[NYTr] Radio/TV Marti Claims Its Broadcasts are Actually Reaching Cubans
 
Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2007 14:29:34 -0500 (CDT)


Via NY Transfer News Collective  *  All the News that Doesn't Fit
 
[After spending millions of Yanqui dollars over many years, AP reports,
Radio/TV Marti claims that some of its broadcasts are actually reaching
Cuba, but how it's not clear how accurate the report -- based on
"anecdotal evidence" actually is.  The gusanos of course want to
continue their funding from Congress, and that's the purpose of the
report.-NY Transfer]

AP via Fox News - Jun 20, 2007
http://www.myfoxla.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=3551263&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.3.1

Anti-Castro Broadcasts Reach Cuba

By LAURA WIDES-MUNOZ
Associated Press Writer

MIAMI -- The U.S. government's anti-Castro radio and TV stations have
improved significantly in recent years after allegations of corruption
and mismanagement, according to a draft State Department review of the
Office of Cuba Broadcasting.

But how many people are watching and listening to the stations,
designed to offer an alternative to the tightly controlled Cuban media,
is unclear.

The report, obtained by The Associated Press on the eve of a
congressional debate over future Cuba-related funding, cites a boost in
TV Marti's signals reaching Cuba, but it bases those conclusions on
anecdotal evidence not included in the report.

"We're very pleased. I think it reflects the hard work that's being
done here," said Alberto Mascaro, chief of staff for the Cuba
broadcasting office, "and more importantly it reflects the hard work of
our employees."

Though similar reviews of the stations included listener and viewer
data in past years, the recent audit, conducted from January through
March, did not. However, the review lauded the broadcasting office's
use of a Gulfstream jet to beam signals into Cuba, saying it could be
replicated in other parts of the world where governments attempt to
block U.S. broadcasts.

Mascaro said conducting accurate surveys of Cuban listening and viewing
patterns is next to impossible in the communist nation.

Radio and TV Marti are requesting $33 million in next year's budget,
down from $38 million they received last year. The Bush administration
also requested $46 million for other Cuba-related programs to promote
political change on the island, but a House bill likely headed to the
floor this week slashed that to $9 million.

That makes money for the Marti stations all the more important for
those who support the current U.S. policy toward Cuba, which has been
under an American trade embargo for more than 40 years.

Critics, including U.S. Reps. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and Bill Delahunt,
D-Mass., have long accused the network of airing one-sided broadcasts
and giving jobs to political allies. They also maintain the TV
broadcasts are a waste of money because they have long been jammed by
Fidel Castro's government.

Delahunt, who said he has not yet seen the review, planned to conduct
interviews this weekend and listen to concerns regarding Radio and TV
Marti.

The report makes a number of recommendations, including evaluating
whether Marti programs recently carried on South Florida TV and radio
stations reach Cubans. It also urged tighter security and better
quality control to make sure Marti employees follow standards.

Finally, the review urged the Cuba broadcasting office to create a
long-term plan for providing programming in a post-Castro Cuba, as well
as how to compete now with the "Telesur" satellite broadcast, funded by
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's government.

A spokeswoman for the State Department's inspector general's office,
which conducted the review, said the agency would not comment on a
report that had not yet been released. The review's findings were first
reported by the Miami Herald.

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
       
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