BBG Reports 26 million VOA Listeners in Latin America

WASHINGTON—According to the Broadcasting Board of Governors, expanding affiliate stations from Mexico to Chile may have helped growVoice of America’s audience to more than 26 million adults across Latin America.

These numbers resulted from questions placed on Gallup World Poll, surveying samples in 16 Latin American countries, from September through December, 2012. The figure included a weekly audience of 18.7 million on television, 16.2 million on radio, and 8.3 million on Internet (including use of syndicated or reproduced content).

According to the BBG press release, the surveys also suggest that more than half of VOA’s Latin American audience lives in Mexico, where nearly one in five adults (14.9 million) receive VOA radio, Internet or TV per week.

VOA Director David Ensor said that last year, “the Spanish Service added 56 new affiliates, bringing the total number of our media partners in Latin America to 270.” He added that he thought the increased number of listeners indicated that their expansion strategy had been successful.