ferent series, including Party of Five, Third Watch, Providence, Early Edition, LA Law, and Hill Street Blues. In addition, he was the creator of three original series, Class of '96, Sweet Justice, which was presented with the Justice and Media award in 1996, and the CBS series Michael Hayes.

Prior to his entertainment career, John Romano was Assistant Professor of English at Columbia University and holds a Ph.D. in English from Yale.

Obviously, we have a very distinguished panel. I will request each of you to summarize your statement in about 5 minutes, give or take. We will be flexible, but that is our goal. Your full statement will be placed in the record, and I can promise you every word of your full statement will be read, if not by every Member of this Committee, then by a very representative group, including myself.

So, Mr. Pattiz, please begin.

STATEMENT OF NORMAN J. PATTIZ, FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN, WESTWOOD ONE, INC., AND MEMBER, BROADCASTING BOARD OF GOVERNORS

Mr. PATTIZ. Thank you.

Good morning, Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee. I am Norm Pattiz. I am very pleased to be here with you today.

So as not to irritate one of our partners, I want to add that along with NBC, CBS, CNN and Mutual, we also distribute the Fox Radio News network-just to show balance.

I wish to make it clear that my testimony today represents my personal views and not necessarily those of the Broadcasting Board of Governors or the Administration.

In your letter of invitation, Mr. Chairman, you posed a challenge to imagine a prototype U.S. public diplomacy initiative. As it happens, I embrace this same challenge at every meeting of the Broadcasting Board of Governors.

I would invite you to imagine something well beyond anything U.S. international broadcasting has been able to do before, something that uses American commercial broadcasting techniques to attract the largest possible audience to advance U.S. public diplomacy.

What I envision, Mr. Chairman, is a global, research-driven U.S. Government broadcasting network that fulfills the missions of both the surrogate radios and the Voice of America by programming their distinct content in state-of-the-art 24-hour formats on FM, AM, audio and video satellite channels and shortwave, that audiences use and that we control.

How could this ever be done? Well, we have taken the first step in this direction at the BBG with our new Middle East broadcast initiative. My first assignment when I joined the Board, which, incidentally, was exactly 1 year ago today, was to co-Chair the Subcommittee that reviews all of our language services as mandated by Congress.

The Middle East caught my attention. What we had in the Middle East were 7 hours a day of Arabic programming in a one-sizefits-all approach to all 22 countries of the region, broadcast over shortwave, which barely anyone listened to, and by a medium wave

signal out of the Island of Rhodes which was barely audible, and then only in the evening. In short, we really had no chance of having any impact.

The Board took my findings and then asked me to Chair a new Subcommittee on the Middle East. Last February, I led a delegation of the Board to the region on a fact-finding trip. We met with a host of government officials, broadcasters, journalists and academics and attended focus groups.

The trip confirmed that VOA had very little impact, but it enlightened us as to the opportunities for success. We saw that transmission means were possible and available, and we learned a lot about the audience.

Clearly, we wanted to target this at the under-25 audience, which represents 60 percent of the population of the region, and its future leaders. What we learned about the Arabs generally was that, although they were opposed to American policies, they embrace our values of freedom of choice and individual choice. Programming strategies, in light of that, started to take shape.

The Board received my report and approved a proposal for the Middle East radio initiative. We are proud that the President has endorsed this initiative, as did this Committee in its authorizing legislation; and I wish to personally thank the Members of this Committee who have supported us since the very beginning.

Here are the basic elements of the Middle East radio initiative: It is to use radio the way it was meant to be used, as a medium of formats.

It is to be a force in the market by programming 24/7 on multiple channels that audiences use and that we own and control.

It is to have a strong local feel in programming, content and sound.

It is to know the audience that we program to and to program to that audience.

It is to talk with people, not at them; to be a model of democracy in action; an example of a free press in the American tradition; to attract audiences by creatively using music and entertainment; and, most of all, to be credible.

We developed this strategy for the Middle East Radio Network long before September 11th. The public diplomacy challenges are now much larger. I believe we must enhance our government-supported international broadcasting into other countries with large Islamic populations. This includes the Caucasus and Eurasia, Central and South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa and East Asia.

The model of the Middle East Radio Network fits perfectly with the expansion into these areas. I would stress that TV must also be part of the mix. It is my view that we need a U.S.-sponsored 24/7 satellite service that would provide an American alternative to regional channels such as Al-Jazeera.

President Bush has been clear since September 11th that the war against terrorism will be long and complex. I think we can all agree that public diplomacy is key to our overall antiterrorism effort. I appreciate your invitation, Mr. Chairman, to think large about how best to advance this effort.

I will close by repeating my vision: a global, research-driven U.S. Government broadcasting network that fulfills the mission of both the surrogate radios and the Voice of America by programming their distinct content in state-of-the-art 24-hour formats on FM, AM, audio and video satellite channels and short wave that our audiences use and that we control.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Chairman HYDE. Thank you, Mr. Pattiz.

[The prepared statement of Mr. Pattiz follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF NORMAN J. PATTIZ, FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN, WESTWOOD ONE, INC., AND MEMBER, BROADCASTING BOARD OF GOVERNORS

Good morning, Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee. I am Norm Pattiz. I am very pleased to be with you today.

As you noted, I am the founder and chairman of Westwood One, Inc. Westwood One is America's largest radio network and provider of radio programming, serving over 7500 stations coast to coast. We are a leader in music, entertainment, sports, and talk programming. We are also a major force in the news and information business. We own or distribute CBS Radio News, Fox News Radio, CNN Radio News, and the NBC Radio Network.

At the same time, I am proud to serve on the bipartisan United States Broadcasting Board of Governors. The Board, as you know, supervises all non-military international broadcasting supported by our government, including the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, and Radio and Television Marti.

So, I appear before you today both as a private citizen from the world of commercial broadcasting and a public servant who's already actively engaged in our nation's public diplomacy. I wish to stress, however, that I represent my personal views and not necessarily those of the Broadcasting Board of Governors or the Administration. In your letter of invitation, Mr. Chairman, you posed a challenge. You've asked me to consider what I would do if I received the contract from the government to pursue the type of public diplomacy program that I thought would best convey to the world what we in America stand for and what our government is about, especially in this time of crisis as we combat the scourge of terrorism.

I am actually somewhat at an advantage here, I suppose, in that I have had this very challenge presented to me as a member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors during the short time I have served-in fact it was just one year ago today that I was sworn in as a Board member.

I think we have a fabulous opportunity to take what the government knows best in terms of our public diplomacy mission through U.S. international broadcasting and marry that with the very best of what the private sector knows in building audiences to come up with a solution that goes way beyond anything U.S. international broadcasting has been able to do before.

I want to recognize that U.S. international broadcasting does an outstanding job given the fact that it must broadcast in 60 languages around the world with a budget of less than $500 million.

But, what I envision is a global, research-driven U.S. government broadcasting network that fulfills the missions of both the surrogate radios and the Voice of America by programming their distinct content in state-of-the-art 24/7 formats on the channels-FM, AM, audio and video satellite, and shortwave that our audiences use and we control.

That's not only a mouthful; it's a tall order. But we've taken a step in this very direction with the Board's new public diplomacy initiative, the Middle East Radio Network. Let me explain its genesis and how it points to our future direction.

Because of my background in broadcasting, the first job I was handed on the Board was to co-chair the committee charged with undertaking the congressionallymandated annual review of all U.S. international broadcasting languages. What I saw shocked me. I was astounded to see how poorly we did in areas of vital concern to U.S. foreign policy.

The Middle East was a special case in point. Voice of America weekly listening rates hovered between just 1-2%. Yet here was the Israeli-Palestinian problem, rampant anti-Americanism, hate radio, and, yes, the breeding ground for radical Islamic fundamentalism.

We had no targeted programming for the region, just a generic, one-size-fits-all Arabic stream. We had no local FM or regional AM distribution, the radio channels

of choice, just out-dated shortwave. We scarcely had a presence in the region, only a few very small news bureaus. In short, we really had no chance of being successful.

I presented the findings of this review to the Board, and, as Boards are wont to do, they promptly asked me to chair another committee, this one on the Middle East, to develop a plan that would really put U.S. international broadcasting on the map in the region.

So in February of this year, I led a Board delegation to the Middle East to have my own look at the market and what we might be able to do. We met with government officials, ministers of information, heads of national radio and television entities, individual broadcasters, journalists, and academics.

What we heard on the trip sharpened our sense of the marketplace realities:

• U.S. international broadcasting has little if any impact in the Middle East.

• State censorship and journalistic self-censorship sharply restrict the flow of information.

• Arabs are opposed to American policies, but drawn to American traditions of individual choice and freedom.

• A complex media environment exists. Satellite TV is influential, but radio remains vital.

• The most influential radio services seek to appeal to better-educated young adults.

At the same time, the trip opened up surprising opportunities. In Qatar, the head of the Qatar Television and Radio Corporation (the same person who oversees Al Jazeera) greeted us by saying, "where have you been?" He was astonished to finally see American officials come asking for local FM broadcasting rights and other assistance, and then pledged his full support. We were met with similar pledges of support in Jordan and Egypt.

As many on the Committee know well, the Board has taken full stock of our broadcasting situation in the Middle East and has been proactive in proposing the Middle East Radio Network as a totally new service for the region. We are proud the President has lent his full support to this initiative, as did this Committee in its authorizing legislation. On behalf of the Board, I wish to thank the many members of this Committee who have supported us in this endeavor.

The Middle East Radio Network is a prototype for U.S. international broadcasting. It is an example of how the U.S. can, once and for all, be effective in key countries and regions. There's no reason whatsoever that our nation cannot have the reach and influence we seek in the Middle East and elsewhere

For this to happen, U.S. international broadcasting needs to come into the 21stcentury, using the same techniques and technologies that drive U.S. commercial media today.

Here are the basic elements of the strategy:

We're going to use radio the way it was meant to be used. Radio is a medium of formats not shows. We tune to a particular station because we like what that station offers overall. Think about the settings on your car radio and what they say about how you listen. U.S. international broadcasting still uses radio largely the way it was used fifty years ago. The 60 language services present collections of programs, packaged into programming blocks of varying duration. Not only does this sound dated but it robs our broadcasting of one key advantage of formatted radioa clear identity the audience can relate to and easily recognize. The Middle East Radio Network will present a consistent, uniform format that achieves a clear identity the audience can relate to and easily recognize.

We're going to be a force in the market on the air 24/7 on multiple channels that the audience uses and that we own. Being on around the clock establishes a fixed, prominent profile as opposed to sporadic broadcasts at different times during the day. We want to maintain a constant on-air presence and be available whenever the audience wants us. If they listen to AM, then we need to be on AM; if FM, then FM. The last thing we want is to be inaccessible. Which is why we must also have sufficient redundancy as a hedge against host government interference. Owning the channels precludes sharing or leasing arrangements whereby programming incompatible with our format and profile would air before or after ours.

We're going to be heavily "local" in what we program and the way we sound. All politics is local; all news is local—almost. The Middle East Radio Network will have a unique format of locally targeted programming streams together with a pan-Arabic stream. In the local stream, we will focus on local news, issues, and problems. At the same time, we have to sound local, which means employing on-air talent with

local dialects. The more local we are overall, the more the audience will see us as their own.

We're going to know the audience and program to that audience. For the Middle East Radio Network, we've already determined our target is the new young mainstream of educated Arabs under 30 and the emerging Arab leadership. Now, we have to know their particular concerns, sensitivities, needs, and preferences. It is especially important to discern what their interests vis-a-vis the U.S. are. This is what will enable us to resonate with them from the start. For Gulf Arabs, it might be Wall Street reports and English-language instruction; for West Bank Palestinians, background reports on the unemployment situation and health issues. Whatever programming connects, we need to use it. (Within an established 24/7 programming format, we can gain more audience precisely for the news mission.)

We're going to talk with people, not at them. We cannot forget that many of our target audiences are very skeptical, if not cynical, where the U.S. is concerned. Talking at these people will be pointless. They will simply tune out. To the maximum extent possible, we must engage the audience, as I describe below. We need an interactive communications approach.

We're going to be a model of democracy in action. Democracy is our nation's signature trait. We should manifest it in every way possible, both as an end in itself and a means to foster audience participation and involvement. People long to be queried, consulted, and included. This is doubly true of our key target countries and regions where democracy is fledgling or non-existent. Youth especially long for outlets to express themselves. Call-in shows, on-air voting, listener response lines, song requests-all standard fare in U.S. commercial broadcasting-must be part of our programming mix.

We're going to be an example of a free press. We'll sacrifice our audience and our opportunity to fulfill our mission if we don't play it straight. Skeptical, even cynical, audiences will hold us to an especially high standard. Like democracy, freedom is another signature American trait. We should exemplify our commitment to freedom by upholding the highest standards of a free and responsible press.

We're going to attract an audience by creatively using entertainment and music. We have to be realistic. The target audiences for the Middle East Radio Network will be young adults 15-30. They are not news-seekers first and foremost. We have to attract them with the programming they want to hear and drop in the news and information we want them to get. This means strategic use of music and entertainment. A major competitive advantage of the Middle East Radio Network is access to specialized music researchers who use state-of-the-art techniques to stay up to the minute on changing audience preferences. Since music will be a vital to our programming appeal, it must be absolutely current.

We developed the strategy for the Middle East Radio Network long before September 11. Now more than ever, the full force of this project must be brought to bear on the immediate public diplomacy challenges in the region.

But that is not enough. The challenges we now face are much larger than what radio alone to just one region of the world can solve. With the onset of the global anti-terrorism campaign, we have witnessed a dramatic enlargement of the challenges to U.S. public diplomacy. Winning hearts and minds has become a national security imperative for the U.S. virtually the world over.

For this reason, I believe the United States must now enhance up our government-supported international broadcasting in all countries of the world that have large Islamic populations.

We have a vital mission to counter misinformation and messages of hate regarding the United States by broadcasting truthful news and information and by faithfully representing our country's government and culture.

Beyond the Middle East, there are significant Islamic populations in the Caucasus and Eurasia, Central and South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and East Asia. Many of the countries in these regions reportedly have Al-Qaeda or other Islamic terrorist cells operating within their borders. Many of them also have problems of instability and violence due to ethnic and religious strife.

The model of the Middle East Radio Network fits perfectly with the expansion into all these new areas. I think it is important to add, however, that our expanded response must include television as well as radio. In my personal view, we need a U.S.-sponsored 24/7 Arabic-language satellite television service that would provide an American alternative to regional channels such as Al Jazeera.

Not only is the Middle East Radio Network a broadcasting model, it is also a potential organizational model. It revolutionizes U.S. international broadcasting by encompassing both the surrogate mission of locally focused news reporting and the VOA mission of representing America.