	Background

The Broadcasting Board of Governors oversees the efforts of all  nonmilitary international broadcasting, which reaches an estimated  audience of more than 100 million people each week in more than 125  markets worldwide. Created by the Bush  administration and the Board, the Middle East Television Network draws  its mission from the core purpose of U.S. international broadcasting,  which is to promote and sustain freedom by broadcasting accurate and  objective news and information about the United States and the world to  audiences overseas. Figure 1  illustrates the Board’s current organizational structure. Currently,  42 of the Board’s 74 language services (or 57 percent) target the same  audiences in the same languages. Among the broadcast entities, funds are roughly equally divided  among VOA and the four other U.S. broadcasting entities. Disparate Structure of Broadcast Operations Remains an Ongoing Challenge

The Board’s major organizational challenge is the need to further  consolidate and streamline its operations to better leverage existing  resources and generate greater program impact in priority markets. New Initiatives Address Marketing Challenges

The Board’s strategic plan comments openly on the marketing challenges  facing U.S. international broadcasters, specifically that many language  services lack a unique reason for listeners or viewers to tune in; few  language services have identified their target audiences—a key first step in  developing a broadcast strategy; many language services have outmoded  formats and programs with an antiquated, even Cold War, sound and style;  and three-quarters of transmitted hours have poor or fair signal quality. These initiatives include the  Afghanistan Radio Network, Radio Farda service to Iran, and the Alhurra  satellite service to the Middle East. Although we have not validated available research data, the Board claims  that implementation of these marketing improvements has led to dramatic  increases in audience listening rates. Language Service Review Used to Reallocate Millions to Higher- Priority Broadcast Needs

The Board manages its limited resources through its annual language  service review process, which is used to address such issues as how  resources should be allocated among services based on their priority and  impact, how many broadcast services should be carried, what degree of  overlap and content duplication should exist among services, and  whether services should be eliminated because they have fulfilled their  broadcast mission. Since 1999, the Board has identified  more than $50 million in actual or potential savings through the language  service review process by moving resources from lower- to higher-priority  services, by eliminating language services, and by reducing language  service overlap and transmission costs. Strategic Planning and Performance Management System Revised to Place a Greater Focus on Results

Mr. Chairman, the Board has revised its strategic planning and  performance management system to respond to the recommendations in  our July 2003 report aimed at improving the measurement of its results. Reaching Large Audiences in Key Markets

In response to our recommendation for a goal that would measure  progress in reaching large audiences in markets of strategic interest to the  United States, the Board replaced the seven strategic goals in its plan with  a single goal focused on this core objective. Audience Awareness

In response to our finding that the Board lacked a measure of audience  awareness, the Board has added such a measure to its performance  management system.
Why GAO Did This Study

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, were a dramatic reminder of the importance of cultivating a better understanding of the United States and its policies with overseas audiences. U.S. public diplomacy activities include the efforts of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees all nonmilitary U.S. international broadcasting by the Voice of America (VOA) and several other broadcast entities. Such broadcasting helps promote a better understanding of the United States and serves U.S. interests by providing overseas audiences with accurate and objective news about the United States and the world. GAO has issued three reports over the past 4 years examining the organizational, marketing, resource, and performance reporting challenges faced by the Board. Our recommendations to the Board have included the need to address the long-standing issue of overlapping language services (i.e., where two services broadcast in the same language to the same audience) and to strengthen the Board's strategic planning and performance by placing a greater emphasis on results. The Board has taken significant steps to respond to these and other recommendations.

What GAO Found

The Broadcasting Board of Governors has responded to a disparate organizational structure and marketing challenges by developing a new strategic approach to broadcasting which, among other things, emphasizes reaching large audiences through modern broadcasting techniques. Organizationally, the existence of five separate broadcast entities has led to overlapping language services, duplication of program content, redundant newsgathering and support services, and difficulties coordinating broadcast efforts. Marketing challenges include outmoded program formats, poor signal delivery, and low audience awareness in many markets. Alhurra television broadcasts to the Middle East and Radio Farda broadcasts to Iran illustrate the Board's efforts to better manage program content and meet the needs of its target audiences. Although we have not validated available research data, the Board claims that the application of its new approach has led to dramatic increases in listening rates in key Middle East markets. To streamline its operations, the Board has used its annual language service review process to address such issues as how resources should be allocated among language services on the basis of their priority and impact, what degree of overlap should exist among services, and whether services should be eliminated because they have fulfilled their broadcast mission. Since 1999, the Board has identified more than $50 million in actual or potential savings through this process. In response to our recommendations on the Board's strategic planning and performance management efforts, the Board revised its strategic plan to make reaching large audiences in strategic markets the centerpiece of its performance reporting system. The Board also added broadcaster credibility and audience awareness to its array of performance measures and plans to add a measure of whether VOA is meeting its mandated mission.