Usama Farag came to the United States from Egypt fourteen years ago to be a broadcaster in Voice of America?s Arabic service. Now he is the executive producer of VOA?s new program to the Middle East, Radio Sawa.
As part of his duties as executive producer, Usama Farag selects the music for the new program. He says that, based on weekly research reports from the region, he can target Radio Sawa?s music mix for each Arab country to which it is broadcast.
Another new feature of the Middle East Radio Network is an emphasis on broadcasting on FM. Although the station also uses some medium wave transmitters, most of the programming is heard on leased local FM transmitters ? greatly improving the quality of the sound.
Usama Faraq was born in Egypt, the oldest of four children of an Army officer and his wife. He was preparing for a career as a diplomat, but instead landed a much-sought-after job at Radio Cairo. After four years there he passed the test to join the Arabic Branch of the Voice of America, and pulled up stakes to move from Cairo to Washington.
Usama Farag says like many young Arabs, he was fascinated by American pop culture as he was growing up.
Usama Farag, who was 28 when he came to the United States in 1988, says that he faced no difficulties and met with no discrimination on account of his Arabic background.
Mr. Farag is married to a pediatrician, also from Egypt. The couple has three children. Their oldest child and only son, Omar, is seven, and autistic ? a term applied to children who are self-absorbed and have severe social, communication and behavioral problems.
Both Usama Farag and his wife, Samar Hussein, find their professions demanding and time-consuming ? sometimes at the expense of their family.
For the present, Mr. Farag is absorbed in developing the sound and impact of Radio Sawa, which went on the air at the end of March. His hopes for the future concern his family.