Wednesday, March 24, 2004

This report from Kim Andrew Elliott:

VOA News Now, the Voice of America's global English-language service, will
reduce many of its transmissions this weekend, with the beginning of the
A-04 transmission season. These cuts were required by the US Broadcasting
Board of Governors as part of a budget reduction.

The last remaining News Now transmission to the Americas, UTC Tuesday
through Saturday (Monday through Friday evenings local time) at 0000 to 0200
will be eliminated. VOA Special English will continue UTC Tuesday through
Saturday at 0130-0200.

VOA News Now transmissions to Africa, where its audiences are largest, will
no longer be heard Saturday and Sunday mornings from 0300 to 0600 UTC.
Saturday and Sunday at 0600 to 0700, News Now is reduced to two frequencies:
6080 and 7290 kHz.

Europe will no longer be a nominal target area for News Now. The morning
transmission to the Middle East and North Africa, now at 0400 to 0700 UTC,
will be reduced and retimed to 0300 to 0500. The evening broadcast to this
target will be from 1600 to 2100, dropping 2100 to 2200. All News Now via
the Munich 1197 kHz medium wave relay will be eliminated.

(However, due to a scheduling fluke, News Now will be heard on 1188 kHz
medium wave, via Marcali, Hungary, at 2100-2200. VOA's music programs are
broadcast daily during this hour, including "Jazz America" on weekends.)

The VOA News Now broadcasts to the Pacific region at 1900-2000 and 2100-2200
UTC will be dropped. And the morning hour to South Asia at 0200 to 0300 will
no longer be available Saturday and Sunday (when "Jazz America" is
broadcast).

With these reductions, the shortwave output of VOA News Now will be 18.5
hours per day Monday through Friday and 17.5 hours per day Saturday and
Sunday. Further cuts to VOA News Now are planned for the end of October,
when it will be reduced to 14 hours per day.

Also to be eliminated are the special frequencies to South Asia for VOA's
"Border Crossings" program at 1900-2000 UTC, and the late-night East Asia
shortwave frequencies for "Talk to America" at 1700-1800.

Posted by Andy Sennitt @ 09:53 UTC

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