Who was VOA Thai’s audience?

VOA Thai’s U.S.-related content, world news and Thailand-focused stories aimed to inform the audience across demographic groups, with its digital content in recent years helping to sharpen a focus on young professionals and university students. Traditionally, these two groups have particularly been hard to reach through traditional media, including the communication channels operated by the U.S. State Department.

With eight journalists in Washington, D.C. and four stringers in different locations, VOA Thai managed a budget of about $1.2 million. It succeeded in reaching viewers and listeners throughout Thailand, both on its social media platforms with an estimated 800,000 followers and through more than 50 nationwide affiliates and partners. 

It provided weekly content to national TV broadcasters MCOT and NBT. Both networks aired VOA Thai’s international news packages. However, the content for MCOT was exclusive and often about the Thai diaspora community in the United States.

VOA’s brand recognition in Thailand grew substantially in recent years as VOA Thai attracted the fastest growing audiences on YouTube, whose demographic makeup was as follows:

• VOA Thai programs attracted viewers in Laos and Myanmar, in addition to Thailand as the primary market.
• The content effectively captured urban viewers, not only in Bangkok, but also in Chiang Mai (Thailand) and Vientiane (Laos).
• Growth in younger age groups correlated with more youth-focused programming.

IMPACT:

Former Prime Minister and House Speaker Chuan Leekpai and Asa Sarasin, Principal Secretary to the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, have said on the record that they followed news from VOA Thai. 

At the other end of the political spectrum, Pannika Wanich, then a member of parliament from the progressive Future Forward Party, had cited a VOA Thai interview with Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha during a 2020 parliamentary session to hold Prayut, who led the 2014 military coup, to his word that he didn’t have political ambition.

Which affiliates are major users of VOA Thai news?

• Regular Users

More than 30 radio stations throughout Thailand—in cities like Bangkok, Khon Kaen, Ubon Ratchatani, Hat Yai and Chiang Mai, and smaller communities in Pattani and Yala —used VOA Thai content every day.

Universities in all regions also picked up VOA Thai’s shows. Chulalongkorn University was a major client in the category, while Payap University in Chiang Mai was among the smallest. 

In addition, VOA Thai had weekly programs with MCOT’s national TV channel and MCOT 100.5 FM. The podcast-style show, “Good Morning ASEAN,” broadcast through 100.5 FM, was also nationwide. NBT regularly used VOA Thai’s video packages.

• Frequent Users

Today News, one of the biggest online news outlets, uses VOA Thai’s web content nearly every week in their international news podcast. Suthichai Yoon, a mega podcaster, also cites VOA Thai semi-regularly on his show. These two news outlets have a combined social media followers of more than 10 millions. 

• Big Story Users

Thailand’s biggest morning news show, ‘Rueng Lao Chao Nee,’ and large online news outlets such as The Standard and Thai Rath Online, as well as urban staple Thai PBS, relied on VOA Thai as their source on major stories in the U.S., particularly during U.S. midterm and presidential elections. 

Take the 2024 elections for example. All of the media affiliates and partners mentioned above, plus TV Channel 3, 5 and 7, used VOA Thai’s reports in their news programs, allowing VOA content to reach different age groups in all corners of the country.

IMPACT:

In 2023, a year after the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine, TV Channel 5, which the Thai military controls, and had aired Russian narrative of the war, pivoted to VOA Thai and became a partner. In reflecting on the nascent relationship with VOA, Channel 5’s international news team wrote in March 27, 2025, “We were absolutely delighted to consistently use VOA Thai’s content which has diverse perspectives. We want to praise the VOA team for its professionalism, quality and long-lasting credibility.”

What are exclusive programs by VOA Thai and their impact?

While VOA Thai relied on the affiliate model to strategically broaden impact, given its lean staffing, some of its exclusive content was tailored toward specific goals:

• Weekly short videos taught English words aimed at university students.
• Monthly podcasts on VOA Thai’s social media attracted young listeners with topics like studying in the U.S., scholarships, and freelance jobs.
• Monthly English feature stories provided insight into political updates in Thailand and its relationships with major world powers.
• Monthly investigative ‘Big Story’ reports strengthened VOA’s reputation by sharing important stories that Thai media often missed, including projects that revealed Chinese and Russian activities that affect U.S. interests in Thailand.
• Annual documentary films helped VOA Thai stand out from foreign competitors and local media. The Thai team won an agency wide competition and received funding for documentaries for two consecutive years. This content helped VOA Thai engage more with universities across Thailand.

IMPACT:

Exclusive English-language stories such as an article on a Thailand-China submarine deal, comprehensive stories in early 2025 with the Mandarin service on the fate of Uyghur refugees detained in Thailand, and a swift report based on Secretary of U.S. State Marco Rubio’s announcement of his stance on the Uyghurs, carried wider impact beyond Thailand. The submarine story had 40K+ hits on the main voanews.com website.

The VOA Thai journalists have broken stories like American expats waiting for mRNA COVID vaccines, and produced such original features as the emergence of Thai young activists. These scoops prompted major U.S. outlets to follow suit.

Documentary-film making insiders said it usually requires $100,000 budget to produce a documentary worthy of an award nomination at respectable film festivals. On contrary, VOA Thai’s film that won a Bronze Award at NY Festivals was carried out with the $5,000 grant money from the VOA Director’s Office.

How has VOA Thai expanded its impact through the journalistic community in the country?

For over a decade, VOA Thai has held various annual engagements with media organizations and universities across Thailand.

IMPACT:

In the past few years, VOA Thai launched on-site campaigns to engage with thousands of Thai youths at universities across the country, through seminars and lectures that underlined values of democratic society, free press and ethics in journalism. 

Target groups of these activities include college students in restive South and at local institutions in the North and Northeast. From 2022 to 2024, VOA led a total of 17 events for university students, a third of which entailed a preliminary User-Generated-Content project inviting youths to come up with their short film ideas about their communities. 

VOA Thai worked with USAGM to provide capacity-enhancing workshops for hundreds of journalists and news media mangers in Thailand on critical topics in journalism including ethics and tools to counter misinformation and disinformation.

Following are examples of recent activities.

12-14 September 2022 – Seminar/Workshop ~40 journalists and managers of new agencies across Thailand on Misinformation, Disinformation and Journalistic Best Practices. 

March 9, 2023 – Presentation: ~50 students and local broadcasters at Chiang Mai University on Documentary Film-making after VOA Thai’s documentary ‘Who’s My Dad?’ on Vietnam War won a Bronze Award at New York Festivals TV and Film Awards.

March 9, 2023 – Presentation: ~100 students at Maejo University on documentary film-making

July 18, 2023 – Presentation: ~500 students at Bangkok University on documentary film-making 

July 19, 2023 – Speaking with ~100 students at Prince of Songkla University in Pattani Province on documentary film-making

July 20, 2023 – Discussion with ~100 students at Thaksin University in Songkla Province on documentary film-making

July 21, 2023 – Presentation: ~100 students at Yala Rajabhat University in Yala Province on documentary film-making

July 22, 2023 – Screening Event: ~20 local movie enthusiasts in Had Yai in Songkla Province on documentary film-making

September 27, 2023 – Online Presentation: ~100 students at Chiang Mai University on documentary film-making and career path in journalism

February 13, 2024 – Presentation: ~100 students on Insight, Knowledge and Experience on Media for Global Citizen at Thaksin University in Songkla Province 

February 14, 2024 – Presentation: ~100 students on Ethics in Journalism at Prince of Songkla University in Pattani Province

February 16, 2024 – Speaking to ~100 students at Yala Rajabhat University in Yala Province on How to Report Compelling Local News for the Community and Beyond

February 18, 2024 – Seminar and Presentation: ~ 200 students at Rajamangala University of Technology Srivijaya in Songkla Province on How to Reach Target Audience with News Media

February 20, 2024 – Speaking to ~100 students at Khon Kaen University in Khon Kaen Province on Journalism & Digital Media

February 22, 2024 – Presentation ~100 students on documentary film-making at Maejo University’s Faculty of Information and Communication in Chiang Mai Province 

February 22, 2024 – Speaking to  ~100 students on How to Make Audio-based Storytelling Attractive to the New Generation at Maejo University’s Faculty of Liberal Arts in Chiang Mai Province 

February 23, 2024 – Speaking to  ~40 International Relations students at Chiang Mai University on career in journalism

September 5-7, 2024, Seminar and Workshop on Ethical Use of AI for Journalism ~30 news media executives and journalists across Thailand. 

IMPACT:

As Thailand was hit by the deadliest mass shooting in the country’s recent history on February 8, 2020, media outlets clamored to broadcast live coverages of the tragedy in which 29 people were killed and 57 wounded, raising concerns about accuracy and public safety.

“In a training with VOA that I attended last year, it’s cautioned about our work that could be an double-edge sword. Sometimes media could worsen the situation,” Pinpaka Ngamsom of Voice TV wrote on her Facebook on February 8, 2020 in a post with more than 1.1K engagements.

In short, how has VOA Thai efficiently created an impact?

VOA Thai runs a small, high-calibre team with established records of journalistic awards and effectiveness in targeting thought-leaders and young professionals. The Thai Service has successfully been expanding and strengthening partnership with more than 50 news organizations in Thailand, while implementing creative ideas to launch new onsite activities at eight universities within two years. The work complements the U.S. Department of State’s communication goals to get its message across to the broad Thai public in a timely fashion when U.S. adversaries step up their propaganda campaigns.

Many projects by VOA Thai have helped protect and advance the U.S. interests in Thailand, ranging from lives of American expats during the COVID-19 pandemic to American businesses.

The VOA Thai team efficiently uses the annual budget of $1.2 million to create impact through countering disinformation, supporting free press, improving accountability and transparency in Thailand, and strengthening diplomacy through bonds between Thai citizens and Thai Americans.