STEVEN L HERMAN

New Delhi, India

Steven L Herman is the South Asia bureau chief and a radio/TV correspondent for the Voice of America. He will become North Asia bureau chief for VOA later in 2010, based in Seoul. Prior to taking his post in New Delhi in early 2007, Steven was a correspondent for VOA in Tokyo.

Over the years, from Japan, he also contributed news reports and analysis to other networks and programs including: Asia Calling , CBC, CNN, Marketplace and RTHK Radio 3.

Steven has also reported from the Asia-Pacific region for AP Radio, BBC Radio, CBS News, Deutsche Welle and Radio New Zealand. From 1996 to 2000, he was the senior executive in Japan for the parent company of Discovery Channel and Animal Planet.

As a wanderlust journalist Steven has reported from dozens of countries and territories including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Fiji, Gaza, Guam, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Israel, Japan, Kashmir, Korea, Macau, Nepal, New Zealand, Okinawa, Pakistan, Palau, Philippines, Sikkim, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Trinidad. He has met or interviewed hundreds of famous or notable people.

Steven's articles, columns, opinion pieces and reviews have been published in numerous newspapers and magazines, including the ACCJ Journal, Asahi Evening News, Asahi Journal, Far Eastern Economic Review, Harvard Summer Review, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, J@pan Inc., Japan Quarterly, Japan Times, Popular Communications, Proceedings (U.S. Naval Institute), Radio World, Skyward, Shukan Bunshun, Shukan Gendai, South China Morning Post and the Wall Street Journal.

Steven was elected for five consecutive years (1998-2002) to serve as Chairman of The Foreign Press in Japan (FPIJ) after completing a one-year term as President of the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan (FCCJ).

Steven also has been President of the Japan-America Society of  The American University and the Charleston (W.Va.) professional chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. During his award-winning career he has also served on boards of directors of the SPJ Las Vegas chapter and the California-Nevada AP Television-Radio Association (APTRA).

Steven was a print and broadcast reporter and editor with the Associated Press in West Virginia and Washington, D.C. before returning to Japan in 1990 to become a reporter/producer for the PBS/NHK co-produced weekly program Asia Now.

Steven has also had his share of media attention, being profiled or interviewed by ABC Radio (Australia), Akahata, Asahi Pasocon, Asahi Shimbun, Asia Media, CNN-IBN, CQ Ham Radio, Daily Tohoku, Daily Yomiuri, DD-Gyan Darshan TV, Japan Times, Kochi Shimbun, Mainichi Shimbun, Men’s Club, New Media, The New York Times, Kahoku Shimpo, Metropolis, Multimedia & Business, NewsX, Nihon Kogyo Shimbun, Time (Asia edition), Tokyo Weekender and USA Today.

Steven has also appeared in several TV documentaries as a subject expert on Japanese organized crime, including A&E's Red Light Districts and National Geographic's Taboo series.

Steven holds a B.A. in Communications from Thomas Edison State College, a post-graduate certificate in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University and has also engaged in studies, including post-graduate coursework and research, in such diverse fields as business management, criminal justice, Japanese language, media law and unconventional warfare at The School of International Service at The American University, AMU/ The American Public University System, Harvard University, National University, The New School for Social Research, Nova Southeastern University and UNLV. He served on the Advisory Board of the Waseda Marketing Forum, associated with the Business School of Waseda University in Tokyo. He was a member of the Journalist panel to interview applicants for the 2007-2008 Fulbright grants from the Japan-U.S. Educational Commission.

Steven was granted a 1st Class Radiotelephone License by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission and is an avid amateur (ham) radio operator. He holds the call signs W7VOA in the United States, 7J1AIL in Japan, T6AD in Afghanistan, VU3USJ in India, T88SH in Palau, 9N7VOA in Nepal, A52SW in Bhutan and S21VOA in Bangladesh.