BBG Watch
Ann Noonan, executive director of the independent NGO Committee for U.S. International Broadcasting (CUSIB – cusib.org) has welcomed the appointment of longtime Voice of America (VOA) journalist and manager Kelu Chao as acting VOA director after the reported departure last week of David Ensor who served as VOA director since June 2011.
For several years CUSIB has been critical of management practices at the Voice of America and at the International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) which manages on behalf of VOA’s parent agency, the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), but the appointment of a highly respected China expert as VOA acting director has been met with approval among CUSIB members and other observers of the U.S. international media outreach agency.
Good news! Kelu Chao Takes Over As Acting Director Of Voice Of America http://t.co/K2dYIMv8IT
— Ann Noonan (@annnoonan) June 5, 2015
Kelu Chao’s previous position at Voice of America was Associate Director for Language Programming. She “directed the programming activities at VOA, providing oversight and guidance for the production and distribution of its television, radio, Internet, and mobile content in nearly 50 languages worldwide,” according to a short bio on the VOA public relations website. This Voice of America public relations page has not been updated and still shows David Ensor as VOA director and Steve Redisch as VOA executive editor even though Mr. Ensor has apparently already left VOA and Mr. Redisch reportedly moved earlier to another position at VOA.
It appears that “VOA Key Executives” website page has not been changed since last year, and IBB has not issued a press release on Kelu Chao’s interim appointment.
BBG’s “Senior Management” web page also has not been updated and still shows David Ensor as VOA director. IBB has not posted an announcement about Ms. Chao’s interim appointment.
“From 2008 to April of 2014, she was the Director of Performance Review, the quality control arm of the U. S. International Broadcasting Bureau, responsible for program review, management efficiency study and research functions. During her twenty plus years career at the VOA, Ms. Chao has worked in nearly every capacity: from announcer, field reporter, editor, Hong Kong Bureau chief, Mandarin Service Chief to East Asia Division Director, and VOA’s first Language Programming Director from 2001 to 2007.”