Washington, D.C., April 1, 2009 - Soweto TV is the newest affiliate to carry the Voice of America's (VOA) popular weekly call-in program Straight Talk Africa, starting today.
"South Africa is vitally important for us because of its political and economic influence. We can reach more people who are interested in the issues and our guests," said Shaka Ssali, Straight Talk Africa host and well-known Ugandan-born journalist.
Straight Talk Africa (VOANews.com-Straight Talk Africa) will potentially reach four million residents in Soweto, the township outside Johannesburg. Ssali said the affiliation with Soweto TV (sowetotv.org.za) will allow him to better showcase events and issues in South Africa.
Soweto, created during the apartheid era as a residential area for non-whites, is well known as the home of Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first black president, elected in 1994. Soweto's anti-apartheid history has made it a travel destination in South Africa.
Straight Talk Africa is simulcast on television, radio and Internet. The show features interactive discussion with Ssali and various guests on the news, political, social and economic issues developing throughout the continent of Africa.
The Voice of America, which first went on the air in 1942, is a multimedia international broadcasting service funded by the U.S. Government through the Broadcasting Board of Governors. VOA broadcasts approximately 1,500 hours of news, information, educational, and cultural programming every week to an estimated worldwide audience of more than 134 million people. Programs are produced in 45 languages.
For more information, call VOA Public Relations at (202) 203-4959, or e-mail askvoa@voanews.com.