Radio y Televisión MartÃ
Radio and TV Martí is a state of U.S. radio stations based in Miami, specifically addressed to the Cuban population radio and television broadcasts, as well as an Internet information service produced in Spanish and disseminated. The station is managed by the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, which is under the government agency for international broadcasting, the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG ). The station started its operation in 1985, has 119 employees and an annual budget of 27.9 million U.S. dollars (2012 ).
History
In the 1980s, the U.S. government under President Ronald Reagan planned in response to Radio Habana Cuba a radio station Radio Free Cuba to found, the work on the model of Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty and should contribute to the overthrow of Fidel Castro. On the part of North American stations and the radio industry at the time fierce resistance to these plans. It was feared violent retaliation of Cuba in the form of intentional interference Cuban radio stations against medium-wave transmitter in Florida. In the past, Cuban stations occupied the frequencies of U.S. radio stations to make in this way their program in Cuba inaudible. The U.S. government successfully argued against the fact that Cuban threats must not prevent the great good and the right to freedom of expression, so that the radio station was decided in 1983 by an Act of Congress. For the establishment of the station have a significant Cuban exile lobbyists had used, including the then very influential Cuban American National Foundation, under the leadership of Jorge Mas Canosa.
So started on 20 May 1985 by Washington from a special radio program for Cuba from the United States - May 20 marks the anniversary of the founding of the independent Cuban Republic in 1902 The station was finally not Radio Free Cuba, but was named after the national hero José Martí. whose intellectual and political heritage, both supporters and opponents of the complaint justified by Fidel Castro, Cuban Revolution institutionalized for themselves.
The program commissioned by Radio and TV Martí is, by its own account, a " to offer a contrast to the Cuban media, and to provide its listeners an uncensored view of the current events." Former political prisoners, human rights activists, immigrants and exiles come into the program on word. About phone numerous interviews conducted with Cubans on the island. Saturdays will be sent a Spanish version of the speech of the U.S. president and the response of the opposition.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, all U.S. foreign services have suffered budget cuts, with the exception of Radio and TV Martí. The mid 1990s moved the station to make it to Miami. He was now closer to the target area and also underlining its independence from the Voice of America, in their studios, the broadcasts were previously produced.
Radio Martí
Radio Martí broadcasts its 24 - hour program on shortwave at various frequencies, which are used depending on the conditional daily and seasonal propagation conditions. By 2012, the shortwave transmitter of the International Broadcasting Bureau in Delano, California and Greenville / North Carolina were used. According to the 2013 enacted austerity measures only is the 250 kW transmitter in Greenville available from the only two frequencies can be used in parallel. It also sent over a 100 kW medium-wave transmitter from Marathon ( Florida) on the frequency 1180 kHz. In Cuba jammers are used against all frequencies, so that the reception is there impaired. Because of the special propagation conditions on the shortwave radio Martí but in the rest of Latin America is almost heard with clarity.
TV Martí
The television channel TV Martí was launched in 1990 and sends it to five days a week between 18.00 und 22.30 clock local time, a program of news, information and sports magazines. The transmission via satellite on 24 hours per day.
For the broadcasting of programs, some technical difficulties had to be overcome. Thus, the transmission system on some special features. The antenna of the transmitter was initially based on a tethered balloon in the skies over the U.S. military base Cudjoe Key in Florida, which was destroyed by Hurricane Dennis in July 2005. Since August 2004, was sent to May 2013 a specially equipped aircraft type Lockheed C -130 that flew in the U.S. airspace and radiated the transmit signal on UHF and VHF toward Cuba. Due to budget cuts mandated by the U.S. Congress, the flights were discontinued, however. In Cuba, the shipments are successfully disturbed by jammers. Moreover, the program distributed via Hispasat. However, private citizens are permitted to Cuba either to imports or the operation of satellite reception systems.
Martí Noticias
( To achieve even under www.malanga.info ) The Internet portal Martí Noticias www.martinoticias.com provides information with a focus on Cuba, United States and Latin America. About the Web both live streams of Radio Martí and TV Martí pursued as well as individual programs can be called. However, Internet access is available in Cuba for economic and political reasons only under severe restrictions and is strictly controlled by the state.
Criticism
To the effectiveness of the programs is argued. It is not possible to perform reliable audience surveys and analyzes. This allows the number of users only estimate and one has to rely on non-representative individual observations.
Quotes
- "We send noise and snow on the Cuban screens. This may be the only snow, get the Cubans to face, but that's pretty much the most expensive snow on the planet. " (Ron Wyden, Democratic senator, United States)