"VOA Deewa's first hour-long daily newscast marks the beginning of a new Pashto language radio program specifically designed for the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region," said VOA Director David S. Jackson. "This is an area that is facing significant challenges ranging from ethnic and political strife to poverty and health issues, so it's critical for them to have access to accurate and unbiased news and information."
The first hour of VOA Deewa Radio offers local, regional, and international news as well as features on topics such as politics, economy, health, education and sports. Special features are also planned, including an on-going series on Muslims in America and "Who We Are," an informative series about life in the United States.
In addition to the one-hour News Hour, Deewa Radio has begun broadcasting 10 minutes of regional and global news at the top of the hour for four hours every evening, followed by contemporary Pashto popular music on a 24-hour, 7-day per week basis. Over the coming months VOA Deewa Radio will expand to 6 hours of news and information tailed for listeners in the Pashto-speaking region.
VOA Deewa Radio programs can be heard in select cities on FM 100.5 and on shortwave from 1300-1400 UTC on 11510 kHz (26.06 meters) and 15645 kHz (19.18 meters). Deewa's News Hour runs from 1300-1400 UTC (6:00-7:00 p.m. local time) with 10-minute news bulletins at the top of the hours between 1400-1700 UTC (7:00-10:00 p.m. local time).
Programs can be heard online at www.voadeewaradio.com.
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 over 1,000 hours of news, information, educational, and cultural programming every week to an estimated worldwide audience of more than 115 million people. VOA programs are produced in 44 languages on radio, television and the Internet.
For more information, contact the Office of Public Affairs at (202) 203-4959, or by e-mail at publicaffairs@voa.gov.