The Senate has recently confirmed three new members to the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), the U.S. government’s international broadcasting arm.  In January, the Department of State’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a report which criticized a number of management flaws inherent in the BBG, stating, “the chronic vacancies and absences of Board members threaten the quorum required for the Board to act.”  The recent selection of Jeffrey Shell, Matthew C. Armstrong, and Ryan C. Crocker to the Board demonstrates an effort to fill the vacancies that have plagued the governing body of U.S. international broadcasting.  The selection and confirmation of these three individuals could be the beginning of a series of suggested reforms that help to point the BBG in the right direction.

The vacancies in management have been a characteristic in the management of the BBG since its formation.  The Board itself has only been fully staffed for seven out of its seventeen year existence, hampering its ability to achieve the quorum necessary to operate.  This lack of top level consensus among the leadership at the BBG has had a negative effect on the organization of the agency, leading the OIG to label it as “dysfunctional.”  The selection of these three governors could add some dependency and reliability to the top level leadership positions that the OIG suggests it needs.

In 2012, the BBG launched a five year strategic plan known as “Impact Through Innovation and Integration.”  This plan laid out the framework designed to reinvigorate the BBG while setting the goal to become “the world’s leading international news agency.” The OIG report, however, found that while this plan exhibited a strong initial promise of success, it eventually stalled because of management failures stemming from “a flawed legislative structure and acute internal dissension.”  The part time nature of the Board’s members and the lack of the necessary full quorum largely contributed to these management failures.

The addition of Shell, Armstrong and Crocker to the Board could bring the management experience and consistency that the BBG requires.  Due to its lack of consistent management, the BBG has seen a lack of progress in short term goal setting and therefore little progress in achieving its long term strategic plan.  The confirmation of these three board members may allow the Board the ability to not only develop these goals but also legislate tangible measures to bring them about.  The establishment of a strong proper leadership is step in the right direction in the BBG’s efforts to revamp its mission and achieve its strategic objectives.

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