Pam Johnston, age 17, of Austin, Texas, for his question:

WHO OPERATES RADIO FREE EUROPE?

Radio Free Europe is a network of five radio stations that broadcast to five Communist nations. Exiles from Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland and Romania write and produce the broadcasts in their own language.

American citizens manage the network and control the content of the broadcasts. Radio Free Europe operates on funds provided primarily by the U S. government.

The stations broadcast information about the five countries that the Communist press and radio have presented falsely or have failed to report at all. About half the programs are made up of news and political commentary. The rest include cultural and religious events, music and sports.

Radio Free Europe's main operating center is.in Munich, West Germany, although its headquarters is in New York City.

The network uses one medium wave and 31 short wave transmitters that are located in Portugal and West Germany.