Friday, September 09, 2011

BBG 9/11 programming to reach millions around the globe





On the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, US international broadcasting offers compelling coverage of the impact of these events around the globe. Through on-the-scene reporting, local investigative journalism, social media and in-depth interviews with opinion makers and world leaders, BBG brings top quality programming to its worldwide audience of 165 million listeners, viewers and fans.

“The BBG is engaging audiences around the globe in a conversation about 9/11,” said Walter Isaacson, Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors that oversees all US international broadcasting. “From Kabul to Cairo to Beijing, our coverage presents a sweeping picture of how the world was transformed by the 9/11 attacks—and where it is a decade later.”

Starting in late August and culminating in live coverage on September 11, BBG programming includes the following:

Alhurra TV airs 50 hours of programmes focused on religious tolerance and interfaith dialogue: “The Road” documents the journey of six young men from extremism to tolerance; the “9/11 Generation” series features young Arab adults whose lives have been shaped by9/11; and “Hope Town”, a VOA-Alhurra co-produced documentary, tells the story of the peaceful coexistence of Muslims, Jews and Christians in Teaneck, New Jersey.


VOA broadcasts in-depth reports from Kabul, Baghdad, Islamabad, Jakarta and Nairobi that explore the progress made and challenges remaining in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, the complicated alliance between Pakistan and the US, the trends of terrorism in Asia and Africa, and the US continuing battle against terrorism globally.


On social media, from Facebook, Twitter to YouTube, BBG conducts an interactive conversation on “My 9/11”, “What’s Your 9/11?” and “What Does Religious Tolerance Mean to Me?” All networks conduct extensive interviews with those touched personally by 9/11: survivors, witnesses and families of victims, Afghanistan and Iraq war veterans, American community and religious leaders, residents in Afghan villages and ethnic Muslim Uyghurs in China.


Alhurra TV and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty score high profile interviews with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen, Senior White House Advisor Valerie Jarrett , former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, former National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley, former First Lady Laura Bush, Senator Ben Cardin, and global terrorism expert Charles Kurzman; and
Serving their audience of 165 million and in 59 languages, all networks will provide live coverage on September 11 from New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC including locations at the State Department, Capitol Hill, and California.
(Source: Broadcasting Board of Governors/VOA)