The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) and International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB)executives have been using the budget process for years under the veil of secrecy to eliminate critical broadcasting programs — such as Voice of America Tibetan radio and broadcasts to China, Vietnam, Laos, Turkey, Greece, Georgia, Latin America and Voice of America English in the BBG’s FY 2013 budget proposal — to allow these bureaucrats to protect and expand their positions and bureaucratic operations. Their latest proposal includes, for example, silencing of VOA Tibetan radio and firing of dozens of VOA English journalists and broadcasters so that the BBG/IBB executives can create Global News Network for themselves, their friends and contractors. A $50,000,000 five-year contract has already been awarded to Gallup while the BBG/IBB executive staff plans to fire almost 300 journalists, broadcasters, and other staffers and eliminate programs which this research supposedly serves.
GNN, a brainchild of the former BBG Chairman Walter Isaacson, a former CNN CEO, is nothing more than an aggregation of the existing content but it will allow BBG/IBB executives to assert more control over journalistic operations. It is also part of their plan to limit the independence of the surrogate broadcasters by merging them into a single administrative unit of which these bureaucrats would be in charge. An important part of their plan is also to limit Congressional and public control and scrutiny.
BBG Watch is publishing a document on the Broadcasting Board of Governors FY 2014 budget process to help BBG employees, media, members of Congress and their staff, and media freedom and human rights organizations understand how BBG/IBB executives go about eliminating critical U.S. international broadcasting programs and brand names from public domain and control.
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FY 2014 Budget Process: Schedule & Milestones
 
The agency is officially beginning the process for developing the FY 2014 OMB Budget request. The preliminary schedule leading up to the FY 2014 budget submission includes the follow steps and milestones:
 
April 4​ Entity head meeting regarding the FY 2014 Budget process
April 4 ​Budget Office provides FY 2013 Congressional narratives to Entities to be updated for 2014 OMB Request
Mid-April ​Agency senior management strategy meetings to discuss direction and priorities for the FY 2014 submission; senior management discusses budget scenarios
April 20​ Budget Office issues current services data call
April 30  CFO/Budget sends FY 2014 OMB Budget Call to Agency Entities
April 30 ​Entity financial officer discussions of FY 2014 process – roll-out
May 4 ​FY 2013-2014 Current Services worksheets due from Agency Entities
May 25 ​Budget Narratives (increases and decreases), Investments, and Reduction Scenarios to CFO from Entities
June 1 ​Agency Senior Management Briefed on Submissions
June 7​ Budget presentations/status to Strategy and Budget Committee
June 8​ Preliminary budget presentations/status to Board
Mid-June ​S&B Committee discussion on entity submission and preliminary decisions on funding priorities.  Other informal S&B Committee meetings may be called as needed to adjudicate budget decisions and priorities.
Mid-June​ Performance budget narratives due
July 12-13​ Board Meeting to Discuss the proposed FY 2014 OMB Submission
July 16-30 ​Budget revises Submission as necessary based upon Board decisions
August 6 ​Update Current Services based on FY 2013 Appropriations Action, if applicable
August 10 ​Finalize Broadcast Hours and Metrics to be submitted to OMB
August 13 ​Preparation of FY 2014 OMB Budget Submission
August 20 ​Final Budget Review by Agency Senior Managers
September 10 ​Anticipated due date for FY 2014 Budget Request to OMB
Mid-Sept-Nov​ Agency responds to OMB questions, and meets with OMB to discuss submission
November 26​ Expected Date for Passback from OMB
November 29  ​Expected date of Agency appeal due to OMB
December 1-5​ OMB provides response to Agency Appeal
December 6-20​ BBG Internal Discussion of OMB decisions and finalization of Agency numbers
January 2-21 ​Budget Prepares Congressional Justification
January 22 ​BBG Congressional Justification Due to OMB
January 29 ​OMB Clears BBG Congressional Justification
January 30​ Budget Makes Final Changes/Submits to Printer
February 4​ President’s Budget Due to Congress