Photo by Harout Kelechian, USA Armenian Life magazine.

* * * * * PRESS ADVISORY * * * * FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WHAT: Appo Jabarian Meets with Congressman Adam Schiff Regarding the Importance of Voice of America Radio Services and Transparency at Broadcasting Board of Governors
WHEN : Monday, July 2, 2012 at 4:30 p.m.
WHERE: Office of Congressman Adam Schiff, 87 N. Raymond Ave. #800, Pasadena, California 91103
CONTACT: Appo Jabarian at (818) 468-8117, or Ann Noonan at (646) 251-6069
Committee for U.S. International Broadcasting Board Member Appo Jabarian, who serves as the Executive Publisher and Managing Editor of USA Armenian Life magazine, met with Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) in Pasadena on Monday July 2, 2012 to discuss ongoing concerns about the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), Voice of America (VOA) and BBG-managed grantee broadcasters.
Mr. Jabarian thanked Congressman Schiff for his record of support as Member of the House Appropriations Committee for approving funding for radio and television programs to areas of the world that rely upon U.S. broadcasting services for news and information because their local media are subject to government censorship. Congressman Schiff pointed out that he has been a long time supporter of Voice of America and will continue to do so.
Mr. Jabarian has provided Congressman Schiff with copies of letters by Annette Lantos, the wife of the late Congressman Tom Lantos, Congressman Dana Rohrabacher of California, and American Federation of Government Employees Union Local 1812 President Tim Shamble. Congressman Schiff thanked Mr. Jabarian for the opportunity to familiarize himself with the views and concerns of the authors of the letters addressed to U.S. lawmakers and the BBG in support of continued VOA and other BBG radio broadcasts.
Mr. Jabarian shares the sentiments of Annette Lantos who wrote to the BBG this year to strongly support Voice of America’s radio broadcasts to China, Tibet and Russia. (Mrs. Lantos is the Chair of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice.) Mr Jabarian highlighted Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng’s efforts to emphasize how important he believes radio broadcasts are to people living in rural areas.
Mr. Jabarian’s meeting with Congressman Schiff also included a discussion of Congressman Dana Rohrabacher’s efforts to restore transparency at the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Mr. Jabarian urged Congressman Schiff to publicly voice his support for transparency at BBG and adequate funding of VOA.
Another member of the California Congressional delegation, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) stated recently that the BBG proposal to consolidate grantee broadcasters — Radio Free Asia (RFA), Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) — into a single administrative unit would be contrary to Congressional intent.
Harout Kelechian, an intern at USA Armenian Life Magazine, contributed to this report.
The Committee for U.S. International Broadcasting (CUSIB – www.cusib.org) is an independent, nongovernmental organization which supports free flow of uncensored news from the United States to countries without free media.