Happy Willis Conover Day!

Whereas, on April 25, 2009, the Big Band Jam will honor the Voice of America and Willis Conover and the joint contribution toward spreading the language of jazz and American cultural diplomacy around the world over a span of more than 35 years;

In April 2009, a resolution was introduced in the House of Representatives proclaiming April Jazz Appreciation Month, and April 25 to be Willis Conover Day.

April 25 was Willis Conover Day! Find out more about Willis Conover, and his legacy in cultural diplomacy and international broadcasting, by watching the VOA YouTube clip up top and reading about him on Inside VOA & What’s Up VOA.

Yesterday the VOA House Band put on a program to commemorate this important day!

Do you have a personal memory of Willis Conover? What does jazz mean to you? Please leave us a note in the comments!

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BBG Broadcasters Provide Unique, Global Coverage of Boston Bombings

Running shoes hang on a fence at a makeshift memorial near the Boston Marathon finish line in Boston’s Copley Square Thursday, April 25, 2013 in remembrance of the Boston Marathon bombings. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

 

Each of the broadcasters in the BBG network provided breaking news on the April 15 bombing of the Boston Marathon and the resulting manhunt. Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks immediately sent reporters and camera crews to Boston to get important information to their audiences. Extensive coverage included eye witness accounts from bystanders, runners and first responders, as well as global reaction to the identification of the suspects. Hover over the image above to learn more, or visit bbg.gov to read more!

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RFE/RL Celebrates Havel Fellows, Discusses Press Freedom in Eastern Europe

 David Kramer directs questions to the Havel Fellows Gotisan (left), Stepanyan (center) and Taghiyeva (right) during a panel discussion April 9

 

Media freedom was celebrated last night as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty held a panel discussion entitled “Media Freedom in the European Neighborhood: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova” last night, April 9, 2013, at the Embassy of the Czech Repulblic that featured this year’s recipients of the Vaclav Havel Journalism Fellowship.

Havel fellows, Seda Stepanyan from Armenia, Tahmina Taghiyeva from Azerbaijan, and Irina Gotisan from Moldova, served as panelists and discussed the freedom of press in their own countries. The event was moderated by David Kramer, President of Freedom House, which compiles an annual report, Freedom in the World, on the state of global freedom.

The Fellows also presented videos that they had produced, demonstrating their excellent journalism and multimedia skills.  Following the presentations and a round of questions prompted by Kramer, the discussion was opened up to the audience.

Gotisan responded that she and the other Fellows could be optimistic about the future because they are, “young and smart” when an audience member asked about the potential for increased freedom in Eastern Europe. Each of the Fellows agreed that the legacy of the Cold War and their nations’ transition to democracy still play a role in the level of freedom enjoyed, but they were also enthusiastic that programs like the Havel Fellowship helped to encourage objective journalism.

Fellows Gotisan and Taghiyeva discuss press freedom with John Todoroki of the Prague Freedom Foundation

 

This is the second year in which Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has awarded the Havel Fellowship. This year’s recipients have extensive experience working in journalism in their home countries.  The program is open to promising journalists with English fluency from the Russian Federation and the European Partnership Countries: Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova.  Fellowships are awarded on a competitive basis and offer on-the-job training alongside RFE/RL’s seasoned professionals.

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Voices from the Field: André de Nesnera

André de Nesnera in the VOA news room, Washington, D.C.

“In 1986 I was in East Berlin, on my way to a meeting with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).   I met a Canadian man, Jim Worrall, who was attending the meeting as part of the Canadian delegation to the IOC.  Worrall also attended the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin 50 years earlier as Canada’s flag bearer. The 1936 Olympics was the Olympics that Hitler used to promote the Third Reich.  This was the Olympics in which Jesse Owens competed as an African American man in Nazi Germany.

1936 Berlin Olympics, photo courtesy of German Federal Archive (Deutsches Bundesarchiv) as part of a cooperation project.

I took Worrall back to the stadium in West Berlin, the original stadium that was used in 1936. We went, and he started to reminisce. He pointed out where Hitler stood during the opening ceremony, and he talked about what it felt like to be in Germany at the time, before the war began. He was emotional, and there were tears.  It was a stream-of-consciousness and quite remarkable.  I had a small tape recorder at the time.  I turned it into a radio story.  It was really well-received because it was such a unique story. I’d trade top-notch interviews for moments like that.”

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André de Nesnera is an award-winning journalist that has worked as a reporter for Voice of America for more than three decades in Europe and domestically in the United States.  In 2002, U.S. Foreign Service officers honored de Nesnera with the Tex Harris Award for Constructive Dissent for resisting political pressure from State Department spokesman Richard A. Boucher and other U.S. officials after VOA ran excerpts of a 2001 interview with Mullah Mohammed Omar, a Taliban leader at the time. The story also earned de Nesnera a Payne Award for Ethics in Journalism from the University of Oregon.  He currently serves as a Senior Correspondent at VOA.

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Voices from the Field: Tarek Elshamy

Tarek Elshamy reporting from Tahrir Square

“During the dangerous days of covering the 25 January revolution, international journalists were under attack and Alhurra was no exception. A mob stormed Alhurra’s Cairo news office where all our team was camped out reporting on the always changing events minute by minute. It was believed that Mubarak’s regime was trying to stop transmission of TV channels that gained credibility during the revolution. While we were on air a mob tried to storm the office and tried to scare the team. Most of the team climbed out onto the balcony and jumped across to the roof of a hotel that was next door to escape. However, we stayed on the air. I tried to prevent the mob from coming into the offices, but they did get in and went on to steal some equipment and threatened to attack us again if we continued our coverage. However, we were not deterred and continued our nonstop coverage as usual. I also told the story on air to let everyone know that we will not be intimidated.

Alhurra’s coverage of the Egyptian revolution was one of the only places that Egyptian viewers could turn to watch the events as they happened without bias. A phone survey of Egyptians in Cairo and Alexandria showed that 25 percent of the respondents had watched Alhurra during that time as a source of news and information about the revolution.”

Tarek Elshamy is the Cairo News Bureau Chief and Chief Correspondent. He is the host of  “Hiwar Cairo,” a weekly program in Cairo, Egypt that examines the  political and social aspects of the country on the Alhurra network.  The program hosts a wide range of figures, including state ministers, heads of political parties, presidential candidates and others. El Shamy has received awards from the London based Association of International Broadcasting (AIB) as well as the David Burke Award for the distinguished coverage of the Egyptian Revolution.

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TV Martí Celebrates its 23rd Anniversary

TV Martí celebrates its 23rd anniversary today, marking another great year of programming in the of promotion democratic values in Cuba and Latin America. TV Martí was established to complement the work of Radio Martí and began broadcasting on March 27, 1990.

Guillermo Santa Cruz, general manager of Radio and TV Martí, celebrated the event with a new episode of Avanza Cuba aptly entitled “”La prensa en una sociedad libre y el futuro del periodismo en Cuba” (The press in a free society and the future of journalism in Cuba). He firmly believes in the work of TV Martí and states that it is helping to encourage civil society and freedom of expression in Cuba.

Guests join Atena Live live in Washington, D.C.

 

“There are a lot of the changes taking place, and people in Cuba are losing their fear. They are being more assertive about their rights and about expressing themselves. We interview a lot of people who have taken a stand and are speaking out- people like Yoani Sánchez and others who are engaging in independent journalists. This constitutes progress.  This is the heart of our mission and the heart of what we do.”

Together, with Radio Martí, TV Martí provides information resources and unbiased news coverage to communities in Cuba, giving an alternative view to Cuban media that is highly censored by the state.

 

“TV Martí is really establishing itself as a well-respected news organization.  This is thanks to the hard work we directed towards rebranding and redesigning it over the last 3 years. The programming is relevant for people in Cuba. It is the kind of content that can be made available on many platforms. We consistently work on improvement at TV Martí.”

This past year has been especially noteworthy for TV Martí as its YouTube channel attracted unprecedented numbers of viewers seeking information about the return of a customs duty tax on food entering Cuba in July 2012, it covered the 2012 Republican and Democratic conventions live in August and September 2012, provided coverage on the death of Cuban opposition leader Oswaldo Payá in September 2012, and broadcast comprehensive details about the death of Hugo Chavez and reaction from the Venezuelan diaspora in Doral, Florida on Antena Live in March 2013.  In a new tactic to integrate voices from Cuba  in real time,  Avanza Cuba also featured guests in Havana, Cuba live via Skype on its episode entitled “Tu Negocio en la RED” (Your business on the Web) in February 2013.

It was also a year of recognition for TV Martí.  Estado de SATS, created, produced, and presented by Antonio Rodiles, was nominated for an Emmy Award in October 2012.  The show, which airs weekly, tackles the realities and challenges faced by Cubans is made in Cuba with wrap-around segments produced in Miami.  Hacia La Democracia, a how-to guide for democratic transition was also nominated as was Antena Live and 7 N 30 for their audio design. These programs are great examples of TV Martí’s commitment to its mission of bringing quality, unbiased news and information to the Cuban people.

 

“We know people are watching. We receive very positive feedback. Recently, TV Martí attended an airshow own in the Florida Keys. People stopped by and asked about the shows and the on-air personalities. This is proof we are getting through and that we are making a difference.”

Senior management at Cuba, including Santa Cruz (far right) meet to discuss staging

By Roxanne Bauer

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VOA Persian Celebrates Norouz

Voice of America’s Persian Service hosted a luncheon yesterday to celebrate Norouz, the annual holiday that marks the Persian New Year as well as the first day of spring.

Guests from all over the agency joined in the festivities.

Norouz is about new beginnings and reaching out to others. It’s inclusive and is a time to celebrate for everyone.  Not only is it the Persian New Year but the first day of spring.  It comes at a time when people are looking for renewal and rebirth.  The historical and cultural traditions of Norouz reflect that.

Mora Namdar, Producer and Special Assistant focusing on National Security and Policy

This year, the staff wanted to celebrate Norouz with everyone, not just inside the Persian Service.  They wanted to invite the whole house.  When I was asked, I thought ‘To quote David Ensor…why not?’  They were all very excited.  This is a great holiday, and they rallied at the chance to share it.  They worked hard to raise funds for the event.

Billy Otwell, General Manager of VOA Persian

 

A staff member from VOA’s Persian Service hands out drinks for the Norouz celebration

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