{"id":62398,"date":"2025-03-18T07:08:06","date_gmt":"2025-03-18T11:08:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=62398"},"modified":"2025-03-18T08:04:49","modified_gmt":"2025-03-18T12:04:49","slug":"usagm-shutdowns-a-roundup-of-reports-and-reactions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/03\/usagm-shutdowns-a-roundup-of-reports-and-reactions\/","title":{"rendered":"USAGM Shutdowns: A Roundup of Reports and Reactions"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Edward R. Murrow Transmitting Station in North Carolina<\/p><\/div>\n

A Note to Our Readers: On the USAGM Shutdowns and Keeping the Conversation Respectful<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the SWLing Post, we\u2019ve always strived to keep this space a safe haven \u2014 free from the divisive politics that so often cloud the media landscape. Our focus remains on sharing the joy of radio, supporting international broadcasting, and fostering a welcoming community for all.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

That said, some stories, like the abrupt shutdown of U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) broadcasters, inevitably carry political weight. While we may wish otherwise, it\u2019s impossible to separate the politics from the reality of this significant event. As one of the few remaining government-supported shortwave broadcasters, the sudden silencing of Voice of America, Radio Free Europe\/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, Radio Mart\u00ed, and others deserves our attention.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve personally confirmed with multiple trusted sources that the transmitters at the Edward R. Murrow Transmitting Station were shut down on Sunday, March 16, 2025, marking a stark and sudden end to these broadcasts from US soil.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

We recognize this news may stir strong opinions \u2014 and that\u2019s okay. However, we kindly ask that all comments remain respectful and constructive. Share your thoughts, but please avoid name-calling, trolling, or inflammatory language. Our moderators will step in without hesitation to ensure the discussion remains civil.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

In the past, we\u2019ve occasionally disabled comments on similarly charged topics. This time, though, given the importance of the event, we\u2019ll keep the conversation open \u2014 provided it stays respectful.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Below, you\u2019ll find a collection of reports shared by our readerships from various sources that offer different perspectives on this unprecedented moment in international broadcasting.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Thank you for being part of this community and for helping us keep the SWLing Post a place for thoughtful dialogue and mutual respect.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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\u201cRather Brash\u201d: Jeff White on the USAGM Shutdowns (Radio World)<\/a><\/h2>\n

A conversation with a shortwave veteran<\/strong><\/p>\n

For many in the world of radio, the move by the Trump administration this weekend to shut down U.S. international broadcasting was shocking. Jeff White used the term \u201crather brash.\u201d<\/p>\n

White is general manager of WRMI Radio Miami International as well as secretary-treasurer of the National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters (NASB) and a 40 years-plus veteran of shortwave radio.<\/p>\n

He has a lot of experience in this area, so Radio World reached out to him on Monday for his thoughts about the effective silencing of the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe\/Radio Liberty (RFE\/RL), Radio Mart\u00ed, Radio Free Asia and other broadcasting entities operated by the U.S. Agency for Global Media. That all is based on an executive order to reduce \u201celements of the federal bureaucracy that the president has determined are unnecessary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Radio World: When you heard the news of VOA and its sister services shutting down transmissions worldwide, what was your reaction to it?<\/p>\n

Jeff White: Holy cow!<\/p>\n

In a way some of this had been expected, but when it happened all of a sudden like that on Saturday morning it was pretty shocking.<\/p>\n

I started getting emails early Saturday morning from people at the VOA who said, \u201cHey, everybody\u2019s been laid off and everything\u2019s shut down.\u201d And they said that they had talked to some of the people at the overseas relay stations, and the managers had gotten word about the shutdown, but the employees had not.<\/p>\n

Now those employees are hired by the local embassies, and so they kept these relay stations operating, and if they didn\u2019t get programming coming from Washington, they filled with music. [Continue reading interview…<\/a>]<\/p>\n

Congress must save the good journalists at VOA (The Hill)<\/a><\/h2>\n

by Ted Lipien, Opinion Contributor – 03\/17\/25 10:00 AM ET<\/p>\n

President Trump\u2019s decision to shut down the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, Radio y Televisi\u00f3n Mart\u00ed in Cuba and other U.S. government-funded media entities overseen by the U.S. Agency for Global Media, was sudden, harmful and deeply unfair. It places journalists in foreign language services who have devoted years of their lives to their jobs and have done nothing wrong in an impossible position.<\/p>\n

To be sure, these agencies have suffered from terrible management decisions in recent years. But to break things by stopping all programming does not make these agencies better. Rather, it weakens their usefulness to U.S. national security.<\/p>\n

Members of Congress from both parties must pressure the White House to allow these broadcasters to resume their work as soon as possible, even while supporting the administration\u2019s efforts to restructure, downsize and reform the agency\u2019s bloated and dysfunctional bureaucracy. [Continue reading…<\/a>]<\/p>\n

What is Voice of America and why Trump is dismantling the broadcaster (PBS via YouTube)<\/a><\/h2>\n