In "The Week That Was in International Broadcasting," Alvin Snyder takes a light-hearted look at how various nations' broadcasting services are doing around the world. The big surprise: France Internationale's Radio Monte Carlo Middle East, an Arabic-language service, thinks that Radio Sawa is eating its lunch:
... The long-standing popularity of the French government's Radio Monte Carlo is being seriously challenged in its Arabic-language service by the American government's Radio Sawa. The Managing Director of Radio France Internationale, Antoine Schwartz, says that Radio Sawa has "absolutely…changed the lay of the land. It's a success, we have to admit that."
Schwartz comments on how pan-Arabic TV channels have increased the tempo of Middle Eastern broadcasting, then actually compliments Sawa:
... "The Americans have carried out an in-depth analysis of the market. They have defined a product that was apparently fairly well adapted to the market, albeit not perhaps well adapted to the wishes of the American government, but that's another issue. However, the results are there: they have taken listeners from other broadcasters, and from us in particular." ...
So hooray for Radio Sawa, which must demonstrate that its programs are having an impact on America's policy objectives in the Middle East, in addition to attracting a large number of young listeners. Perhaps Congressional oversight committees can articulate exactly what it expects of Radio Sawa now that it has its competition running scared. But Sawa deserves some time to catch its breath for now.
See Snyder's article also for how the BBC is using or not-using the word "terrorism."
(Thanks to the USC Center on Public Diplomacy's "What's New" newsletter for pointing me toward Snyder's column.)
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