FREDERICK, MD: TV programming and communications firm 3 Roads Communications has been awarded a two-year contract by the Voice of America (VOA) to continue developing international broadcast products designed to present US policies, culture, and institutions in a better light.
The firm expects to work with various services within VOA, either helping to relaunch programs or develop new programming, said Molly Boyle, VP of operations for 3 Roads."What we do is go into VOA, and we work within their system and with their staff," Boyle said. "We help them develop the overall look of the show. We do anchor training and help them with production techniques."
In July 2003, 3 Roads worked with VOA to launch News and Views, a daily TV show in Farsi transmitted to Iran via satellite.
"News and Views gives Iranians a perspective of what's happening in the world that they would not be able to see within their own broadcasts," Boyle said.
VOA, created by the US government during World War II, currently broadcasts in more than 50 languages. In 2002, the US government also launched Radio Sawa, which broadcasts news and music aimed at youth in Arabic-speaking countries.
Upon winning the contract in 2003, its first with VOA, 3 Roads'
mandate was to produce a Western-style news and information program that would be visually attractive and journalistically balanced. The firm also has developed programs in Mandarin and Indonesian.
"These news programs are a vital component of our country's public diplomacy and will provide viewers around the globe with a more balanced view of the world, both inside and outside their country," 3 Roads president Russ Hodge said.
Hodge has worked for Fox and consulted for other TV networks
and programs. He also served as director of special communications projects for the Bush-Quayle campaign in 1992.
