A tribute to a voice that bridged continents, informed generations, and carried the stories of a nation to its people across the world.
August 22, 2025 – 12:00–1:30 pm EST | 9:00–10:30 am PDT | 8:00–9:30 pm GET (+4)
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/0voGeWFqTqasQpxYXle_wA
Echoes of a Broadcast celebrates the history, cultural significance, and enduring impact of the Voice of America’s Georgian Service. For 74 years, this service connected Georgians across borders, offering reliable information, cultural exchange, and bridged the Georgian experience across continents.
On August 24, 1958, Georgian Service of VoA faced a possibility of closing down. At that time, Georgian Association in the USA successfully rallied the diaspora in the US and Europe to ensure support for Georgian language broadcasts to be maintained. In September of the same year, Georgian Association received assurances from President Eisenhower’s and Governor Harriman of New York, that the Georgian service would continue.
Through conversation, remembrance, and shared memory, this event seeks not only to celebrate the Service’s achievements, but also to reflect on the lived experiences of Georgians and Americans, whose lives were touched by its broadcasts.
As a part of the Georgian Association’s collaboration with the Program on Georgian Studies, we are looking to collect and document additional stories, memories, and resources from diaspora. Should you have a contribution or interest to tell your story, please contact us so our research volunteers can follow up. If you’re interested in volunteering with this project, please fill out our volunteer form.
About the VOA’s Georgian Service
The Voice of America’s Georgian Service was established on May 26, 1951 — Georgia’s Independence Day — at the height of the Cold War. Its launch was marked by U.S. Secretary of State Dean Acheson, who declared: “Georgia has often been conquered, but never subdued.” This message, broadcast worldwide, underscored both the resilience of the Georgian people and America’s commitment to supporting voices of freedom.
For decades, the Service became a lifeline of uncensored news for Georgians living under Soviet rule. Its broadcasts provided not only political updates but also cultural programming, interviews, and stories that affirmed national identity. It was through these airwaves that many Georgians first heard reliable accounts of world events, delivered in their own language.
The Service also played a crucial role for the Georgian diaspora. Leaders such as Irakli Orbeliani, its first Bureau Chief and a co-founder of the Georgian Association in the USA, embodied the link between diaspora activism and international broadcasting. Journalists, storytellers, and listeners together sustained this voice across borders, creating a shared space for memory, identity, and community.
Even as technology shifted from radio to television and digital platforms, the Service’s mission endured: to provide accurate, independent, and accessible information, and to serve as a bridge between Georgia and the wider world. Its legacy continues to shape how Georgians at home and abroad remember their past and imagine their future.
Additional resources
- “ამერიკის ხმის” ქართული რედაქცია 70 წლის გახდა, 2021 (70th Anniversary, 2021) – A retrospective article marking seven decades since the Service’s founding, highlighting its evolution and cultural impact.
- 70 წელი დაარსებიდან – გაიცანით “ამერიკის ხმის” გუნდი, 2021 (70 years from founding – Meet the Team, 2021) – Profiles of the Georgian Service’s journalists and staff, reflecting on their mission and work.
- Joseph McCarthy’s War on Voice of America, 2024 – A historical look at Cold War-era politics in the United States and their influence on VOA’s development.
- “ამერიკის ხმა”: რადიოს ეპოქის დასასრული, 2018 – The End of the Radio Era, 2018) – A reflection on the Service’s transition from traditional radio to digital platforms.
- “ამერიკის ხმა” – 65, 2016 – (65th Anniversary, 2016) – Coverage of milestone celebrations, with voices from the Georgian diaspora and VOA journalists.
- Voice of America and Georgian Diaspora– Part of the Program on Georgian Studies at Harvard’s Davis Center – a Diaspora Research project, documenting how VOA served as a cultural and political link for Georgians abroad.
- Irakli Orbeliani – Archival materials on the Service’s first director and co-founder of the Georgian Association, a pivotal diaspora leader.
- Celebrating 73 years of Voice of America Georgian Service 2024 – Georgian Association’s commemoration of the Service’s role in community life and history.
- Biographical sketch – Irakli Orbeliani, the first director of the Georgian Service in the Voice of America – – Published by the Georgian Association, this profile traces the life and contributions of the Service’s founding director.
- VOA Georgian Service Marks 60th Anniversary, 2011– Historical overview of the Service’s mission and programming at its six-decade milestone.
- დინ აჩესონი: ხშირად ყოფილა საქართველო დაპყრობილი, მაგრამ არასოდეს დამორჩილებული – 26.05.1951 – Dean Acheson’s Speech, May 26, 1951 – The U.S. Secretary of State’s address launching the Service, declaring: “Georgia has often been conquered, but never subdued.”
