Washington, D.C., March 31, 2006 - Beginning this Sunday, April 2, the Voice of America's (VOA) English to Africa Service will launch a new and exciting program lineup for its African audience. Millions of VOA listeners across the continent will receive more in-depth local and world news, breaking news reports, and a broader range of topical features covering social and political issues, developments in science and technology, African youth, lifestyle and music, and much more.
"It's very important that we respond to the needs of our audience," said VOA Director David S. Jackson. "Millions of people across the continent rely on VOA for accurate and up-to-the-minute local and world news, but also for information that's targeted to their needs and interests-health, education, technology, sports, music-and we do our best to provide that information," he added.
Enhancements will include additional broadcasts of Daybreak Africa paired with World News Now, a 30-minute world news package, creating four hours of seamless and comprehensive news coverage; Africa News Tonight will air feature segments examining developments in science, the environment, lifestyle and culture, and business; and Nightline Africa, a longtime VOA listener favorite, will include a weekly round-up of African news during its weekend magazine show.
VOA music fans will also enjoy the new lineup, which introduces African Beat, a new, lively, up-beat African music show featuring a mix of Pan-African music, and the latest dance tunes from hot clubs around the continent. In addition, VOA's Hip-Hop Connection will now have two original shows each weekend, and the ever-popular Music Time in Africa show has expanded to a full hour each day on Saturday and on Sunday.
An expanded lineup of half-hour discussion shows covering news, health, general interest topics and sports will run Monday through Friday, and VOA's popular live call-in show, Straight Talk Africa, will continue to provide viewers with expert analysis and discussion of Africa-related news and events.
For a complete listing of English to Africa programs, visit our website at www.VOAAfrica.com. VOA's English to Africa broadcasts targeted programming 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to Anglophone Africa through shortwave, television, the Internet, and a growing list of more than 40 affiliates, including seven 24-hour FM stations in Africa.
The Voice of America, which first went on the air in 1942, is a multimedia international broadcasting service funded by the U.S. government through the Broadcasting Board of Governors. VOA broadcasts more than 1000 hours of news, information, educational, and cultural programming every week to an estimated worldwide audience of more than 100 million people. Programs are produced in 44 languages.
For more information, call the Office of Public Affairs at (202) 203-4959, or E-Mail publicaffairs@voa.gov.
