The Voice of America, which first went on the air more than 60 years ago
and is funded by the US government through the Broadcasting Board of
Governors, is banking on humour and entertainment to reach and inform its
worldwide web audience.
The Daily Download, a five-minute video webcast, was launched in June
for streaming on the VOA Web site (www.voanews.com). The Download
contains US and international news, feature material, and other video
clips from around the web. Host Doug Bernard (a past winner of AIB’s
International Radio Presenter of the Year) applies a different “take” on
the day’s news, using humour and a conversational style to relate to
viewers and internet surfers. The Download was accessed nearly 7,000
times in its first month on the VOA Web site and has received fan e-mail
from Turkey, China, Iran and Cameroon among other places. Downloads
increased by 10.7 percent in the second month.
Web-savvy fans seem to love this fresh approach to VOA’s website. One in
Africa wrote that, “I nearly laughed my socks off; ” another from
Beijing said that he “loved the Daily Download,” and yet a third signed
off an e-mail, “…Go DD!” A school teacher reported that he used the
webcast to inform his students about current events.
“Daily Download is another news service for our audience, it has a fresh
approach, and fast-paced format to appeal to our overseas online
audience,” said VOA Director Dan Austin. “The webcast is free and
available through the Internet whenever people want to hear a concise,
informative and entertaining version of the day’s news,” Austin added.
The webcast is produced by VOA’s Worldwide English Division and can be
streamed live or downloaded to media devices such as iPods. Daily
Download will be offered for mobile phone access in the near future.