Tag Archives: USAGM

VOA Funds Included in Spending Bill

View of the Capitol Building from the roof of the Voice of America on 330 Independence Ave., S.W.

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dennis Dura, who shares this Radio World report on a proposed U.S. congressional spending bill that would include continued funding for the Voice of America and its parent agency, the U.S. Agency for Global Media. The bipartisan proposal would allocate roughly $653 million to support VOA’s international broadcasting mission and related services, signaling congressional backing for global news and information distribution even as the bill still must clear final approval: https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/business-and-law/proposed-congress-spending-bill-includes-voa-funding

A DXer Looks Back at the Voice of America

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by Dan Greenall

50 years ago, Voice of America broadcasts could be found all over the shortwave dial.

In addition to a number of transmitter sites located stateside, the VOA used to broadcast from a number of other facilities located in overseas countries in order to help get its signal into all corners of the globe. Many of these “relay” stations made for challenging DX catches and there was even an award offered by NASWA to those providing sufficient proof of reception of them all. An example of this can be found on this link: https://k5nd.net/2011/06/voice-of-america/

The familiar tune of Yankee Doodle (heard at the beginning and end of a transmission) along with station ID in English would often include the particular transmitter site in use. Several old recordings of these can be found on my links to these on the Internet Archive.

Technical staff hired to help maintain equipment at overseas facilities were often licensed amateur radio operators. See the attached scans of two QSL cards from amateurs who worked at the station near Monrovia, Liberia.

Most of the various VOA transmitter sites are listed below. Some include links that will lead to related historical information, articles and/or photographs and are well worth exploring.

VOA Greenville NC

VOA Bethany OH

VOA Dixon/Delano CA

VOA Marathon, FL

VOA Wooferton UK

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-shropshire-67133389

VOA Kavala Greece

VOA Thessaloniki Greece

VOA Rhodes, Dodecanese Islands

http://www.theradiohistorian.org/courier/courier.html

VOA Monrovia, Liberia

https://www.africabib.org/rec.php?RID=099870371

VOA Tangier, Morocco

VOA Okinawa, Ryuku Islands

http://jandd.org/photo_gallery/voice_of_america_on_okinawa.htm

VOA Poro/Tinang, Philippines

https://www.radioheritage.com/voice-of-america-relay-station-at-tinang-in-the-philippines/

VOA Udon Thani, Thailand

https://www.udonmap.com/udonthaniforum/viewtopic.php?t=54733

VOA, Sri Lanka

https://mt-shortwave.blogspot.com/2017/03/final-end-of-another-voa-relay-station.html

VOA Sao Tome

VOA Botswana

A year ago, in January 2025, I made a couple of recordings, using remote SDR receivers, of some Voice of America programs being broadcast from their Botswana transmitter site. These have been uploaded to archive.org and can be found here: https://archive.org/details/voa-africa-via-botswana-relay-january-19-2025

Since March 16, 2025, it seems the only former VOA transmitters being used are Greenville, NC (Radio Marti), Tinang, Philippines (Radyo Pilipinas world service), and Wooferton, UK (BBC and others).

RFA Temporarily Suspends Broadcasts During US Government Shutdown

U.S. Global Media Agency to Lay Off Hundreds at VOA, RFA, and RFE/RL

View of the Capitol Building from the roof of the Voice of America on 330 Independence Ave., S.W.

The Guardian is reporting that more than 500 full-time employees at Voice of America and other U.S. government-funded broadcasters will soon be laid off. The U.S. Agency for Global Media announced that 532 federal positions are being cut, part of a larger restructuring effort that’s already stirred up legal challenges and concerns about leadership changes at VOA.

These broadcasters—including Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty—collectively reach over 400 million people worldwide. Employee groups and unions are warning that the cuts could undermine U.S. public diplomacy and even pose risks to national security. It’s a significant shake-up for organizations that have long played a role in bringing independent news to international audiences.

Read and comment on the full article in The Guardian.

A Sampling of Coverage: Federal Judge Orders USAGM Staff Reinstated

Readers of the SWLing Post have been sharing various articles concerning the recent ruling by a federal judge, which directs the Trump administration to reinstate the USAGM staff. This decision was initially reported by Paul Walker earlier this week. Below is further analysis from several news sources shared by Ed C, Ron Smith, and Dennis Dura:

Judge orders Trump administration to bring back U.S. Agency for Global Media staff (Government Executive)

The president in an executive order sought to eliminate the agency’s non-statutory components and functions, but a federal judge criticized how officials determined what parts of USAGM aren’t required by law.

A federal judge on Tuesday issued a preliminary injunction ordering the Trump administration to bring back staff at the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which the president has sought to dismantle.

Specifically, District Judge Royce C. Lamberth is requiring Trump officials to return employees and contractors who were put on leave or terminated to their statuses before March 14, when Trump signed an executive order directing the elimination of non-statutory components and functions at USAGM as well as other agencies.

As a result of the EO, many employees were let go at government-funded outlets that aim to provide news to people living in restricted media environments around the world, including Voice of America. [Continue reading…]

Federal Judge Halts Trump’s Attempt To Dismantle VOA And Sister Networks. (Inside Radio)

A federal court has thrown a wrench into efforts initiated by the Trump administration to wind down Voice of America and its affiliated networks, with a judge ruling that the shutdown was likely unlawful.

U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth issued a sweeping injunction Tuesday, ordering the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM)—the parent agency of VOA—to reinstate the operations of VOA and its associated broadcasters. Lamberth also mandated that the agency restore employment for workers placed on administrative leave and prohibited any staffing reductions while the legal battle plays out, The Hill reports. [Continue reading…]

Judge orders Trump administration to restore Voice of America (The Hill)

A federal judge on Tuesday found the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle Voice of America (VOA) and affiliated news services likely were unlawful, indefinitely blocking the shuttering of the government-funded news outlet and affiliated news services.

U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth ordered VOA’s parent agency, the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), to restore VOA and other outlets under the USAGM’s umbrella and barred the agency from preventing them from serving as “consistently reliable and authoritative” news sources, as is required by law.

He also directed the USAGM to restore employment to its workers placed on leave and not reduce its workforce while litigation continues, in addition to continuing funding for international broadcasting. [Continue reading…]

Tuning Out Tibet: The Closure of VOA and RFA Tibetan Broadcasts

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Fred Waterer for also sharing the following article from Tibetan Review. This piece raises questions about the future of Tibetan-language broadcasting and the broader implications of VOA and RFA closures: