February 17 - First VOA Broadcast to the USSR

This Day in History: 17 February 2020

 

17 February 1947

 

73 years ago, today, the Voice of America began to broadcast in the Soviet Union, which was an important part in America's campaign against the Soviets in the Cold War. Initially, in 1942, this was designed to explain America's policies in World War Two, and to support the morale of its allies throughout the world but became directed primarily to West Europe after the war. It started to speak Russian to the Soviet Union, and the first broadcast explained how the VOA was going to show the Soviets what American life was like. The programme was comprised of news, human-interest features and music, as its purpose was to give the Russians the 'truth' about life outside the Soviet Union and to strengthen the relations between the Soviet and American people.

 

The first programme was fairly dry, as much of it dealt with current events, the US budget and political system and analysed chemicals. The music was wide-ranging, and the bad weather and technical difficulties caused the sound quality to be poor. Russians apparently rated the show 'fair'. However, over the years, the broadcasts did improve, as music had a prominent role in the broadcasts; the Soviets loved American music, and it was reported that many eagerly awaited the programmes each night. By the 1960s, VOA was broadcasting to every continent in a variety of languages.

 

Want to find out more about the VOA's broadcast to the Soviet Union? Click here for more information.