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Radio Free Asia Vietnamese Broadcasts
MS.SEA.005
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Contributing Institution:
Special Collections and Archives, University of California, Irvine Libraries
Title: Radio Free Asia Vietnamese broadcasts
Identifier/Call Number: MS.SEA.005
Physical Description:
137.4 Linear Feet
(189 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1997-2002
Abstract: The collection is comprised of broadcast transcripts and audio recordings of the Radio Free Asia (RFA) Vietnamese radio programs
for the years 1997-2002 (later years are retained by RFA). The broadcast transcripts include a morning and evening broadcast
for each day, and are accompanied by audio cassette recordings for most of the transcripts. The radio programs include news
articles of events occurring that day, as well as commentary on world events. The recordings are in Vietnamese, while the
transcripts are in Vietnamese and/or English.
Language of Material:
English
.
Five business days advanced notice is required for access because the bulk of the materials are stored offsite. Please contact
Special Collections and Archives in advance to request access.
Original sound recordings may not be used. Researchers must request that duplicate use copies be made for access.
Property rights reside with the University of California. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and
their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or to publish, please contact the Southeast Asian Archive Librarian.
Radio Free Asia Vietnamese Broadcasts. MS-SEA005. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California.
Date accessed.
For the benefit of current and future researchers, please cite any additional information about sources consulted in this
collection, including permanent URLs, item or folder descriptions, and box/folder locations.
Gift of Nguyen Ngoc Bich, Director of Radio Free Asia, 1997-2002.
Processed by Julia Stringfellow, 2004. Translation services provided by Thu Huyen, 2004. Processing was supported by a National
Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant.
Radio Free Asia (RFA), a private, non-profit corporation, aired its first broadcast in Mandarin to China on September 29,
1996. Its first Vietnamese broadcast aired on February 5, 1997. Located in Washington D.C., the organization was founded to
broadcast news and information from an American viewpoint to Asian countries where full and accurate news reports were not
available. Besides its news broadcasts, RFA is also a "university of the air," meaning that it broadcasts works of fiction
and nonfiction that would be censored in RFA's target countries. The organization is funded by grants from the United States
Congress, and it is journalistically independent. The autonomy of RFA is vital to providing objective domestic news and information.
Daily broadcasts include reports from correspondents throughout Asia. RFA broadcasts are in the local languages and dialects
of each of its target countries, including Vietnamese, Lao, Mandarin, Cantonese, Cambodian, and Korean. The broadcasts serve
as the free press lacking in the countries, and the news and commentary is specific to each of the target areas. Since the
beginning, RFA has also provided its listeners with opportunities to call in to the broadcast and voice their opinions. Six
call-in programs are done daily where listeners can dial a toll free number and speak directly with a broadcast host.
Each of the 105 RFA broadcasters are able to record and edit their own programs simultaneously using the organization's studio
system and digital audio storage. All of the broadcasts originate from the central Washington D.C. office. In addition to
its headquarters in Washington D.C., RFA also has bureaus in Bangkok, Hong Kong, Taipei, Tokyo, and Phnom Penh. Smaller offices
are located in Ankara, Kathmandu, Seoul, and Dharamsala, India. The organization also publishes a monthly digest of top news
and features from its main language services.
For further information on RFA, see the organization's webside, www.rfa.org/english.
Collection Scope and Content Summary
The collection is comprised of broadcast transcripts and audio recordings of the Radio Free Asia (RFA) Vietnamese radio programs
for the years 1997-2002 (later years are retained by RFA). The broadcast transcripts include a morning and evening broadcast
for each day, and are accompanied by audio cassette recordings for most of the transcripts. The radio programs include news
articles of events occurring that day, as well as commentary on world events. The recordings are in Vietnamese, while the
transcripts are in Vietnamese and or English
This collection is arranged in 2 series.
- Series 1. Broadcast transcripts, 1997-2002. 103 linear feet
- Series 2. Broadcast recordings, 1997-2002. 34.4 linear feet
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Sound recordings -- 21st century.
Broadcasts -- 20th century.
Broadcasts -- 21st century.
Sound recordings -- 20th century
Transcripts -- 20th century.
Transcripts -- 21st century.
Radio broadcasting -- Washington (D.C.) -- History -- Sources
Radio broadcasting -- Asia -- History -- Sources
Audiocassettes -- 21st century.
Audiocassettes -- 20th century.