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RFE/RL in Brief
RFE/RL is an independent, international news and broadcast organization to Eastern and Southeastern Europe, Russia, the Caucasus, the Middle East, and Central and Southwest Asia. It is funded by the U.S. Congress through the Broadcasting Board of Governors.
(map of RFE/RL broadcast region)
Through broadcasts in 28 languages, RFE/RL provides news, information, and responsible discussion of domestic and international issues to countries where free and independent media are not permitted, or not yet fully established. Today, more than 30 million listeners and readers in 21 countries including Russia, Iran, Afghanistan, and Iraq, rely on RFE/RL's daily programming -- radio, Internet, and television -- for a balanced and reliable account of events in their region and the world.
Based on the conviction that the first requirement of democracy is a well-informed citizenry, and building on a half-century of experience in surrogate broadcasting, RFE/RL aims to empower people in their struggle against autocratic institutions, violations of human rights, centralized economies, ethnic and religious hostilities, regional conflicts, and controlled media (also see RFE/RL's mission statement).
Broadcasts to 21 Countries in 28 Languages
RFE/RL operates one of the most comprehensive news operations in the broadcast region, with 19 bureaus and over 750 freelancers. More than 1,000 hours of programming a week are broadcast from the RFE/RL headquarters in Prague, Czech Republic. RFE/RL's corporate headquarters are located in Washington, D.C.
(where to find our programs)
RFE/RL programs can be heard on shortwave frequencies by listeners across the entire broadcast region. Since 1996, RFE/RL has also built a network of more than 240 affiliate partner organizations and over 500 transmission sites that relay programs on the AM and FM bands in 11 time zones. Political circumstances do not currently permit local rebroadcasting in Belarus, Iran, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan
Not Just Radio Anymore
RFE/RL is also gaining an increasing audience through the Internet. Its English-language website http://www.rferl.org/ is a unique and highly-respected source of news and information from the RFE/RL broadcast region. In November 2007, the websites of RFE/RL's language services registered over 20 million page views and more than 6 million site visits, while nearly 1.5 million visitors listened to more than 1 million hours of live and on-demand RFE/RL Internet audio broadcasts.
The daily report, "RFE/RL Newsline," provides expert analysis on major political events and trends in Central Europe, the former USSR, the Middle East, and Southwest Asia. Twelve weekly reports on the region, including on Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan, as well as the daily headline review "RFE/RL Headline" are available free to subscribers via fax or e-mail, as well as on the RFE/RL website. The total estimated monthly circulation of e-mail products exceeds 1.1 million. Additional country-specific reports and English-language content are available only at www.rferl.org.
Management / Oversight
Dr. Jeffrey Gedmin was named president of RFE/RL, Inc. on February 2, 2007. Immediately prior to his appointment, Dr. Gedmin had served since November 2001 as director of the Aspen Institute Berlin. Previously, Dr. Gedmin was a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, where he also served as executive director of the New Atlantic Initiative.
RFE/RL operates under the oversight of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), an independent, autonomous entity responsible for all U.S. government and government-sponsored, nonmilitary, international broadcasting. Under IRS rules, RFE/RL is a private, nonprofit Sec. 501(c) 3 corporation. Chartered in Delaware, it receives federal grants as a private grantee.
The chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors is James K. Glassman.
The mission of the BBG is to promote freedom and democracy through the open communication of information and ideas. While the "Broadcasting Board of Governors" is the legal name given to the Federal entity encompassing all U.S international broadcasting services, the day-to-day broadcasting activities are carried out by the individual BBG international broadcasters:
Alhurra
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Radio Free Asia
Radio Sawa
Radio/TV Marti
Voice of America
[Last Updated: November 2007]
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| RFE/RL is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to workforce diversity.
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| The content on the RFE/RL website is copyrighted under U.S. laws, though we welcome its re-use and republication. Get more info here:
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