Table of Contents

Tiananmen: The Burden of Truth The Struggle to Get It Straight: The Early Years The 50s and 60s: Forging a More Credible Voice The VOA Correspondent: To the Ends of the Earth From Here to Everywhere: Building a Global Network Into the Citadel of "Ramshackle Excellence" The Struggle to Get It Straight: The Charter as Law The Independence Debate: Up to the Brink and Back The Tumultuous 80s: A Lost Horizon Regained The Epochal Years: 1969 and 1989 Out of Africa: The Triumph of Straight Talk On Language: Words and Their Stories Music: The Universal Language To the Roof of the World: The Tibetan Service Miracle Middle East Flashbacks: VOA and the Wars of '67 and '91 Into the 90s: The Brave New World of Multimedia The Struggle to Get It Straight: Independence at the New Millennium America's Voice: A Voice for the Voiceless Yearning to Breathe Free: Tales of Great VOA Escapes The Struggle Goes On: VOA at the Dawn of the 21st Century Epilogue

Promotional Information

The Voice of America (VOA) is the nation's largest publicly funded broadcasting network, reaching more than a hundred million people worldwide in more than forty languages. Since it first went on the air in February 1942, VOA has undergone a spectacular transformation and now reaches listeners, television viewers, and Internet readers in the four-fifths of the world still denied a completely free press. Using transcripts of radio broadcasts and numerous personal anecdotes, Alan L. Heil Jr. recounts the colorful first six decades of this perennially underfunded organization as it struggled against political pressures, congressional investigations, massive reorganizations, and leadership purges. Heil also provides a front-row seat to the greatest events of that history, from the Cold War and the Vietnam conflict to the Watergate and Lewinsky scandals, from Neil Armstrong's first steps on the moon to ethnic strife in the Balkans and Rwanda, and from the outbreak of HIV/AIDS to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

About the Author

Alan L. Heil Jr. worked for the Voice of America from 1962 until he retired in 1998. He held various positions at VOA, including foreign correspondent, chief of news and current affairs, and deputy director.

Reviews

" Voice of America: A History, the first comprehensive history of hte VOA since the mid-1980s,... is a valuable account that deserve a wide readership, both within the Foreign Service and among the general public." -- Steven Alan Honley, Foreign Service Journal "For those wondering why, in the presence of global commercial news networks, there is still a need for the Voice of America... Heil's comprehensive history of America's largest publicly funded overseas broadcasting network surely provides a most comprehensive answer." -- The Economist " Voice of America: A History effectively chronicles an important corner of American cultural history." -- Seattle Times/Post Intelligencer "Heil's book is a must read for anyone who is interested in enhancing America's standing in the world." -- Walter R. Roberts, Mediterranean Quarterly "Heil, who spent 36 years at the Voice, was uniquely placed to write Voice of America: A History, a comprehensive and captivating insight... stretching from the launch of the service in February 1942 to its 60th anniversary." -- Morand Fachot, DIFFUSION online "Anyone looking for a richer understanding of recent international information activities will find this work worthwhile." -- Laura A. Belmont, Register of the Kentucky Historical Society "The breadth and scope of this book mean it is essential reading for all those involved--or with an interest--in public diplomacy, international affairs and the media." -- Morand Fachot, International Affairs "Well worth a place in the library of every instructor of the history of America media." " Voice of America is an important contribution to the history of international broadcasting and a well-written potpourri of interesting information." -- John Jenks, Jhistory, H-Net