[NYTr] Doc Shows US Plans to Increase Illegal Broadcasts to Cuba Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2007 17:42:30 -0500 (CDT) Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit excerpted from VIO Venezuela Daily News Roundup - Jun 20, 2007 [The Miami Herald reports that a U.S. State Department document obtained by the newspaper shows plans to increase illegal broadcasts to Cuba in the form of Radio and TV MartC-. The report shows that the stations, which bring U.S. programming to the embargoed country, are determined to compete with government-funded broadcasters in Venezuela. Radio and TV MartC- has been criticized by members of the U.S. Congress as a waste of tax dollars; expenditures on the program have totaled more than $250 million in the past decade. TV MartC- also does not comply with U.S. broadcasting law, according to the International Broadcasting Bureau, whose inspector general has said that "'guidelines are sometimes breached," and journalists favor "monologues and editorializing." Congress allotted $34 million to Radio and TV MartC- in 2007, and has approved the same amount for 2008, the Miami Herald reports. -VIO] The Miami Herald - June 20, 2007 http://www.miamiherald.com/581/story/145211.html MartC- extending its reach, U.S. says By Pablo Bachelet WASHINGTON -- The programming of Radio and TV MartC- -- often criticized as a waste of taxpayer funds -- has improved, and anecdotal evidence suggests that it is reaching a bigger audience in Cuba, according to a new U.S. government report obtained by The Miami Herald. The report, by the State Department's Office of Inspector General, also says the station should plan to compete with a Venezuelan government broadcaster. It faults the operation for lacking a long-term strategic plan for a post-Fidel Castro Cuba and ''nagging longstanding employee morale concerns.'' But it calls the station's director, Pedro V. Roig, ``the most effective in recent history.'' The report, being distributed in Washington this week, also says the station is planning to put its second broadcasting aircraft in the air soon, joining a similar turboprop that went airborne in October. In recent months, Radio and TV MartC- have faced a barrage of criticism from the media and some lawmakers who say a combination of aggressive Cuban government jamming, dubious journalistic standards and lax management oversight have undermined credibility and viewership. Arizona Rep. Jeff Flake often ridicules Radio and TV MartC-, which has cost more than $250 million in the past decade, as a ``Miami jobs program.'' But the report, which carries a ''sensitive but unclassified'' label, offers a generally upbeat assessment of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB) -- the parent agency of TV and Radio MartC-. It says the OCB is at a ''critical juncture in its history'' as the Bush administration steps up its efforts for a post-Fidel Castro transition to democracy. It suggests that the OCB should look beyond the 48 hours after Castro's death and ''in the shorter term'' compete with commercial broadcasters and ''counter the increasingly successful broadcasts'' of Telesur, a channel largely controlled by Venezuela's Bush-bashing President Hugo ChC!vez. 'ANECDOTAL' DATA The 43-page report says there is ''anecdotal'' evidence that more Cubans are watching TV MartC- after the twin-engine propeller plane -- known as Aero MartC- -- started broadcasting for five-hour slots six days a week. Presumably, the aircraft's broadcasts can reach parts of Cuba far from government jamming stations, most of which are located around Havana. The Aero MartC- aircraft costs $5.9 million a year to operate, according to the report. But unlike a previous report in 2003, the inspector general provides no listener or viewer data. It says a January 2007 survey of recent Cuban arrivals commissioned by Spanish Radio Productions in cooperation with Miami Dade College found that ``listening rates within Cuba were significantly higher than previously reported, especially for TV MartC-.'' Alberto MascarC3, the station's chief of staff, said the recent-arrivals survey revealed that 17 percent of them had watched TV MartC-. Before, the viewership numbers were ''negligible.'' Joseph O'Connell, a spokesman for the OCB, said Radio and TV MartC- were getting more phone calls from viewers in Cuba who say they are seeing the programs despite the jamming. PROGRAM STANDARDS A February 2007 report by the International Broadcasting Bureau, the federal agency that provides services to U.S. government broadcasters, recommended further improvements in OCB programming standards but noted there had been ''a major upgrade'' in TV MartC-'s adherence to U.S. government guidelines. However, the inspector general report said ''guidelines are sometimes breached.'' One talk-show host ''monopolized the conversation while editorializing,'' leaving little time for a guest to speak. The report recommends ''refresher training'' for journalists to avoid ''monologues and editorializing,'' screening out insufficiently sourced items and creating mechanisms for editorial control. The report says information obtained from dissidents or independent journalists in Cuba, while important, is a ''threat'' to Radio and TV MartC-'s credibility because some dissidents may ''seek to further their own causes'' while others may be Cuban government agents posing as dissidents. ''OCB is well aware of this challenge,'' the report says. A House panel has appropriated $34 million for Radio and TV MartC- in the 2008 fiscal year -- the same as in 2007. FURTHER FINDINGS Radio and TV MartC- are also broadcast on Miami's TV Azteca signal, which is carried on satellite TV, and Radio MambC-, although the report recommends revising those contracts to ``assess whether they provide additional listeners and viewers and are worth the cost.'' The report calls Roig, who took over in 2003, ''an assertive, inspiring leader.'' However, it also notes that some employees have criticized management for communicating poorly and alleged favoritism, with a ''chosen few'' obtaining most promotions and pay increases. The report says some may be questioning Roig's emphasis of TV operations at the possible expense of radio. The inspections that led to the report, led by Franklin Huddle, a former ambassador to Tajikistan, took place in Washington between Jan. 5 and March 2, and in Miami between March 5 and 20 of this year. Huddle also visited the U.S. mission in Havana. * ================================================================ .NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems . Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us . .339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org .List Archives: https://olm.blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/ .Subscribe: https://olm.blythe-systems.com/mailman/listinfo/nytr ================================================================