BBG Record of Decisions, September 2010
The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) met on September 17, 2010 in an open session in Washington, D.C. and agreed to the following items by consensus:
Adoption of July 30, 2010 Minutes. The Board adopted the Minutes from its July 30, 2010 meeting.
Adoption of Governance Committee Recommendations. The Board agreed to adopt in full the recommendations set forth by the Committee.
The recommendations of the Governance Committee hereby adopted shall govern Board operations and procedures and the interactions among the elements of BBG-funded United States international broadcasting (USIB), namely (i) the Board, (ii) the Board staff, (iii) the International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB), Voice of America (VOA), and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB) (all of which federal entities report directly to the Board), and (iv) the BBG’s private grantees Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), Radio Free Asia (RFA), and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN) (collectively, the Grantees).
The Board hereby announces that all of the elements of USIB are required to respect and implement this decision and the recommendations hereby adopted. Furthermore, the Board will require the management of the respective elements of USIB to faithfully implement and operationalize the Board’s decisions and to cooperate fully in the Committees and other reporting mechanisms on which the Board relies to inform its deliberations and decision-making.
Governance Committee Terms of Reference. The Board adopted revised Terms of Reference of the Governance Committee.
BBG Chair Delegation of Authority. The Board adopted a formal delegation of authority to the BBG Chair.
BBG Executive Director. The Board adopted a position description for the BBG Executive Director.
Interim By-Laws. The Board adopted, on an interim basis, BBG By-Laws as the formal rules of procedure governing the conduct of Board operations. The Governance Committee shall propose to the Board such further amendments to the By-Laws as it may deem advisable.
Communications and Outreach Committee. Governors Perino, McCue and Meehan are requested to co-chair a Communications and Outreach Committee. The BBG Chairman may appoint additional Governors to participate in the Committee.
Strategic Review. The Board voted to commence a review of BBG strategy in accordance with the review process and schedule of meetings proposed by the Chair of the Strategy and Budget Committee. The Committee should report back its recommendations so that the full Board may have meaningful discussions on subjects of strategic importance to U.S. international broadcasting. The BBG staff is directed to support the work of the Strategy and Budget Committee in order to allow the Committee and the plenary Board to complete the strategic review with input from the various elements of BBG-funded entities (each of which is hereby directed by the Board to cooperate in full in the completion thereof). In consultation with the Chairman of the plenary Board, the Strategy and Budget Committee may solicit the input of external experts to support its deliberations. At the appropriate time, the Board will endeavor to hold a public event to solicit further views on elements of a proposed BBG strategy. A preliminary schedule is in this attachment.
Resolution for Pedro Roig. The Board approved the resolution for Pedro Roig in recognition of his leadership and dedicated service to Radio/TV Marti. The full text is in this attachment.
The meeting was attended by the following Governors:
Chairman Walter Isaacson
Governor Victor Ashe
Governor Michael Lynton
Governor Susan McCue
Governor Michael Meehan
Governor Dennis Mulhaupt
Governor Dana Perino
Governor S. Enders Wimbush
Under Secretary of State Judith McHale
The Broadcasting Board of Governors is an independent federal agency, supervising all U.S. government-supported, civilian international broadcasting, whose mission is to promote freedom and democracy and to enhance understanding through multimedia communication of accurate, objective, and balanced news, information, and other programming about America and the world to audiences overseas. BBG broadcasts reach an audience of 171 million in 100 countries. BBG broadcasting organizations include the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (Alhurra TV and Radio Sawa), Radio Free Asia, and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (Radio and TV Marti). For more information, please call the BBG’s Office of Public Affairs at 202-203-4400 or e-mail publicaffairs@bbg.gov.