Existing comment:
The Voice of America is Born:
On February 24, 1942 -- 79 days after the United States entered World War II -- FIS beamed its first broadcast to Europe via BBC medium and long wave transmitters. Announcer William Harlan Hale opened the program -- a short, 15-minute German broadcast -- with the words: "Here speaks the voice from America." [Another sign: "The news may be good. The news may be bad. We shall tell you the truth." -- Announced William Harlan Hale during his first VOA Broadcast.]
By June 1942, VOA's broadcast operations had been transferred to the Office of War Information (OWI). Using a network of 23 transmitters, VOA broadcasters were broadcasting in 27 languages. By the end of the war, that number had increased to 41. |