| Voice of America is discontinuing its 53-year-old Hindi-language radio service.
As a result of shifts in U.S. foreign policy and warming of relations with India, the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors has decided to discontinue the Hindi as well as several Eastern European services. In India, VOA Hindi attracts an estimated weekly audience of more than 8 million people to its 7-hour daily Hindi-language radio service. The annual budget for VOA’s Hindi service is reportedly $2 million. VOA is directing these resources to the Muslim world, such as Iran and Afghanistan. |