IBB Director Richard Lobo Sworn In
Following Senate confirmation and Presidential appointment, Richard M. Lobo was sworn in as director of the International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) by Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) Chairman Walter Isaacson, during a ceremony at the BBG headquarters in Washington, D.C. on October 18.
“To succeed, we need to retain credibility, reach our audience through traditional media as well as connective and interactive media,” said BBG Chairman Walter Isaacson. “Dick is an expert at all of this.”
In his remarks, Lobo said the BBG is already well down the road toward this vision, citing efforts to allow Internet access in places like China and Iran. He also said the broadcasting entities that comprise the BBG are using a wide variety of new tools and technologies to engage and interact with audiences around the globe via a multitude of devices.
“People in the far reaches of the world continue to search for credible sources of news,” he said. “We must rise to this challenge. We must foster freedom through credible journalism and get it distributed all over the world.”
The ceremonial swearing in emphasized the future for the Agency and its ongoing mission.
“Dick Lobo, along with Chairman Isaacson, are the best team to meet the considerable challenges that U.S. international broadcasting faces today,” said Joseph B. Bruns, a former IBB director who currently serves as executive vice president and chief operating officer of WETA-TV, the PBS affiliate in the Washington DC area. “Their combination of journalistic experience, management skills and their dedication to ideas and ideals can finally fulfill the promise of an integrated and expansive international media that was envisioned in the post Cold War era.”
The IBB Director manages program placement and transmission services for the BBG, the federal agency that supervises all U.S. civilian, international broadcasting. The IBB manages a global network of transmitting sites and an extensive system of leased satellite and fiber optic circuits, along with a rapidly growing Internet delivery system. For the agency’s federal components, the IBB provides research, manages the evaluation of broadcasts and is responsible for VOA editorials, along with support services including human resources, Equal Employment Opportunity, procurement, security, administrative, and graphics.
Prior to his appointment as director of the IBB, Lobo served as chairman of the Florida Public Broadcasting Service, Inc. He was also president and chief executive officer of WEDU (PBS) Tampa/St. Petersburg/Sarasota.
The full remarks are available at
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