How a Cold War «voice» Embraced Television After Ukraine’s Orange Revolution

In this research article, Adrian Karmazyn, a former Voice of America (VOA) Ukrainian Service Chief, presents highlights of audience research that was used to help the service adapt to changes in the Ukrainian media market and audience needs and preferences in the first decades of Ukrainian independence. Audience research indicated that besides strong coverage of U.S. and international news, Ukrainian listeners and viewers demanded more content relating to Ukraine and U.S.–Ukraine relations. When the service responded to these audience preferences by increasing Ukraine-related coverage, transitioning from radio to television formats, improving the quality of its presentation and rebroadcasting of its programs on popular Ukrainian stations and networks, its ratings significantly improved. This is the first study of this aspect of the history of VOA broadcasting to Ukraine. The study is based on an analysis of audience research and includes important statistical data. This information, which is for the first time is part of a scholarly analysis, as well as the appendices, are a valuable resource for further study of the activities of the Voice of America and its Ukrainian Service. Adrian Karmazyn worked in the Ukrainian Service of the Voice of America (Holos Ameryky) from 1987–2015. In the first part of his career, he served as a producer and reporter. In November of 1999 he was appointed to the position of Program Manager (deputy director) of the service; in 2004 he was placed in charge of VOA Ukrainian television programming to Ukraine; and then he became Chief of the Ukrainian Service in 2005, leading VOA broadcasting to Ukraine for a decade. Since his retirement from VOA in 2015, he has been affiliated with the U.S.–Ukraine Foundation, the Transatlantic Task Force for Ukraine and the Council on Foundations. Mr. Karmazyn taught journalism courses in Ukraine in 2016 and 2021 under the auspices of the U.S. Fulbright Program.