PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Voice of America transmitting
The Voice of America transmitting station near Greenville, North Carolina, is now the largest short- wave international broadcasting station in the United States.
(Continued from page 45)
The Curtain Falls on Bethany Station Both during and after the Cold War, the Voice of America continued to expand into broadcasts in addi- tional languages, and even into media other than radio. But in 1994, the innovative technology of the 1940s was superseded by a new technology— VOA programming started being transmitted via satellites, and Beth- any Station was no longer needed. Bethany Station, the place that had broadcast the Voice of America for so long, was finally closed after more than fifty years of service. For several years the facility sat
T H E E L K S M A G A Z I N E
vacant and crumbling into ruin. Like many other American historical sites, particularly the few that document the Cold War era, it fell into neglect with alarming swiftness. But a determined group of American veterans is working hard to save this monument. VFW volunteers in West Chester, Ohio, have taken on the daunting task of saving the Bethany Station site, home of the “Cincinnati Liars.” In a grass- roots effort to raise funds and gather more volunteers, they have organized the Veteran’s VOA Fund. The fund enables the group to pay for repairs to the building and complete the job of turning the facility into a museum. West Chester Township is helping by building a park surrounding Bethany Station, but it has few additional funds to provide for the restoration itself. The veterans’ group now operates a gift shop filled with donated items, with all profits going to
the restoration fund. They are also collecting and cataloging materials to create displays about the history of the Voice of America within the station building.
During the half century of its operation, Bethany Station carried the Voice of America into Fascist-occupied Europe and behind the Iron Curtain, bringing the sound of truth into a world of lies. In spite of the threat of imprisonment or even execution, people in the former Soviet bloc continued to tune in to VOA broad- casts. On a recent tour of Bethany Station with a group of young Boy Scouts, a guide recounted the story of foreign visitors being brought to tears at the site. The guide recalled a grandmother whispering to her grandchildren: “It was terrifying. If my father had been caught listening . . .” she stopped. “This was our only hope in a very dark time.” ■
47
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80