Digital Broadcasters | VOA | "TV Ashna" On-Air in Afghanistan

Digital Broadcasters Vendor News has a second news item in as many days from Voice of America.

From increased shortwave broadcasts to Thailand after the Military Coup, it is now the turn of Afghanistan. There, from September 30, VOA Television will pump out a daily 60 minute program slot of "News" programming under the name of "TV Ashna" (means 'Friend').

The TV hour will be split equally between the two main national Afghani languages, Dari and Pashto. Each will have its own news bulletin and public affairs programming. The main television network to carry the VOA programming is Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) from its broadcast center in Kabul. "TV Ashna" is in the 1600hrs program slot local time in Afghanistan.

VOA's Shaista Mangal hosts the Pashto program and Lina Rozbih, the Dari program.

VOA sees this opportunity as providing a new source of regional and world news to Afghanistan's emerging television market. Some may well call it propaganda - news with an American slant, produced in Washington.

Obviously, the Americans want to put on - air, Afghani and American policy makers and political, economic and security analysts on issues of importance to the people of Afghanistan.

VOA says its "Radio Ashna" programming currently reaches millions of Afghanis daily with a 12-hour program in Dari and Pashto via FM, AM and shortwave radio that has proved very popular.

Now its time for the TV Ashna "with objective and comprehensive news and information that they have come to expect from the Voice of America".

http://www.voanews.com/dari http://www.voanews.com/pashto http://www.voanews.com/deewa/