Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG)

Financing

In total for 2016 financial year which begins on October 1, 2015 BBG requested from the U. S. Congress the budget in $751 million (+1% to previous year). For 2014 financial year BBG specified in a request that CCTV (China), Russia Today and Al Jazeera interfere in the western news space and "skillfully create loyal audience", selecting the audience and listeners at the American media.

In BBG are going to spend $15.6 million for the project on fight against "revanchist Russia". This project is defined by BBG as priority on an equal basis with opposition of ideology of fundamentalists of Islamic State (ISIL) — but on this BBG asks $6.1 million.

The budget of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) will rise 13%, to $116 million (in 2015 — $103 million, in the 2014th — $95 million), the number of workers in this division should increase by 10%, to 720 people.

In general on Russian-language broadcasting of RFE/RL will be selected for $250 thousand more — $7.4 million^[1].

The budget of other loud-hailer of democratic values — Voice of America — in general will be reduced from $212.1 million to $206.7 million. Financing of the Latin American and English divisions will be reduced, the budget of the Russian broadcasting will grow from $4.09 million to $4.14 million BBG specifies future cooperation increase with the Russian media as justification of the financial wishes and the expenditure.

Activity in Russia

For April, 2015 neither Voice of America, nor Radio "Svoboda" do not perform broadcasting in Russia. As for Radio "Svoboda", it stopped broadcasting in 2012. The radio station completely went to the Internet.

Cooperation with TV channels

"Television — the most influential type of media in Russia creating audience views. Voice of America uses the Russian media which are objectively reflecting information as the news agency. Questions of world economy, the American business and the relations between the USA and Russia became the instrument of growth of audience of the American international media in Russia. Voice of America and RBC-TV are going to expand broadcasting time of the joint made content up to 60 minutes a week using studios [Voice of America] and journalistic resources in Washington and New York" — it is told in the materials BBG.

In the request BBG for 2016 financial year partnership of Voice of America with the Russian holding RBC is referred to key events in 2014 — access to 11% of the Russian TV viewers is emphasized. For July, 2014 follows from the corporate presentation of RBC-TV that the monthly scope of the channel makes about 22.4 million people across Russia and 5.4 million people across Moscow (RBC-TV refers to TNS). The average daily share (an average number of people, watching TV channel, from a total quantity of TV viewers) TV channel made at that time 0.5%, it is specified in the presentation.

Joint content is meant as involvement of journalists of Voice of America as experts in some subjects, follows from the materials BBG. For example, in the program "Babich. The trend" several times a week shares the expert opinion the correspondent of Voice of America Mikhail Gudkin or his colleague Vladimir Lensky. On average a conversation with the expert in "Babich. The trend" takes about 20 minutes. In a program cycle "Cold War?", airing in September, 2014, the observer of the Russian service of Voice of America in Washington Alexey Berezin was involved as an expert. For April, 2015 all archive releases of this transfer are deleted from the website of RBC-TV. Voice of America provides the video records of RBC-TV including four weekly inclusions from the New York Stock Exchange, since 2012.

— Our cooperation with Voice of America has no political and financial character. We have only inclusions of experts of Voice of America which work at the New York Stock Exchange and quickly tell us about results of biddings, ― the Chief Editor of RBC-TV Andrey Reut told Izvestia. ― About cooperation increase with them I do not know, in a present situation we do not plan any expansion. As for "Cold War?", we really tried to start this project, but it did not turn out. We decided that from the editorial point of view to do the politized project in this case is uninteresting to us.

Radio "Svoboda" is going to increase presence at the Russian air too.

"In partnership with affiliated TV channels in regions of Russia RFE/RL will increase broadcasting time on Russian-language TV channels till 4 o'clock in day. Among new programs there will be documentaries, analytical talk shows, a VIP-interview and comic shows — it is specified in the request. — Moreover, Radio "Svoboda" develops the Caucasian version of the [joint with "Voice of America"] the 30-minute Present program.

BBG persistently tries to protisnut the American position on the Russian TV channels, selecting for partnership, as a rule, oppositional TV channels and news resources. So, for example, in the request for 2014 financial year it was also mentioned that Voice of America started the video program "Share" which is aimed at "youth audience of future leaders" and offers "a modern discussion about America and its values, policy of the USA and a Post-Soviet era for the modern viewer". Among partners of Voice of America the Грани.ру resource and Dozhd TV channel was specified in the materials BBG.

According to experts, BBG works in Russia within conducting Cold War and by means of information tools which are ineffective.

— Radio "Svoboda" and "Golos Ameriki" on an equal basis with other media of BBG are exposed to serious criticism in the USA now because they are inefficient. The western promotion stakes on asymmetric blow — they will try not to create some alternative picture, and to show that the Russian propaganda lies and submits the distorted picture. Such publications became a mainstream in the context of the relations of Russia and the West long ago. The general task of the American media — processing of leaders of public opinion, the intellectuals which will already relay then these critical views to more broad masses — the director of the Center of politological researches of Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation Pavel Salin says.

According to the director of Fund of studying of the USA of Franklin Roosevelt of Yury Rogulev, Americans are haunted by the fact that Russia stirred up the activity on an outside margin and tries to obtain success there.

— The USA mistakenly accepts the alternative point of view which is not applying for any ideology as promotion. Russia Today, obviously, on a format strikingly differs from the Soviet promotion, here all in a different way — goes an emphasis not on ideology, and on promoting of the point of view, distribution of certain views. Voice of America differed in nothing. Today similar bodies of the USA and Europe like Deutsche Welle and Radio "Svoboda" substantially lag behind Russia Today and similar media, and therefore they need to look for in all ways new audience. It also causes creation of digital department — Rogulev explains.

History

2015: Request for creation of DIGIM

As found out Izvestia (April, 2015), in 2015 based on the Czech office Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (Radio "Svoboda", is financed by the federal budget of the USA) the digital media department, DIGIM is created. In this division specialists in social networks will work, their task — "resist misinformations in the Russian media sphere by means of different sotsmediaplatform (in particular, Facebook, Twitter, VKontakte and Odnoklassniki)".

In Prague it is told about creation of the cyberheadquarters in the detailed request of the American government organization of Board of governors for broadcasting (Broadcasting Board of Governors; BBG) for 2016 financial year which will begin on October 1, 2015. The application is submitted on behalf of the U.S. President to the congress in March, 2015.

BBG integrates Radio Free Europe/radio "Svoboda" (RFE/RL), Voice of America (VOA) and other public media channels of the USA. The authorized purpose of BBG — dissemination of information "in the countries where there is a lack of independent media". The whole section ("Counteraction of revanchist Russia") is devoted to Russia in the 160-page request BBG. In it it is told about plans for 2015−2016 and the reasons for which it is necessary to conduct information fight against Russia are described. BBG specifies that Russia "started the world mechanism of misinformation", it "the purpose — not to convince (as of classical public diplomacy) and to be credible, and to seed a distemper conspiracy theories and to extend a lie". BBG is convinced that "The Kremlin uses freedom of information for implementation of misinformation", applies information that "confuse, demoralize, pervert, paralyze and create alternative reality".

BBG in the annual reports and requests for financing points in recent years that "democracy in Russia is in danger and it is threatened by instability".

"The international media of the USA (USIM) — the main driving force in fight against the information pressure of the Government of the Russian Federation … directed to the Russian and Russian-speaking population in the former Soviet Union, the countries of Europe and the world" — BBG writes, calling the countries of Europe "the USA, vital for national interests".

BBG, speaking about activity prohibition in the Russian air, points to expansion of the activity on the Internet, in particular on social networks. After annexation of the Crimea to Russia RFE/RL increased the volume of Russian-speaking content, and for further increase in a scope creates DIGIM. In the list of social networks in which work will be conducted there is Odnoklassniki which users most actively uphold an official position of Russia on many questions. In the materials BBG it is told that except fight on classical social networks the new command will use a messedzher of WhatsApp "as the mobile platform with push-messages for involvement of new audience". What is meant the area of work in WhatsApp and what tools will be involved in the others, at the Prague office of Radio "Svoboda" quickly could not explain.

14 vacancies to the DIGIM Internet front are posted on the website RFE/RL at the beginning of 2015. For example, the vacancy of "the producer of social media for Russian-speaking audience" — in the text of a vacancy is specified that the sotsmediakomanda will work under different brands and to generate various content for social networks and promotion of RFE/RL. Development of popular content for social networks, search of principal themes of day and informing journalists on them belongs to duties.

As the main weapon in information fight against Russia there have to be original programs and political satire, according to BBG. Within new representation of the USA in the Russian social networks the Footage vs Footage video project ("Shooting against shooting") is planned. In the request DIGIM it is told that this daily product will expose "the Russian television propaganda". The vacancy of the producer of Footage vs Footage on the website RFE/RL assumes tracking and latest news of day, and how they are lit with the Russian and foreign media — on these differences and is going to create rollers. Among requirements to the editor Footage vs Footage is "consult with owners / interested persons [stakeholders] at preproduction and post-production stages".

Through DIGIM implement one more project — the channel on YouTube and the website Rus2Web, "it "digital samizdat", platform for the Russian journalists and cinematographers whose work now "is blocked by the Kremlin".

On the American portal of state procurements Izvestia detected the March order from BBG for promotion of Russian-language services in Google — $100 thousand are due to Internet giant for promotion of Radio "Svoboda" and "Golosa Ameriki" in a Russian-speaking segment of the Internet.

For 2014 and 2015 in information fight against Russia BBG specifies providing objective news about Ukraine as the main achievements, publicizing of annexation of the Crimea to Russia. The main initiatives in Russian-speaking space of BBG calls several programs:

• "The Donbass reality" — the weekly 30-minute program about events in Donbass broadcast on Ukrainian Donbass-TV;

• "The Crimean reality" — the weekly 20-minute program about development of "the peninsula annexed by Russia", the program shows Ukrainian channel "24".

Notes