20.500.12556/DKUM-98766 Slovenski program Voice of America v sedemdesetih letih med proračunskimi rezi, Kongresom in jezikovno vitalnostjo diaspore: "Ko je Glas Amerike utihnil v slovenščini" The VOA Slovenian service in the 1970s between budget cuts, congress, and diasporic language vitality: “When the voice of America fell silent in Slovenian” Prispevek analizira ukinitev in obnovitev slovenskih oddaj Glasa Amerike (Voice of America, VOA) v letih 1974–1976 kot primer, v katerem se administrativna odločitev preobrazi v širše vprašanje javne navzočnosti »malega jezika«. Februarja 1975 je Informacijska agencija Združenih držav (USIA) iz proračunskih razlogov ukinila dnevno polurno oddajo v slovenščini – edini jezikovni program, ki je bil takrat v celoti ukinjen. Ukinitev je mobilizirala slovensko-ameriško skupnost, ki je prek bratskih podpornih oganizacij, tiska in političnih povezav oblikovala protest. Ključno vlogo so odigrali nekdanji senator slovenskih korenin Frank J. Lausche, politični emigrant dr. Ciril Žebot, profesor na Univerzi Georgetown, in urednik slovenskih oddaj na VOA Konrad Peter Mejač. Zakonodajna akcija v ameriškem kongresu je aprila 1976 pripeljala do sprejetja zakona, ki je obvezal obnovitev oddaj ter predstavljal prvi ameriški zakon z izrecnim določilom o Sloveniji. Primer osvetljuje dinamiko med zvezno administracijo, kongresnim nadzorom in slovensko-ameriško skupnostjo pri ohranjanju »malih jezikov« v institucionalnih okvirih velikih držav. This article analyzes the cancellation and restoration of Voice of America (VOA) Slovenian-language broadcasts in 1974–1976 as a case in which an administrative decision transforms into a broader question of the public presence of a “small language.” In February 1975, the United States Information Agency (USIA) terminated the daily half-hour broadcast in Slovenian for budgetary reasons–the only language service entirely eliminated at that time. The cancellation mobilized the Slovenian-American community, which articulated its protest through ethnic fraternal organizations, the press, and political connections. Key roles were played by former U.S. Senator of Slovenian descent Frank J. Lausche, political émigré and Georgetown University Professor Dr. Ciril Žebot, and VOA Slovenian Service editor Konrad Peter Mejač. Legislative action in the U.S. Congress led to the passage of a law in April 1976 that mandated the restoration of broadcasts and represented the first U.S. legislation containing an explicit provision regarding Slovenia. The case illuminates the dynamics among federal administration, congressional oversight, and the Slovenian-American community in maintaining “minor languages” within the institutional frameworks of major states. Glas Amerike slovensko-ameriška skupnost Glas Amerike slovenski programi hladna vojna javna diplomacija Voice of America Slovenian-American community Slovenian language service Cold war public diplomacy true false true Slovenski jezik Angleški jezik Znanstveno delo 2026-07-07 03:06:11 2026-08-27 13:05:00 2026-08-28 12:02:01 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 str. 250-272 št. 1 Letn. 19 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova NiDoloceno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 2026-06-24 94(73=163.6) 283707651 10.18690/scn.19.1.250-272.2026 1855-6302 RAZ_Hazemali_David_2026.pdf RAZ_Hazemali_David_2026.pdf 1 21B8F4045E9E53856A098FDF6B97A7A7 2a691b1a678e6e6790be955cd50f08ec6156db24002086c875a69be608652f3e 85bfe538-a207-11f1-95cc-00155d0001be https://dk.um.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=210708 https://journals.um.si/index.php/slaviacentralis/en/article/view/6187 1 0becc754-79a0-11f1-9e97-00155d580e34 https://dk.um.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=207985 Filozofska fakulteta Univerzitetna založba Univerze v Mariboru Slavia Centralis 0 0 0