US-based Radio Free Asia to suspend broadcasts amid government shutdown, budget cuts

Zeynep Katre Oran and Seyit Kurt

ANKARA / ISTANBUL (AA) - US-based broadcaster Radio Free Asia (RFA) announced Wednesday that it will suspend operations starting Oct. 31 for the first time in its 29-year history due to the government shutdown and budget cuts.

RFA said the decision follows funding reductions ordered by the Trump administration for several federally financed media organizations.

Bay Fang, RFA’s President and CEO, said in a statement that the broadcaster had been forced to suspend its services amid financial uncertainty.

“Because of the fiscal reality and uncertainty about our budgetary future, RFA has been forced to suspend all remaining news content production -- for the first time in its 29 years of existence,” Fang said.

RFA operates under the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), whose budget was recently reduced following President Donald Trump’s directive.

As a result, nearly three-quarters of RFA employees have been placed on unpaid leave, and reports indicate that further layoffs could follow if new funding is not secured.

Founded in 1996 under the International Broadcasting Act, RFA provides independent news to audiences in China, Myanmar, North Korea, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos.

Similarly, Voice of America, another state-funded broadcaster, has also been affected by the budget reductions, with about 600 employees reportedly laid off.