Voice of America Washington, DC 20547 Tel: (202) 619-2538 Fax: (202) 619-1241 E-mail: pubaff@ibb.gov

VOA Launches New Albanian Television Program

Washington, D.C., November 8, 1999 - Tomorrow, November 9, the Voice of America's Albanian Service inaugurates a new television program entitled Ditari (or Journal). The program provides international news, regional and local government news, news-oriented interviews, and roundtables for viewers in Albania and Kosovo. One of the program's focal points will be the recent events occurring in the Balkans.

"These days, VOA's audience can find our programs on television as well as radio," said Sanford Ungar, Director of the Voice of America. "This increases our ability to provide timely and objective news and information, especially to areas like the Balkans where there has been so much strife over the past few years."

The 30-minute program will air Monday through Friday at noon Washington time (6:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in Tirana and Pristina; 1700 - 1730 UTC). Ditari will be VOA's seventh program that is simulcast on both TV and radio and the third, along with Bosnian and Serbian to be simulcast to the Balkans.

Eight VOA television affiliates, including Klan TV in Tirana and Vlore TV in southern Albania, will broadcast Ditari.

"I believe people are in constant need of news and information and with the changes in technology, we (VOA) are in a position to fulfill that need," said Elez Biberaj, Chief of the Albanian Service.

Each week VOA broadcasts world, U.S., and regional news and information in 53 languages to an estimated audience of 91 million people. Seven VOA language services, Albanian, Bosnian, Chinese, English, Farsi, Serbian, and Spanish, simulcast programs on TV and radio.

Media that would like to cover the first broadcast at 12:00 noon on November 9, should contact the Office of External Affairs at (202) 619-2538.

Contact: Diana May
Phone: (202) 619-2538

Contact: George Mackenzie
Phone: (202) 619-2538
E-mail: pubaff@voa.gov