It’s a strange thing, but I’ve bumped into Martin Niemöler’s famous poem, “First They Came,” written just after the Holocaust. It’s a plea for society not to be apathetic when we see things going on around us that demand we stand up and speak out.
While I’ve seen different versions of “First They Came,” the original goes like this:
Last week’s obliteration of the Voice of America, the radio and TV platform owned and operated by America as a bastion of democracy for the rest of the world is no more.
All told, 1,300 journalists, producers, and staffers were terminated, effectively eliminating VOA and sister networks, including Radio Marti and Radio Free Europe. Most of us do not listen to these services – we are not the target audience. but in aggregate, the networks have a cume of 420 million in more than 100 countries, broadcasting in 63 languages.
The VOA’s parent, the U.S. Agency for Global Media, is the next thing to go in the DOGE movement led by Elon Musk at President Trump’s direction. The new administration is ridding itself of institutions and agencies that have been a part of America for decades and decades. Along with all those employees, USAGM’s leadership is out, including VOA Director Michael Abramovitz who now finds himself on “administrative leave.”
With expense cutting as the operational rationale for the chaos, the last 50-odd days have seen the defunding of many U.S. agencies and departments. We’re told America is saving untold billions as a result of all these employee purges. But at what cost? Whether it’s research dollars to cure diseases, support staff to keep national parks operating, key personnel at the Veteran’s Administration, or weather service employees warning us about natural disasters, our country is changing before our very eyes.
Some are cheering these moves on. And because elections do have consequences, the losing side is resigned to having to deal with it. But when these changes disrupt what America has stood for, it may be time to start following the news again, especially if you’ve taken a hiatus since the election.
We may not feel the impact of these cuts for months or even years, but we will feel them. In the case of VOA, the service was started 83 years ago by FDR in an effort to connect the world with the
American way of life. Radio was the key medium for VOA, a way for people all over the planet to get a feel for what the U.S. is all about.
But perception is everything, and President Trump has railed against the VOA for some time now because of its “radical propaganda.” The order states the entire network be “eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.”
Posting on X last month, Musk wrote that “nobody listens to (VOA) anymore” and that it’s “just radical left crazy people talking to themselves while torching” taxpayer dollars.
Former Arizona candidate for both Senator and Governor, Kari Lake, has been appointed by Trump to run VOA, pending the OK from the International Broadcasting Advisory Board. Lake is a former news anchor and journalist. In a memo to staff, she wrote, “I am committed to quickly reforming and modernizing the agency into something the American people are willing to support.”
It is good to see broad coverage of this story in both Inside Radio and Radio Ink this morning as well as coverage in Radio World. James Cridland led off his fine newsletter with the story, emphasizing the importance of VOA’s “soft power” in an increasingly unsettled world.
He concludes his coverage with a simple and emphatic conclusion about the gutting of VOA:
“It’s a massive mistake to close it.”
This is the first inning for the Trump administration’s assault on media outlets (as well as shows and personalities) it doesn’t care for.
In the next couple weeks, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene will grab the gavel to chair hearing about the future of public media funding arm, the Corporation For Public Broadcasting which provides taxpayer dollars for PBS and NPR – as well as stations around the country.
For most major market public media outlets, government funding is now in the single digits. It is stations in smaller cities and towns as well as independent community broadcasters who are now under the gravest threat. And that means many more regions will become what are known as “news deserts.”
But, what does all this mean to the thousands of radio people in the U.S. today, going about their business, broadcasting shows, doing remotes, and serving their communities?
The VOA staff was comprised of radio people, too. And while their service never competed for ratings or revenue, it was about spreading and sharing America’s values to the world. While we can argue about VOA’s execution, those are lofty goals.
Our politics may not be in lock-step with one another. But no matter which side of the spectrum we may be on, maybe there’s common ground when we look at radio’s value, its power, and it ability to communicate ideas.
Whether you were a P1 for Rush, Howard, or Terry Gross, they all have a place on the radio dial.
But now, a once-powerful radio voice is being snuffed out as we sit down to fill out our March Madness Brackets or knock back a beverage on St. Paddy’s Day.
That’s right – we can sit down and watch this parade go by, feeling fortunate we’re not affected. Or we can express our concerns for how this is all going down.
OK, I’ll start. It sucks.
A comprehensive story about the VOA’s plight is in a recent story from Associated Press. You can read it here.
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Thank you Fred.
It was my dream job. I’d been a VOA fan since my early teens when Dad brought home a shortwave receiver.
I said that in my interview, knowing shortwave was dying. Affiliates were the future, and the Internet would follow. I’d already led a team at Metro Networks that successfully courted affiliates for a dozen years.
I asked if I could visit a big shortwave station before they shut down. My first trip was to Prague and Munich, where I saw those 250kW flamethrowers in action.
We pushed for audience growth in steps, and it worked—from 150 million to 375 million when I left in 2018, now over 400 million.
Problems? Sure. Dysfunction? Of course. But name a media outlet without crises—especially one as diverse as VOA.
Meanwhile, they’re toasting in Moscow, Beijing, and every place repression thrives.
When a majority enjoys the rights of a nation without regard for its responsibilities, a void is created, then exploited like we are seeing now.
The opposition to such moves as shutting off VOA would have been better served to have a plan for what to do when “they” arrive, since the “they” of any historical period feast on complacency and confusion. “They” are no longer asking for cooperation, if they ever were. “They” are not knocking at the door—they’re kicking it in.
You can shut off a transmitter. You can’t shut off a belief.
Thanks for posting this, Fred, and especially for posting the Martin Niemöler poem. Those who do not learn from history may be doomed to repeat it.
When I saw the VOA story over the weekend, my first thought was, “Onion headline.” I’ve had that thought a lot lately. This one is disturbing. It’s not a radio story. It’s a Democracy, Freedom, 1st Amendment, and ‘What’s Next’ story.
Thanks for speaking up, Fred.
Vital Service. Sad.