As her position holds a seat on the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), Sonenshine will be able to influence the BBG’s strategic planning process. This process has in recent years threatened to gut the U.S. international broadcasting services by redirecting resources from broadcasting toward Internet-only platforms, which are unavailable in many developing countries.

The Broadcasting Board of Governors and Gallup today detailed the ways in which their new partnership is helping the BBG inform, engage and connect with people worldwide in order to better serve their needs and support U.S. foreign policy and national security goals.

It is a message designed to entertain and to engage a particular audience: those without much knowledge of history and not particularly interested in current events but who can be easily reached by new media and easily counted in audience surveys.

“They are thirsty for information. They are thirsty for technology. Our big issue is access,” García Pérez said during a conference on the need for technological change in Cuba. He said, for example, Radio and TV Marti content is being distributed in Cuba via DVDs, flash drives and mobile devices.

The U.S. international broadcasting landscape will look different following the resignation of a key leader, budget cuts and recommendations by its main governing board to consolidate administrative services and reduce language services.

“Antena Live’s fresh format and new set mark a new era for TV Martí,” said Carlos García-Pérez Director of Radio and TV Martí. “The program builds on Martí’s high value news journalism, featuring one of the Martí’s most trusted and talented anchors, while focusing intensely on developments on the island.”

While the media still face many problems, as does the country itself, the creation of the media landscapes can be a powerful tool to counter forces of instability from dominating the country. Thus, if protected and utilized properly, the “Afghanistan Effect” can be one of the most powerful counterweights to a pre-2001 Taliban and Al Qaeda once again taking hold.