It be certainly understood why they'd want to broadcast there. Two issues:
the present despotic dictator situation, and the support the USA has had
for the regime. Things may go the way of gov't overthrow and there is a
need to be able to claim credibility with whatever side wins: the dictator
or the opposition. The real problem is the opposition has become very
extreme as the gov't has targetted everyone not with them. Maybe we'll see
a newly promoted opposition clandestinely funded? As long as they can
export oil I s'pose.

The ghost of Ronald Reagan is haunting somewhere in here. While Oliver
North is on TV doing travelogues, Gordon Liddy tells us that the deep
throat guy is immoral, Chuck Colson preaches to convicts and Jim Bakker
again pretends he's a good guy on late night TV.

Mike Terry wrote:

Press Release
Washington, D.C.,
June 10, 2005

The Voice of America will resume its radio broadcasts to the Central Asian
nation of Uzbekistan on June 12. VOA had ceased broadcasting on radio to
Uzbekistan last year in response to research that showed Uzbeks watch
television in significant numbers. VOA has been broadcasting television
programming to Uzbekistan since December 2003.

"Because of the recent events in Uzbekistan and the Uzbek government's
tightening of controls on foreign television broadcasts, we have decided
to resume our radio broadcasts," said VOA Director David Jackson. "The
Uzbek people deserve to have access to uncensored news and information
about what's happening in their own country, their region, and the world.
In addition, our Uzbek language web site will continue to be updated with
the latest news and information."

VOA's Uzbek-language radio broadcasts will consist of a daily (seven days
a week), 30-minute program, airing from 15:00-15:30 UTC (20:00 -20:30
local time) on the following shortwave frequencies:

SW Frequencies 1500-1530 UTC:
11515 IRA (26.05 meters)
11780 UDO (25.47 meters)
15390 KAV (19.49 meters)

VOA hopes to offer the new Uzbek-language radio broadcasts on medium wave
and FM in the future.

VOA's coverage will focus on the news of the world, of Uzbekistan and
Central Asia, and information about U.S. policy and opinion. The coverage
will also include U.S. and world press reviews on Uzbekistan, as well as
interviews with regional and international experts on Uzbekistan and the
region.

The Voice of America, which first went on the air in 1942, is a multimedia
international broadcasting service funded by the U.S. government through
the Broadcasting Board of Governors. VOA broadcasts more than 1,000 hours
of news, information, educational, and cultural programming every week to
an estimated worldwide audience of more than 100 million people. Programs
are produced in 44 languages, including English.

For more information, call the Office of Public Affairs at (202) 401-7000,
or E-Mail .

http://www.voanews.com/english/About...6-10-voa64.cfm