Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06ANKARA1741
2006-03-31 14:10:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Ankara
Cable title:  

PROPOSED ELIMINATION OF THE VOA TURKISH SERVICE

Tags:  KPAO TU VOA 
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 001741 

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/SE (MORRISON),EUR/PPD

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO TU VOA
SUBJECT: PROPOSED ELIMINATION OF THE VOA TURKISH SERVICE

REF: ANKARA 1103

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Summary
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 001741

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/SE (MORRISON),EUR/PPD

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO TU VOA
SUBJECT: PROPOSED ELIMINATION OF THE VOA TURKISH SERVICE

REF: ANKARA 1103

--------------
Summary
--------------


1. Post continues to hear comments from influential Turks
alarmed by the possible elimination of the VOA Turkish
Service. VOA serves as a compass for many journalists
working in Turkey's free but irresponsible media.
Elimination of the VOA Turkish service (while the Kurdish
service continues) would also feed Turkish suspicion about
US intentions with regard to northern Iraq and the Kurds at
a time of growing unrest among Kurds in southeast Turkey.
Contacts believe elimination of the service would send
exactly the wrong signal about the importance of Turkish-
American relations, and would deny Turks the opportunity to
get a "Washington perspective" on Turkey and the region.
End Summary.

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Cutting VOA Will "Send a Message"
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2. Leading Turkish opinion makers continue to express dismay
at the possible elimination of the VOA Turkish service.
Murat Yetkin, influential columnist at the liberal daily
"Radikal," told us that he starts every working day
listening to the early-morning VOA broadcast on NTV radio.
Yetkin says he values the "Washington perspective" of VOA
much as he values the "London perspective" of the BBC.
Deger Akal, President of the Diplomatic Correspondents'
Association in Ankara, said she and many of her colleagues
listen to VOA "every day without fail" and use the VOA
website as a source for news stories and to get an
outsider's view of developments in Turkey and the region.
When informed of the possibility that VOA could be cut, Akal
expressed "shock" and said that the US would "obviously be
sending a message" about the importance of relations with
Turkey through such a move.


3. Yuksel Yilmaz, Director of "Radio X," a local VOA
affiliate in Ankara, told us his station relies on VOA as
its only source of news programming. Yilmaz especially
highlighted VOA's "Hello Washington" program, broadcast each
Wednesday, which enables Turks from Ankara and across
central Anatolia to call in toll-free to talk to Americans
(particularly Turkish Americans) about life in the United
States and substantive issues important to Turkey. Yilmaz
explained that more than 30 of his listeners take the
trouble to call in each week, an indication that VOA has a
significant following at the local level.


4. Batuhan Yasar, Ankara News Chief at the conservative

station TGRT, which carries VOA television broadcasts, said
he has been getting increasingly positive feedback about
"The Journal," VOA's daily short package of US feature
stories. Yasar added that many viewers use the VOA webpage
as a "reference for reliable information." He said it would
be "wrong" to eliminate the service, a move that would "do
nothing to help eliminate the prevailing anti-American
sentiment in Turkey." Yasar noted that TGRT has been
actively engaged in discussions with VOA Turkish Service
about ways to improve and diversify the content of VOA
telecasts. He lamented the fact that while the VOA Turkish
Service faces cuts, VOA will continue to broadcast in
Kurdish and Arabic, a fact highlighted in news coverage of
the VOA story in Turkey's leading daily "Hurriyet."

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VOA Audience on the Rise
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5. As noted in reftel, the VOA audience in Turkey is
increasing, and the Turkish Service is heard in a number of
key countries and areas beyond Turkey's borders. While
exact numbers are elusive, we estimate that VOA broadcasts
reach at least 4 million Turks each week - 2.5 million on
television, and 1.5 million on radio. This is not
insignificant in a country with a total newspaper
circulation of just over 4 million. These numbers do not
include visits to the VOA Turkish website, which more than
quadrupled from 2003 to 2005. In addition to VOA affiliates
in Turkey, the VOA Turkish Service is heard by Turkish-
speaking radio listeners on stations in Kosovo, Azerbaijan,
and Kyrgyzstan. The VOA Turkish Service is also carried by
Turkish Cypriot TV and radio stations in northern Cyprus.

--------------
Comment: VOA Supports US Interests
--------------


6. One rationale put forward to support the proposed cuts in
the VOA Turkish Service is that Turkey already has a free
media - VOA's job here is done. The problem is that
Turkey's free media is notoriously unreliable. Turks
understand this better than anyone, which is why they seek
out fact-based alternatives like VOA and the BBC. The
elimination of the VOA Turkish Service would be seen here as
a lack of commitment by the United States to address anti-
Americanism in Turkey. It would also be interpreted by
Turkey's active community of conspiracy theorists as part of
a US "plan" to favor the interests of Kurds over Turks at a
time of growing unrest in Turkey's predominantly Kurdish
southeast. Such an outcome would be extremely unfortunate
at a time when our bilateral relationship is in a fragile
state of recovery following a series of shocks related to
neighboring Iraq.


7. VOA is also very useful in giving prominence to areas of
convergence between Turkish and US policy, thereby
countering the relentless negativity in the commercial
media. The Prime Minister's visit to Darfur this week to
deliver humanitarian assistance, which was widely panned by
the Turkish media, is a good example of how more objective
reporting could highlight a positive development and
encourage additional steps. Similarly, yesterday's
important MFA statement of support for the UNSC decision on
Iran was generally ignored in the Turkish press. VOA would
have undoubtedly given the story the prominence it deserved,
thereby encouraging the GOT to continue to support the
international consensus on Iran.


8. The US stake in a productive and stable relationship with
Turkey is enormous - from continued cooperation in
Afghanistan to help in stabilizing Iraq to adding a Muslim
voice to the international consensus on Iran. The future
development of our strongest and most democratic Muslim ally
is key to the US effort to achieve democratization in the
Broader Middle East. A Turkey that is firmly and finally
anchored in the West is critical to the United States and
the wider Western world.


9. Public outreach is one of the most important activities
of this Mission, and is vital to achieving these goals. We
spend a great deal of time and resources in our effort to
increase media standards and try to bring a more balanced
picture of the United States and US values to a skeptical
audience. Our job isn't easy, and our message is frequently
drowned out by the shouting and sensationalism in the
Turkish media. The VOA Turkish Service is an important
factor in balancing the scales and setting a higher
standard. We believe there are opportunities to expand the
VOA audience in Turkey, particularly on television in local
and regional media markets with limited access to quality
news programming. Given what is at stake, it would be
extremely shortsighted to nip those opportunities in the
bud. End Comment.

McEldowney