In this letter to the editor, the author comments on the story “VOA Is Shuttering Its Marianas Shortwave Site” and the subsequent letter “Keep the Marianas Shortwave Site and Shutter the ‘Worthless’ Services.” Radio World welcomes letters to the editor on this or any story. Email radioworld@futurenet.com.
The letter from Lawrence Cohen of Utica regarding the U.S. Agency for Global Media’s closure of the Marianas site(s) reflects the frustration of many taxpaying Americans over decisions made by USAGM.
News of closures of the sites in the Pacific and at Sao Tome in West Africa was leaked from sources within the agency long before the puzzling story that appeared quoting a statement by William Martin; but which the VOA PR office in a response to me later described as an email that was “shared on background, not for attribution.”
VOA further stated in response to my media inquiry that USAGM did not issue a press release on June 26 “or in the past few days” and asserted that the story of the closure was “USAGM news.” So, via anonymous sources we knew for weeks about the closure, but neither VOA nor USAGM issued any public statement.
So, the closure of a major relay station was “USAGM news” but the agency never publicly acknowledged it with a press release, nor did VOA. Apparently, Radio Free Asia also did not issue any press release.
This is a classic Washington effort to avoid public reaction, whether by U.S. taxpayers or from USAGM/VOA viewers/users, and it’s a familiar story to those of us who have followed the agency’s blunders in recent years, and carried out investigative reporting on them. As one person commented on a radio-related discussion group, it seems “that an internal e-mail [was sent] to the public [to] inform the greater public about the closure.”
The letter from Lawrence Cohen raises the question of whether the agency could have avoided the closure by shutting down the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB/Radio-TV Marti), thus maintaining a site that is more important given the increasing tensions with China in the region.
That makes sense, but appears not to take account of the fact that it is difficult, if not impossible, to shutter any government agency once it has been given life; and the fact that OCB has stranglehold support in the U.S. Congress where lawmakers — especially those from Florida — would never support closing R/TV Marti because they would lose support from constituents.
Meanwhile, as detailed in an internal email, while the agency struggles with budget problems, the VOA director Mike Abramowitz, along with the USAGM CEO Amanda Bennett, authorized even more money for salaries of top agency managers, bringing a storm of questions from rank and file employees who are quite frustrated with senior level executives, who already receive bonuses, raking in even more money.
[Editor’s note: Radio World has reached out to USAGM for comment. We will share any replies.]
