Last month, NBC announced it had bought the Voice of America, as we noted at the time. NBC planned to use the name for a weekly musical series that will premiere on the network in a few months to compete with "American Idol." We also speculated that even sophisticated viewers here and in other countries might confuse the NBC "Voice of America" musical with that other Voice of America, the U.S. government's international broadcaster.

"Incredible India." For tourism purposes, that slogan has served India well, but it is insufficient to convey the identity of a rising world power...More and more, India is a significant player in world affairs, and yet it lacks a consistent profile that it can present to the rest of the world.

NEW DELHI --- “Incredible India.” For tourism purposes, that slogan has served India well, but it is insufficient to convey the identity of a rising world power.

Does radio still play a role in a world where that is increasingly cyber-connected and populated by smart phone users? The answer, according to Google’s Director of Policy and Planning Bob Boorstin, is very much a “yes.”

The story of U.S. international broadcasting is getting something of a fresh start, or at least opening a new chapter. Eight new board members sit on the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which sets funding and gives direction to those efforts.

Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) Chairman Walter Isaacson tonight announced a new direction for U.S. international broadcasting that "seizes on the latest media tools and technology to stay one step ahead of those who seek to repress free information around the world."

Despite the dozens of reports on U.S. public diplomacy, it is actually quite rare to see an in-depth study on public diplomacy, particularly in the areas of government broadcasting..Even more rare is an in-depth public analysis of the public diplomacy of another country by another country. This week, an Australian think tank, the Lowy Institute, published such a report.