International Broadcasting Bureau Washington, DC 20547 Tel: (202) 619-2538 Fax: (202) 619-1241 E-mail: pubaff@ibb.gov

U.S. INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING CELEBRATES ITS INDEPENDENCE

Washington, D.C., October 14, 1999 – At a ceremony in Washington yesterday, the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) inaugurated the new autonomy, as of October 1, 1999, of U.S. civilian international broadcasting.

Broadcasting Board of Governors Chairman Marc B. Nathanson and the seven other members of the BBG were joined on stage by Senator Joseph Biden (D-Del.) and His Excellency Lennart Meri, President of Estonia. The Board’s current members are Marc B. Nathanson, Chairman; Madeleine Albright, Secretary of State; Tom C. Korologos; Edward E. Kaufman; Carl Spielvogel; Bette Bao Lord; Alberto Mora; and Cheryl Halpern. The ninth seat on the Board is currently vacant. Evelyn S. Lieberman, Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, represented Secretary Albright.

In his opening remarks, BBG Chairman Marc B. Nathanson said, "Today marks the beginning of a new and glorious renaissance for U.S. international broadcasting services. We will move rapidly into the 21st century as an independent federal entity and as a unified family of international broadcasters. Our destiny is intertwined with adopting and embracing the latest state of the art technology such as digital, radio and television, satellites, video streaming, and webcasting on the Internet."

Senator Biden said that the "right to seek, receive, and impart information" is one of the critical principles of freedom. He said that he and Senator Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) had worked on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to promote and preserve the journalistic integrity of U.S. Government civilian international broadcasting.

President Meri spoke about listening to both Radio Free Europe and the Voice of America for many years. He gave firsthand testimony that these broadcasts told him not only what was going on outside Estonia but also kept him informed about events in his own country.

The Broadcasting Board of Governors is a nine-member bipartisan Board. Eight members are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The ninth ex officio member is the Secretary of State. The BBG supervises the federally funded Voice of America, WORLDNET Television, and Radio and TV Marti. It also administers grants of congressionally appropriated funds to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia, two private corporations, and ensures that these corporations operate in accordance with the requirements of the grants.

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