As we now all know that the US Government under President Donald Trump has issued an executive order(March 14,2025) to close down U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) as per cost cutting measure .This USAGM is the organisation who looks after Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), ,Radio Free Asia (RFA) ,Radio Marti, Radio Farda ,Radio Mashaal etc and also perhaps manages many of the transmitter sites located in USA and other parts of the world.And the order has effectively ended their operations.The name of transmitter sites owned by are as follows:
Udon Thani & Ayutthaya (Thailand), Tinang(Philipines),Moepeng Hill(Botswana),Bilbis & Lampertheim(Germany),Greenville(USA) & Umm al-Rimam( Kuwait),Maria di Galeria (Vatican).Besides these transmitter sites, they also used other organisations's transmitter sites located in different parts of the world.
Here is a few links which can be useful for readers who are more interested to know about the issue:
https://www.federalregister.gov/presidential-documents/executive-orders/donald-trump/2025
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/15/us/politics/trump-order-voice-of-america.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvge4l109r3o
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/what-is-voice-of-america-and-why-trump-is-dismantling-the-broadcaster
https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/news-makers/rather-brash-jeff-white-on-the-usagm-shutdowns
And radio monitors world wide including our OM Jose Jacob(VU2JOS)based in Hyderabad observed several developments on the frquencies and going off the air etc etc of all radio transmissions of the mentioned radio stations on shortwave and medium wave.On March 17th, at night acting on his tip,I checked VOA Burmese on 1575kHz (via Thailand), but no Burmese language transmisstion around 1724utc and instead a Chinese language Station was there.He also during that time not heard scheduled VOA transmission on 972kHz(viaTajkistan).Here in my place, I heard Akashvani Cuttack on 972kHz loud and clear.
And initally it has not come to my mind that Radio Thailand Wold Service(via Udon Thani) & Radio Pilipinas Worldwide(via Tinang)also uses USAGM sites mentioned..And when I observed Radio Thailand & Radio Philipinas Worldwide both were not heard and many reports came...Then I have realised with VOA,RFA etc also gone Radio Thailand and Radio Philipinas Worldwide perhaps for good on analog shortwave broadcasting. Voice Of America ended their shortwave and medium transmissions in English,Bengali,Hindi & Urdu many years back and also VOA English to Africa broadcasts including Border Crossings is not audible here for several seasons.That's why my interest on VOA is not much on monitoring. Bu this development in USAGM, I have lost two of my often heard stations for several years now ..Radio Thailand and Radio Philipinas Worldwide.
And my thanks goes to OM VU2JOS, Jose Jacob,Hyderabad for his regular updates plus posting of VOA Sites list .One can check the list by visiting
https://qsl.net/vu2jos/VOA_Sites.pdf
In an another post coming up soon, I will share information about QSL Cards received by me from a few of the stations discussed.
But for the time being I am posting scanned version of Voice Of America (VOA) QSL card depicting VOA transmitter site depicting Antennas in 2011 ....
https://qsl.net/vu2jos/VOA_Sites.pdf
In an another post coming up soon, I will share information about QSL Cards received by me from a few of the stations discussed.
But for the time being I am posting scanned version of Voice Of America (VOA) QSL card depicting VOA transmitter site depicting Antennas in 2011 ....
More observations/radio news/monitoring reports etc from time to time.
73
Gautam Kumar Sharma(GK)(VU3WTI)
(Abhayapuri)(Assam)(India)
