57 delegates, representing 54 radio stations and organizations rebroadcasting RFE/RL programs in 16 countries from Kyrgyzstan to Kosovo, arrived in Prague to attend the Radio Liberty 50th Anniversary Conference "On Liberty" and Affiliate Assembly 2003. The geographical sweep was impressive, covering twelve time zones. One delegate, from Eastern Siberia, traveled six days by train to reach Prague on his first visit to RFE/RL broadcast headquarters.

Affiliate delegates and conference speakers gathered on 5 June at a hotel chosen specially for its symbolism. Conceived in classic Stalinist imperial style, the former Hotel International was built in 1953, the year Radio Liberty made its first broadcasts to the USSR. Now part of the Crowne Plaza chain, the hotel still retains its socialist realist murals and tapestries, featuring dancing peasant girls and muscular proletarians, but now conveys a very different atmosphere of European sophistication.

With a packed timetable ahead of them, delegates were bussed early in the morning of Friday 6 June to RFE/RL's headquarters to enjoy the display of the many books authored by RFE/RL staffers and contributors over the years and participate in the conference "On Liberty".

Following an intensive day's work, many delegates enjoyed either a late evening cruise down the Vltava river in perfect weather listening to the band on the Jazz Boat or a performance of Casanova at the Laterna Magica theatre.

Saturday's theme of "Marrying the Mission to the Market" reflected RFE/RL's determination to grow audiences in our target areas. Keynote speeches from BBG member Governor Robert M. Ledbetter and RFE/RL President Thomas A. Dine, and contributions from RFE/RL staffers and affiliate delegates affirmed the importance of the affiliate network in bringing the RFE/RL message to listeners and described the practical steps being undertaken to strengthen links with affiliates.

In his opening address, Governor Ledbetter, attending his second Affiliate Assembly, stressed the importance of affiliates to the continued success of RFE/RL. RFE/RL, like other US international broadcasters, is clear about its mission to promote and sustain democracy by broadcasting accurate and objective news and information. The principle challenge facing BBG broadcasting entities is how to reach large audiences in today's complex and competitive environment. "We must be flexible", said Governor Ledbetter. "We must use research, we must use all available technologies, and we must employ state of the art formats. In short, we must marry the mission to the market, and we are relying on our affilites to help us determine what listeners want and what we can provide for them."

RFE/RL President Tom Dine paid tribute to the work of affiliates in enabling RFE/RL programming to reach listeners, in addition to noting the tension between carrying out the mission and the demands of the marketplace. The market, he said, has no guiding values, "it simply chugs ahead, driven by the engine of popular wants and desires". The mission often dictates that RFE/RL conveys a message that is not always popular in the market. The challenge that RFE/RL programmers and its affiliates will always face is to make programs that are "consistent with our mission and attract audiences large enough actually to accomplish our mission".

Director of Broadcasting Michele DuBach described how RFE/RL programmers in Prague and the bureaus need to rethink programming and change formats and program styles to reach out to new audiences. "To remain vital as a radio station with multiple products and programs, we must innovate. We must put the human face on politics, making sure our stories are relevant to the lives of our listeners". To innovate effectively, RFE/RL programmers need to be flexible and skilled, and training has moved to a prominent place on the RFE/RL agenda. Finally, RFE/RL needs a definition of the audiences it wishes to reach.

Who these new audiences are was described by Paul Tibbitts, Deputy Director of Audience Research and Program Evaluation. RFE/RL's traditional audience tends to be male, very interested in politics and positive towards reform. It is still large and loyal, but these listeners tend to be over the age of 45. RFE/RL has identified new demographic groups to which it should appeal, principally in the 25 to 44 age band. These are what Paul calls the "Movers and Shakers", young professionals and business people, the upwardly mobile new generation moving into positions of influence, who are well-educated and sympathetic to RFE/RL's mission in building open and democratic societies. Alongside these are a much larger segment of society, the so-called "Apoliticals", who have much less time for politics and use media, especially radio, much less than the first group. Finally, there is the audience of the future, the "Engaged Youth", aged 15 to 24, still undergoing education, interested in politics and the REFE/RL mission.

Affiliate partnerships are of great importance in appealing to new audiences. As Director of Marketing and Affiliates, Frank Williams, pointed out, affiliate numbers are still growing. The day before the Assembly opened, a new contract was signed in Tatarstan, bringing the number of affiliates up to 271. But the main concern of the Marketing Department now is to make the appeal of RFE/RL more focused. While existing audiences know that RFE/RL programming has changed with the times, many potential listeners retain an image, often negative, harking back to the Cold War. As a result, developing a clear brand identity for communication to potential listeners will be at the heart of Marketing's activities for the coming year.

At last year's Affiliate Assembly in Kyiv, Virginie Coulloudon, Associate Director of Communications, Regional Analysis, announced a new project to make round-table discussion programs for television. These would be joint ventures involving affiliates, RFE/RL language services, Marketing and Communications, with each contributing their own special area of expertise. As Virginie told the affiliates, the promise was fulfilled. The project got off to a successful start in Kazan, Tatarstan, in August 2002, when Rim Guilfanov of RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir moderated a 50-minute discussion on the future of the Tatar language, using the studios of our local affiliate TRK Novy vek. The program received three showings on television, and was also broadcast on radio by RFE/RL and the local affiliate. A transcript of the program in the original Tatar and in English translation was placed on RFE/RL's website. The Kazan experience served as a model for further programs in Tbilisi, Belgrade and Sarajevo.

The round tables focus on issues that profoundly affect the future of the countries to which we broadcast - development of civil society, drug trafficking, political interference in education. This last was the topic of the Sarajevo round-table, and the resulting program was so compelling that it was judged Bosnia's best television program of the year by an OSCE media awards panel. Future round-tables are planned for Ukraine and Kazakhstan. At the moment programming is a well-established feature of RFE/RL's relationship with affiliates. Nenad Pejic, Associate Director of Broadcasting, described his experience setting up Radio 27, an informal network of radio stations in Bosnia that has grown to include 39 affiliates and produces two and a half hours of joint RFE/RL and affiliate programming daily. The aim was to generate active interchange between RFE/RL and its local partners. In programming terms, the partnership has been a success, with the joint program proving to be the most popular RFE product in the region, and competing stations from the state sector forced to move the times of their current affairs programs.

The most recent example of successful award-winning RFE/RL partnership innovation is provided by our Bulgarian language service. Its Acting Director, George Stoychev, described how 'Blitz', a 20-minute morning hard-talk interview show, brings added audiences to both RFE and our partner bTV at zero cost to both sides. Put bluntly, RFE provides the journalistic talent, star interviewer Georgy Coritarov, while bTV provides the technical facilities. The result is a program that reaches over 40% of the available audience for breakfast television, with must-see hard-hitting interviews with politicians and public figures on the hot issues of the day. The show won the Albena International Media Festival special prize for successful combination of radio and television. Additionally, the service's afternoon analytical program Studio Bulgaria goes out live on TV Evropa, Bulgaria's biggest cable channel, again at no additional cost to RFE/RL. Both programs are simulcast on RFE/RL's local FM network.

The importance of RFE/RL in the societies to which we broadcast was highlighted by Oleg Panfilov, Director of the Center for Journalism in Extreme Situations located in Moscow. Oleg is a regular contributor to RL's Russian Service. He has observed as media independence has been steadily whittled away in recent years, with the state steadily acquiring ever greater control over press, television and radio. Russia is now subject to the doctrine of a "single information space" in which "people must receive identical information". Three years ago, for instance, Radio Russia, the main state radio, stopped calling Oleg to ask for his weekly comment on media matters. Independent views were no longer required. In this context, he said, Radio Liberty has a special significance. "The responsibility of affiliates is that you carry information that can no longer be heard from Russian sources".

Throughout the day, the Assembly heard from affiliate delegates. Their presentations developed many of the themes raised by RFE/RL speakers, offering suggestions and ideas that will undoubtedly help shape RFE/RL's approach to programming in the future. Among the affiliate speakers, Stas Kiselev of Radio Garmonia Miru from Odessa in Ukraine described his station's opening of an AM frequency to cover the south of Ukraine and making it commercially viable. Konstantin Lukin of Radio Samara Maximum, Samara, Russian Federation, told of his project to develop a job finding service using his radio. Frano Piplovic of Radio Brod, Slavonski Brod, Croatia, whose station is also marking it's 50th anniversary this year, described Radio Brod's successful transition from dependence on the state to editorial and commercial independence. Croatian is one of the 7 RFE languages listed for closure, and the Assembly heard compelling statements from managers of stations broadcasting in two other languages on the list, Iolanda Stoica of Radio Impact, Braila, Romania and Jaroslav Doczy of N-Radio, Nitra, Slovakia that democracy and freedom of speech were not yet sufficiently developed to allow RFE to consider its mission accomplished in these countries.

In the evening, affiliates, RFE/RL Service Directors, M&AD staff and other participants in the Assembly gathered for the now traditional Gala Dinner at the Mlynec Restaurant under the shadow of Charles Bridge in the heart of Prague's Old Town. In a convivial atmosphere, relaxing after two intense days of listening and discussion, the final ceremonies of the Assembly took place. Plaques for excellence were awarded by RFE/RL President Tom Dine to Radio Brod, Slavonsky Brod, Croatia; Radio Activ, Sibiu, Romania; Radio Montena, Montenegro; Armenian Public radio; Georgian National Radio; Radio 021, Novy Sad, Serbia; Radio Svobodny Stil, Tomsk, Russian Federation; Radio Svobodnaya volna, Izhevsk, Russian Federation. A special plaque of recognition was awarded to Radio Dovira, Kyiv as a mark of thanks for the station's assistance in organizing the 2002 Affiliate Assembly in Ukraine. Finally, the 2003 Affiliate of the Year Award was presented to the manager of the station that has done so much to consolidate RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service as the leading source of news and information in the country - Rustam Khoshmuratov of Radio Almaz, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

As the shadows from Charles Bridge lengthened, RFE/RL President Dine had one last important announcement to make, concerning the venue for the 2004 Affiliate Assembly. After successful assemblies in Georgia and Ukraine, next year we meet in Montenegro.

No sooner was Affiliate Assembly 2003 over than two affiliate speakers returned to Prague. So impressed was Governor Ledbetter by what he learned of the work of our affiliates at the Assembly, he wanted fellow-members of RFE/RL's governing body, the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), to hear their story. The BBG, which oversees all US international broadcasting, including VoA and Radio Free Asia as well as RFE/RL, meets every month. Once a year the board, comprising 9 memebers, travels to Prague to see our work at first hand and meet the staff. And so Konstantin Lukin of Radio Samara-Maximum, Russia and Iolande Stoica of Radio Impact, Braila, Romania were invited to address the BBG and RFE/RL senior staff during dinner at the residence of the US Ambassador to the Czech Republic. Konstantin described how his station provides public services as well as good music, while Iolande described the political pressures small stations encounter in Romania. The presentations evoked lively interest among board members. For many of the governors, this was the first opportunity they had had to meet our affiliates and learn of creative approach of our broadcasting partners to the many difficulties they face in their respective countries.