over
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Creole Service Gets Final Word
Haiti's Ambassador to the United States, Paul Altidor says he recently heard two reporters discussing which version of a news story was the correct one. "The first said his version was the most accurate. The second journalist insisted his version was better. However, when the first one said his facts were from VOA's Creole Service, the other journalist relented." Altidor said the one journalist exclaimed, "If you heard it from VOA, end of discussion." The story was recounted at an event hosted by Creole Service Chief Ronald Cesar to mark the service's 27th anniversary last month. U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Pamela White also sent Cesar a letter. "The Port-au-Prince Embassy joins with your numerous listeners around the world to congratulate you on your anniversary. We are fully confident that VOA Creole and its affiliates will continue to promote the ideals of freedom and democracy, and thus help build a better future, full of hope and prosperity, for the Haitian people," she said.
Happy Anniversary Creole Service!
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VOA Airs Banned Film "Rhino Season" in Iran
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