Voice of America history

VOA was originally set up by the US Office of War Information in 1943–44 to broadcast war news and propaganda.

In 1944, the Crosley Broadcasting Corporation completed the installation's construction.

By 1945, broadcasts of the show were carried by 114 stations on CBS's "La Cadena de las Americas" network in 20 Latin American nations.

In 1948 Flory accepted a lectureship in chemistry at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., a position that turned into a full professorship the same year.

The Soviet Union responded by initiating electronic jamming of VOA broadcasts on April 24, 1949.

The Arabic service resumed on January 1, 1950, with a half-hour program.

The company chose this site due to its relatively high altitude and also because of its flatness. It became part of the USIA when that agency was established in 1953.

After several productive years at Cornell, Flory became executive director of research at the Mellon Institute in Pittsburgh in 1957, a post that he left four years later for Stanford University in California.

During the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, VOA broadcast around-the-clock in Spanish.

Flory became emeritus in 1975.

In 1983, VOA established the International Broadcast Training Center in Washington to train broadcasters from developing countries and to demonstrate the value of a free press.

In 1985, VOA Europe was created as a special service in English that was relayed via satellite to AM, FM, and cable affiliates throughout Europe.

In 1989, Voice of America expanded its Mandarin and Cantonese programming to reach the millions of Chinese and inform the country about the pro-democracy movement within the country, including the demonstration in Tiananmen Square.

Starting in 1990, the United States consolidated its international broadcasting efforts, with the establishment of the Bureau of Broadcasting.

In 1991, the Bureau of Broadcasting created the Office of Affiliate Relations and Audience Analysis (later renamed the Office of Business Development) to establish and maintain a network of “affiliated” radio and TV stations around the globe that would broadcast VOA- and WORLDNET-produced programs.

In 1993, the Clinton administration advised cutting funding for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty as it was felt post-Cold War information and influence was not needed in Europe.

Since 1994, commercial development has occurred on part of the site, but other areas remain undeveloped.

The first Broadcasting Board of Governors was sworn in on August 11, 1995.

VOA Europe was closed down without advance public notice in January 1997 as a cost-cutting measure.

With the enactment of the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998, the Broadcasting Board of Governors assumed authority for VOA and the Martís, as well as its three grantee organizations: RFE/RL, RFA and MBN.

Also in the 1980s, VOA also added a television service, as well as special regional programs to Cuba, Radio Martí and TV Martí. Cuba has consistently attempted to jam such broadcasts and has vociferously protested United States broadcasts directed at Cuba. It was followed by VOA Express, which from July 4, 1999, revamped into VOA Music Mix.

The Arabic Service was abolished in 2002 and replaced by a new radio service, called the Middle East Radio Network or Radio Sawa, with an initial budget of $22 million.

On May 16, 2004, Worldnet, a satellite television service, was merged into the VOA network.

In September 2008, VOA eliminated the Hindi-language service after 53 years.

In September 2010, VOA began its radio broadcasts in Sudan.

In 2013, VOA ended foreign language transmissions on shortwave and medium wave to Albania, Georgia, Iran and Latin America, as well as English-language broadcasts to the Middle East and Afghanistan.

On July 1, 2014, VOA cut most of its shortwave transmissions in English to Asia.

At his first press conference after defecting, December 27, 2016

In 2017, VOA celebrated 75 years on the air.

On August 22, 2018, as part of a larger modernization effort, the Broadcasting Board of Governors changed its name to the United States Agency for Global Media.

The Open Technology Fund (OTF), which launched in 2019, is the USAGM entity tasked with developing and distributing cutting-edge technologies and techniques to counter efforts by repressive regimes and closed societies.