About the Agency

The Broadcasting Board of Governors

The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) encompasses all U.S. civilian international broadcasting, including the Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), Radio Free Asia (RFA), Radio and TV Martí, and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN)—Radio Sawa and Alhurra Television.

BBG broadcasters distribute programming in 59 languages to an estimated weekly audience of 165 million people via radio, TV, the Internet and other new media. The BBG works to serve as an example of a free and professional press, reaching a worldwide audience with news, information, and relevant discussions.

The Broadcasting Board of Governors is a bipartisan board comprised of nine members. Eight, no more than four from one party, are appointed by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate; the ninth is the Secretary of State, who serves ex officio.

For more information, consult our fact sheet.

International Broadcasting Bureau

The BBG also oversees the International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB), which provides program placement and transmission services for all the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) broadcast organizations and manages a global network of transmitting sites and an extensive system of leased satellite and fiber optic circuits, along with a rapidly growing Internet delivery system.  Please refer to our Program Delivery Fact Sheet for more information.

The IBB also shapes VOA’s increasing use of the Internet, mobile devices, social media and other digital platforms.  It provides research and manages the evaluation of broadcasts and crafting of editorials.  IBB support services include human resources, Equal Employment Opportunity, procurement, security, information technology, administrative, and graphics support for the BBG staff, Voice of America (VOA), and Radio/TV Martí.

For an Agency organizational chart, click here. For more information about some of the offices, click here.