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Kari Lake previews her plans for Voice of America in the next Administration.

Theater of My Mind said:
I would say that this stream sounds simple as opposed to incredibly cheap. Sure, those of us who know the radio business know it's voice tracked and lacks a flashy jingle package, so we understand where the cost savings are coming from. But the host sounds professional and his content is well-suited for a foreign audience that may not be as immersed in the day-to-day American pop culture happenings as those who live here.
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But I can not think of a single nation or market where American Top 40 / CHR has any appeal where that sort of approach is or has been successful. That kind of formatting is not "well suited" to a non-domestic audience anywhere because it has a lower energy level and is quite boring.
 
DavidEduardo said:
But I can not think of a single nation or market where American Top 40 / CHR has any appeal where that sort of approach is or has been successful. That kind of formatting is not "well suited" to a non-domestic audience anywhere because it has a lower energy level and is quite boring.
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It's not a high energy top-40 format. At least for the time period I listened the music seemed pretty zen, more like a Hot A/C mix.
 
Theater of My Mind said:
It's not a high energy top-40 format. At least for the time period I listened the music seemed pretty zen, more like a Hot A/C mix.
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ive heard it quite a bit..... its like a Hot AC..... with AC style presentation
 
TheBigA said:
Obviously this article is coming from a biased source, but it gives insight into the thinking at the administration as they decide how to operate the government-funded VOA:

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The big takeaway from that article is that the MAGA movement wants to totally dominate social media and various internet platforms with its own twist on what it considers reality and the truth.

One problem: It seems to be a strategy that works within the U.S. But what about an international audience that has access to all sorts of online sources that are NOT controlled by Trump and his sycophants? Does any of the MAGA content resonate with those outside the U.S. or even make any sense?

It does seem to appear that traditional radio distribution, especially shortwave for USAGM content, is on its way out, perhaps very soon and quite abruptly.

As posted before, I will be keeping a sharp eye on the new USAGM shortwave transmission schedules being revealed around March 16, which might have some major output cuts.
 
Mediafrog+ said:
Does any of the MAGA content resonate with those outside the U.S. or even make any sense?
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It depends on the country, and how that country then wants to affect US social media.

But sure, the new VOA could be repurposing the staff as internal social media influencers, flooding the internet with "news" from a central source.
 
TheBigA said:
It depends on the country, and how that country then wants to affect US social media.
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My point was that other countries can use the same methods to influence international audiences. The USAGM internet and social media content is just one of countless options for those outside the U.S., with other sources manipulated by Russia, China, or who knows who.

U.S. audiences seem to be far less likely to sample content from outside the country, which helps MAGA influenced platforms.
TheBigA said:
But sure, the new VOA could be repurposing the staff as internal social media influencers, flooding the internet with "news" from a central source.
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Likely so, but that staff will probably consist of different individuals from those currently employed by the various USAGM services. We’re about to see USAGM mutate in ways we barely could have imagined in the past.
 
Mediafrog+ said:
My point was that other countries can use the same methods to influence international audiences. The USAGM internet and social media content is just one of countless options for those outside the U.S., with other sources manipulated by Russia, China, or who knows who.
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I agree with that. However, this administration is more concerned with speaking than it is with others listening. So if what they say falls on deaf ears, they don't care. I would think the main thing should be its all paid for by taxpayer dollars, and not all taxpayers agree with what they're saying. But that's not the view of this administration.
Mediafrog+ said:
Likely so, but that staff will probably consist of different individuals from those currently employed by the various USAGM services. We’re about to see USAGM mutate in ways we barely could have imagined in the past.
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Correct, and that will involve replacing current staff with those who will implement the new goals.
 
Mediafrog+ said:
Does any of the MAGA content resonate with those outside the U.S. or even make any sense?
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The stated core values of MAGA such as smaller government, efficient government and border security definitely resonate in most nations of the world. In particular, in nations where "government" is synonymous with "corruption" the idea of controlling the size and influence of bureaucracy is very much of interest.
 
DavidEduardo said:
The stated core values of MAGA such as smaller government, efficient government and border security definitely resonate in most nations of the world. In particular, in nations where "government" is synonymous with "corruption" the idea of controlling the size and influence of bureaucracy is very much of interest.
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They don't tend to speak in generalities, but rather in specifics of US domestic politics, which you have said is of little interest to people outside the US.
 
TheBigA said:
They don't tend to speak in generalities, but rather in specifics of US domestic politics, which you have said is of little interest to people outside the US.
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But the VOA and its subsidiary services always write their own material, so it can be condensed and made of intentional interest. And, since most is not in English, it has to be translated, too.
 
DavidEduardo said:
But the VOA and its subsidiary services always write their own material, so it can be condensed and made of intentional interest. And, since most is not in English, it has to be translated, too.
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Keep in mind a lot of those people will be replaced by new people who don't have experience in international media.
 
TheBigA said:
Keep in mind a lot of those people will be replaced by new people who don't have experience in international media.
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if they are native speakers of a non-English language, they almost always have media experience in their home country or a nation where the language is also spoken.

And VOA is not really "international media" any more. It is local media in each nation, using newer delivery methods. Shortwave died decades ago.
 
DavidEduardo said:
if they are native speakers of a non-English language, they almost always have media experience in their home country or a nation where the language is also spoken.
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We can't expect that they will hire people with that experience. Brent Bozell and Kari Lake don't have experience in those areas.
 
TheBigA said:
We can't expect that they will hire people with that experience. Brent Bozell and Kari Lake don't have experience in those areas.
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The writers and announcers will have to be proficient (native speakers) in the language and familiar with the nation(s) targeted by each language. How much experience does reading a résumé take? I am sure that the various heads of the language divisions would do that, anyway.

Where the new administration will or could have an impact is in the nations and languages to be served and through what means. The total death of the effectiveness of short wave means that new media will be key, while in some nations they can buy time on local stations.

A key will be how the VOA makes people in "the nation nobody has ever heard of" seek out those podcasts, streams and unpopular radio stations that would take VOA programs. This is where the new media usage of trendsetters could be key; VOA should recruit such people who speak specific target audience languages and bring them to the U.S. for a visit and establish relationships with people here they can relate to.
 
DavidEduardo said:
VOA should recruit such people who speak specific target audience languages and bring them to the U.S. for a visit and establish relationships with people here they can relate to.
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That's what they SHOULD do. But they should also make sure the head of USAGM has actually worked in media at some point. Brent Bozell has never worked in radio or TV. He's a critic. He knows how to attack those who do their jobs. He's never done the job himself.
 
TheBigA said:
That's what they SHOULD do. But they should also make sure the head of USAGM has actually worked in media at some point. Brent Bozell has never worked in radio or TV. He's a critic. He knows how to attack those who do their jobs. He's never done the job himself.
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Bozell seems intelligent, although outspoken. I think the rest he can pick up.

I knew nothing about management, financing, labor laws, ad sales and the like when I built my first station in a market with nearly 40 other stations. I was good at hiring people who knew more than I did.

Let's see who he puts in the administrative positions. That is the key here.
 


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