European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 10, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                America s voice adapts to changes in Europe by Mark Kinkade staff writer c Saba Tibor Chikes pondered the twists and turns of Fate that gave the voice of America temporary laryngitis. Quot we had a captive audience Quot said Chikes former Voa Europe regional director. Outside his office in Munich Germany workers were Busy constructing a Voa display for a pending radio Trade show. Quot today they Aren t dependent on us  a the old Days. There was a time when the 50-year-old congressionally funded radio network was the King of the broadcasting Jungle in Europe. Along with Britain s bbl and the  radio free Europe the Voa stood on the european Frontier and shouted news and information of the West to anyone with a shortwave radio. But the curtain collapsed and free. Market economies raced to fill the void. Privately owned and state operated radio stations began Blooming in Eastern it Europe like bluebonnets in Texas. Quot we realize we Aren t the Only show in town anymore Quot Chikes said. Quot even the russians Are putting out a show that competes with  a to adapt Voa is doing what any Good american company would when demand drops off it has slicked Back its hair put on a tie and gone calling Oil those Independent stations. Now the network is Selling More than the message of America. It s Selling programming. Or in come cases giving it away. Quot we re not trying to be a substitute to local radio anymore Quot said Ted Lipien Voa s new regional director. Quot we Hope we can find a Market As a program supplier. We re going into syndication like other major radio programs. So far the customers Are buying. About 100 stations across Eastern Europe have signed on to receive the Voa signal including a new All English Channel planned for Berlin. Many according to Lipien rely on Voa As a kind of Washington correspondent for news. Quot Many of these stations work on a shoestring and can t afford More than a local reporter to cover the country or town they re in Quot Lipien said. Quot Voa is supplying them news of the West including  the new markets mean Voa has new opportunities to establish an increased american presence worldwide and thus play a role in explaining the democratic process teaching English stimulating. Trade and discussing . Policies according to Geoffrey Cowan Voa director in Washington. Rosr it v it r Quot a i o t k v 1 a it it i a taxi r it n a i it Silt it a % 4 v. A it ,. R -. 5&s Filo in its heyday newscasters broadcast from voice of America studio in 1966. Quot credibility is our most important product Quot said Cowan whose father Louis g. Cowan was Voa director from 1943 to 1945. Quot in today s competitive news environment if what you broadcast is not True ,. The listeners Are going to find out and ,. Think you re a mouthpiece for the  these changes happen at a time when a we re not trying to be a substitute to local radio anymore. We Hope we can find a Market As a program supplier. We re going into syndication like other major radio  Ted Lipien. Voas regional director budget cutters in Washington Are eyeballing cold War vestiges like Voa and radio free Europe As possible drags on the Bottom line. In 1993, the bipartisan advisory commission on Public diplomacy concluded that America could Tell its Story overseas without the two networks. A few months later in june president Clinton called for keeping the stations operating but with changes. Hoping to trim $150 million in operations Cost \ Clinton proposed merging Voa re and radio Liberty into one monster station. Although the plan met with resistance the proposal is still going ahead Chikes said. Voa and re Are moving to Prague in the czech Republic next year and Chikes said the merger Between the two stations is being discussed. Quot we be had informal dealings with re for years Quot Chikes said. Quot hey tilings change and we have to  in the meantime Voa is branching out it recently jumped of the information superhighway bandwagon with an internet feed that broadcasts news in several languages and the network is expanding into Central Asia. Television programming is also on the increase Chikes said. Quot we be increased the use of satellite transmissions dramatically and we re experimenting with other methods of reaching our audience Quot he said. Through All these changes the goal of the voice of America remains the same. Quot our Job is to deliver information both Good and bad to people who either Don t have or Aren t used to a free Media Quot Chikes said. Quot As Long As there s an America America has a  closer look Voa s role transmit truth not propaganda never accuse the voice of America of being a propaganda tool. That was radio free Europe s Job the Voa people say. The Way Voas current directors see it radio free Europe was designed to win the hearts and minds of its audiences with a steady Stream of positive american messages and mix of european and . News. Voa on the other hand was designed to broadcast news of America Good or bad to people starving for word from the West. Inevitably the news included the Quot real a word on what was happening in Europe As Well. Quot the communist governments obviously saw us As propaganda Quot said new Voa Europe regional director Ted Lipien. Quot but Voa Wasny to anti communist As much As  prior to world War ii the United states was the Only world Power without a government sponsored International news service according to Voa officials. The soviet Union was already tapping the potential of radio in 1930 with broadcasts in 50 languages. The United kingdom went on the air in 1932. Although the nazis under Adolf Hitler were sending signals to Austria and latin America in 1933, and Japan was using radio in the far East americans shortwave network was Little More than a dozen Low Power commercially owned a shortwave transmitters. In 1941. After Hitler had stormed through much of Europe Franklin Roosevelt established the . Foreign information service. Called Fis the new radio service banded the shortwave transmitters into one network and began beaming signals to Asia. In february 1942, with actor John Houseman at the Helm of radio operations Fis began transmitting to nazi Germany and Europe. \ in time Voa As Fis was later called became a source of news for people trapped by oppressive regimes or circumstance. In 1991, for example Voa broadcasts kept russians informed about the coup attempt in Moscow. Even the besieged Mikhail Gorbachev praised Voa for its reports while he was detained. When Roosevelt established the sen ice he created a congressionally funded radio. Network. Radio free Europe Voa officials Are Quick to note receives some Money from Congress in the form of Grants but the organization is actually a private corporation. The difference according to Lipien is in Content. Quot our broadcasts Are not linked to . Foreign policy Quot Lipien said. Quot re has a More specific Agenda. They Are a More slanted broadcast  Mark Kink add Houseman monday october 10, 1994 the stars and stripes 15