Voice of America in 21st century

I APPRECIATE Boston University College of Communications dean John Schulz's concern in his Feb. 24 op-ed on the Voice of America. There is a great deal of nostalgia from those who worked here during the Cold War for the days of banging typewriters and shortwave radio. To fight the war on terror, however, requires the latest in satellite television technology, FM radio, and the Internet.

Since Schulz left us to join academia, a family of broadcasting entities has joined VOA to produce broadcasts for each region of the world under the direction of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, an independent agency. In the Middle East, Radio Sawa and Alhurra reach an audience of more than 35 million, compared with 1.6 million for the pre-9/11 service Schulz describes. Far from just a ''teen pop" station, Radio Sawa is widely acknowledged as one of the most reliable sources of news in the Middle East.

The Bush administration and Congress have had a consistent vision to utilize 21st-century technologies to send America's message to where it will do the most good in the war on terror. That's why the broadcasting budget has been increased by 45 percent since 9/11, wiping out a 40 percent cut in funding during the 1990s.

KENNETH Y. TOMLINSON
Washington, D.C.

The writer is chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors.