Radio Martí
Radio Martí is a Florida-based radio service established in 1985, funded by the U.S. government, with the primary goal of providing news and information to the Cuban population. Named after the Cuban revolutionary hero José Martí, the station was created as a response to the Cuban government's control over information and aims to promote democracy and freedom of expression. Initially proposed in the early 1980s, it began operations under the U.S. Information Agency and has since served as a significant source of independent news, broadcasting content that includes U.S. congressional hearings, interviews with successful Cuban exiles, and coverage of international events.
While Radio Martí has faced challenges, including signal jamming by the Cuban government, it has maintained its presence and influence, especially as skepticism towards the Cuban regime has grown among its citizens. The service also expanded to include Television Martí in 1990, further diversifying its outreach through various media platforms such as radio, television, and online streaming. Despite ongoing opposition from the Cuban government, funding for Radio Martí continues to be supported by congressional members, ensuring its operations persist as an alternative source of information for Cubans.
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Radio Martí
- FOUNDED: 1985
- TYPE OF ORGANIZATION: Florida-based, US-financed radio service directed at Cuba
- SIGNIFICANCE: As a propaganda arm of the US government, Radio Martí has been engaged in a communications war with Cuba but remains an essential source of independent news and information for Cuban citizens
Since the Cuban revolutionary hero José Martí died while leading the late nineteenth-century struggle for Cuba’s independence, his name has been synonymous with independence struggles in the Hispanic countries of the Caribbean. It was thus natural that his name was attached to a radio service created by the US Congress in the early 1980s to provide information about democracy and freedom of information to Cuba. First proposed in 1982, Radio Martí was approved by Congress in September 1983 and was fully operational two years later. Under the control of the United States Information Agency (USIA)—which was also responsible for Voice of America—Radio Martí was mandated to beam to Cuba positive information about life in America, along with anticommunist and anti-Castro propaganda. Its programs have included such material as broadcasts of US congressional hearings to allow Cubans to hear authentic democratic debate and interviews with exiled Cubans who have succeeded in American business. It has also broadcast news of international events and provided essential information about human rights. Many of Radio Martí’s staff members have been members of the Cuban exile community with vested interests of their own in returning home to a Cuba free from communist rule.
Fidel Castro countered Radio Martí by having Cuban radio stations broadcast more competitive programming, with a particular increase in rock ’n’ roll music. A more ominous response came after Radio Martí began full broadcasting services in 1985; Cuban technicians then started jamming its signals. Cuba’s success in blocking broadcasts caused some congressional members to question the value of paying to broadcast messages that cannot be received by their intended audience. Nevertheless, as increasing numbers of people in Cuba began to doubt their government, Radio Martí’s influence there grew. Still, some charged that these media were not giving Castro Cubans enough information on the merits of a noncommunist society. However, the program endured.
In 1990, Jorge Mas Canosa, a millionaire Miami Cuban with strong influence in the Cuban community and Washington, DC, provided assistance to create Television Martí. Broadcasts can be heard over radio, television, shortwave and medium wave radio, satellite radio, online, and through a mobile app. Although Castro is no longer in power in Cuba, the government continues its campaign against Radio and Television Martí. However, members of the House and Senate regularly budget funding for Radio Martí and Television Martí, and the programs endure.
Bibliography
"Cuba Archive - TV and Radio Marti." American University, www.american.edu/centers/latin-american-latino-studies/cuba-archive-tv-and-radio-marti.cfm. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.
"Martís' Broadcasting to Cuba Marks 35 Years." USAGM, 20 May 2020, www.usagm.gov/2020/05/20/martis-broadcasting-to-cuba-marks-35-years. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.
Mioli, Teresa. "Review of Radio Televisión Martí Says U.S. Government-funded News Service to Cuba Disregards Objective Journalism for Propaganda." LatAm Journalism Review, 29 May 2019, latamjournalismreview.org/articles/review-of-radio-television-marti-says-u-s-government-funded-news-service-to-cuba-disregards-objective-journalism-for-propaganda. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.
Nicoll, Ruaridh. "Cuba Has a New Leader and It's Not a Castro." Al Jazeera, 19 Apr. 2021, www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/19/cuba-has-a-new-leader-and-its-not-a-castro. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.