Voice of America (VOA), the U.S. government’s international radio broadcaster, stands as the largest and longest-standing U.S.-funded international broadcaster. Operating in 47 languages, VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content distributed to affiliate stations globally, with a primary focus on a non-American audience.

Within the diverse VOA offerings, the Swahili Service plays a vital role, broadcasting to East and Central African nations, including Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Swahili-speaking communities across West and Southern Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. The service reaches an impressive fifteen million listeners weekly through mediumwave and various FM affiliates in the region.

To enhance its capabilities, VOA enlisted the expertise of Jamiro Broadcast for the supply and installation of three audio recording studios. The 1st Studio accommodates up to 4 guests, the 2nd Studio accommodates 2 guests, and the 3rd Studio serves as a dedicated voice-over booth for their TV studio. This collaboration marks a significant step in advancing VOA’s capacity to deliver high-quality content to its extensive Swahili-speaking audience, reaffirming its commitment to global communication and information dissemination.

All the Studios were equipped with:

• Rodecaster Pro mixer, Shure SM7B Microphones
• Sony MDR 7506 Headphones
• A 24” iMac with Audacity Audio Editing software.

The journalists are able to conduct live interviews from studio 1 by having guests come in the studio and recording multi-track audio from each guest for further mixing and editing later the audio is packaged into MP3 format and that is then sent to Washington, DC for transmission.

Our team during the installation stage

The installation was carried out in the last quarter of 2021 and user training was offered in January 2022 to eight (8) journalists on the use of Audacity software and Rodecaster mixer for professional audio recording and editing.

Audio production being the key deliverable for this project, training requirement was the major success factor in instilling knowledge requirements to the journalists. Jamiro Academy was able to deliver true mastery skills in audio production.

Jamiro Academy is a new subsidiary for Jamiro Broadcast established in 2022 to offer professional training skills requirements in the Broadcast and Media Industry with a focus on Audio, Video, and Data. Different modules are available for different users including Journalists, Technical Operators, Engineers, and Producers working in broadcast facilities or production companies.

“With the motto of “Spirit of Innovation”, the academy is set to bring forth innovative and revolutionary technologies in broadcast and media business, Says Benson Nyaga-Technical Director, Jamiro Broadcast.”

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