NPR replaces VOA

According to a New York Times story, the Broadcasting Board of Governors is determined to terminate Voice of America's presence in Berlin and shift efforts to programming projects in local languages in the Middle East (this would seem to fit nicely with Secretary Rice's transformational diplomacy concept). The slot vacated by VOA will reportedly be filled by NPR, which wants to establish itself as a public broadcaster. An NPR spokesman said that letters and emails from foreign listeners suggest the change will be welcomed: "They prefer programming with "no artifice, no hidden sales pitch and no slanting to sell a point of view," he said. They also enjoy the opportunity to eavesdrop on America's frank conversations with itself, he added."