US’ BBG unveils five-year plan

Tuesday 01 Nov 2011
The US Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) has released the framework of its new strategic plan to enhance the global impact of US international broadcasting.

BBG Chairman Walter Isaacson said: “To retain and increase our audiences and impact, we have to be smart and capitalise on the opportunities of digital integration and audience engagement.”

The plan outlines a strategy for growth within an environment of scarce budget resources and profound ongoing changes in audience media consumption habits. The five-year plan has an audience target of 50 million by 2016.

A merger of the staff of the BBG and the International Broadcasting Bureau is already in progress.

The BBG brands – Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Alhurra TV and Radio Sawa, Radio Free Asia, and Radio and TV Martí – face intense competition from an expanding universe of emerging media choices.

The BBG’s plan features innovative initiatives: to create a global news network and to leverage new delivery technologies such as satellite video for China, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia.