Summary: The Voice of America's (VOA) efforts to modernize its facilities have been hampered by delays and have not received the funding anticipated when the program began almost a decade ago. As a result, of 16 planned stations, two are completed and two are under construction. As budgets have shrunk, VOA and the U.S. Information Agency have slashed funding for audience research. VOA is now deciding on program content and broadcast facility needs without adequate information on audience characteristics and broadcast quality. VOA has increased the number of languages in which it broadcasts, even though staff and funding levels have not risen. It has proposed discontinuing broadcasts in some languages to help maintain program quality but, due to congressional concerns, has not done so. VOA officials said that the agency has received little formal input from the U.S. diplomatic community on which language broadcasts should be priorities. New technology and open societies are changing the outlook for international broadcasting. Television and radio are becoming more reliable sources of information in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union and are increasing their audiences at the expense of international broadcasters. VOA relies mostly on shortwave broadcasting but is now studying and using new broadcasting methods and technologies, such as providing programs for rebroadcast on foreign radio networks.
