Voice of America Washington, DC 20237 Tel: (202) 619-2538 Fax: (202) 619-1241 E-mail: pubaff@ibb.gov

Washington, D.C., December 13, 1999 - VOA Director Sanford Ungar congratualted the VOA Ukrainian Branch broadcasters, both past and present, for their "professional and dedicated service," during yesterday's 50th Anniversary broadcast. He went on to say that "[his] special thanks and appreciation also goes to our Ukrainian listeners, who over the years, have made this valued fifty-year relationship with the Voice of America possible."

VOA broadcast the first Ukrainian Branch program on December 12, 1949. Since then, Ukrainian-language programs have reached millions of people both throughout the Cold War and in the years following the fall of the former Soviet Union.

During the broadcast, current Branch Chief Lydia Rudins said, "Many former and current staffers have put a lot of time and effort into making our Ukrainian-language programs informative and relevant to our audience. Our 50th Anniversary is a time to look back and pay tribute to their accomplishments." In addition to Ms. Rudins' comments, former branch chiefs Michael Terpak, Oksana Dragan, Mykola Francuzenko, and Wolodymyr Bilajiw recalled their experiences running one of the VOA language branches broadcasting to the former Soviet Union.

The Ukrainian State Radio Network and several commercial radio stations throughout Ukraine broadcast programming produced by the VOA Ukrainian Branch. The branch also maintains a bureau in Kiev, and four former staffers produce Window on America, a popular 30-minute TV program that is shown on Ukrainian National Television.

The Voice of America broadcasts news and information in 53 languages to an estimated audience of 91 million people each week. VOA began broadcasting in 1942 and is part of the International Broadcasting Bureau, which became an autonomous U.S. Government civilian broadcast service on October 1, 1999, under the authority of the Broadcasting Board of Governors.

Contact: George Mackenzie
Phone: (202) 619-2538