Radio and TV Martí

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former logo of the station

Radio and TV Martí is a state-owned US radio broadcaster based in Miami that produces and distributes Spanish-language radio and television programs specifically aimed at the Cuban population, as well as an Internet information offering. The station is run by the Office of Cuba Broadcasting , which is subordinate to the government agency for international broadcasting, the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG). The station started operations in 1985, has 119 employees and an annual budget of US $ 27.9 million (2012).

history

In the 1980s, the US government under President Ronald Reagan planned to set up a radio station Radio Free Cuba in response to Radio Habana Cuba , which would work on the model of Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty and contribute to the overthrow of Fidel Castro . There was fierce opposition to these plans from North American broadcasters and the radio industry. There were fears of violent reprisals from Cuba in the form of deliberate interference by Cuban radio stations against medium-wave transmitters in Florida . Cuban broadcasters have already occupied the frequencies of US radio broadcasters in the past in order to make their programs inaudible in Cuba. The US government successfully argued against the fact that Cuban threats must not hinder the high good and the right to freedom of expression, so that the broadcaster was approved by a law of Congress in 1983. Cuban exile lobbyists , including the then very influential Cuban American National Foundation under the leadership of Jorge Mas Canosa , were instrumental in establishing the station .

Radio Martí broadcasting studio

On May 20, 1985, Washington started a special radio program for Cuba from the USA - May 20 marks the founding day of the independent Cuban republic in 1902. The station was not called Radio Free Cuba , but was named after the freedom hero José Martí , whose intellectual and political legacy both supporters and opponents of the institutionalized Cuban revolution founded by Fidel Castro claim for themselves.

Radio and TV Martí's program mandate is, according to its own statements, to "offer a contrast to the Cuban media and provide its listeners with an uncensored view of current events". Former political prisoners, human rights activists, immigrants and Cuban exiles have their say in the programs. Numerous interviews with Cubans on the island are also conducted over the phone. A Spanish version of the US President's address and the opposition response will be broadcast on Saturdays.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, all US foreign services with the exception of Radio and TV Martí had to accept budget cuts. In the mid-1990s, the station moved entirely to Miami. He was now closer to the target area and thus underlined his independence from the Voice of America , in whose studios the programs were previously produced.

Radio Martí

Radio Martí broadcasts its 24-hour program via shortwave on various frequencies that are used depending on the daily and seasonal distribution conditions. Until 2012 the shortwave transmitters of the International Broadcasting Bureau in Delano , California and Greenville / North Carolina were used. After the austerity measures that came into effect in 2013, only the 250 kW transmitter in Greenville is available, of which only two frequencies can be used in parallel. In addition, a 100 kW medium wave transmitter from Marathon (Florida) broadcasts on the frequency 1180 kHz. In Cuba, jammers are used against all frequencies , so that reception there is severely impaired. Because of the special propagation conditions on shortwave, Radio Martí can be heard almost without interference in the rest of Latin America.

TV Martí

The television channel TV Martí was launched in 1990 and broadcasts a program of news, information magazines and sports programs five days a week between 6:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. local time. The transmission via satellite takes place 24 hours a day.

Some technical difficulties had to be overcome for the broadcasting of the programs. The transmitter system has some special features. The antenna of the transmitter was initially located on a tethered balloon in the airspace over the US military base Cudjoe Key in Florida , which was destroyed by Hurricane Dennis in July 2005 . From August 2004 to May 2013, a specially equipped Lockheed C-130 aircraft flew in US airspace and transmitted the transmission signal on UHF and VHF in the direction of Cuba. However, due to budget cuts by the US Congress, the flights were suspended. In Cuba, broadcasts are successfully disrupted by jammers . In addition, the program is disseminated through Hispasat . However, private individuals in Cuba are not allowed to import or operate satellite reception systems.

Martí Noticias

The Internet portal Martí Noticias www.martinoticias.com (also available at www.malanga.info ) offers information with a focus on Cuba, the USA and Latin America. Both the live streams from Radio Martí and TV Martí and individual programs can be viewed on the website. However, for economic and political reasons, Internet access in Cuba is only available with severe restrictions and is strictly controlled by the state.

criticism

There is a dispute about the effectiveness of the programs. It is not possible to conduct reliable audience surveys and analyzes. So the number of users can only be estimated and one is dependent on unrepresentative individual observations.

Quotes

  • "We're putting noise and snow on Cuban screens. That may be the only snow Cubans see, but it's pretty much the most expensive snow on the planet." (Ron Wyden, Democratic Senator, USA)

See also

literature

  • Sara Gilbert, Bernd Trutenau, John Nelson. World Radio TV Handbook: The Directory of Global Broadcasting (WRTH)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Radio and TV Martí on the BBG website, accessed on September 4, 2013 (English)
  2. ↑ With loss of a blimp over Keys, TV Marti takes another hit , in: Tampa Bay Times, August 26, 2005, accessed September 4, 2013
  3. ↑ TV beamed at Cuba caught in jam , in: Chicago Tribune, October 18, 2004, accessed September 4, 2013
  4. ↑ Grounded TV Marti plane a monument to the limits of American austerity , in: Washington Post of September 2, 2013 (English)