Radio Martí offers news, commentary, and entertainment for Cubans, by Cubans, from America. Seven days a week the station broadcasts “unbiased, objective information to all Cubans,”
according to the Broadcasting Board of Governors, an independent, yet federal entity responsible for international broadcasting.
But because of the hostile media atmosphere in Cuba, the station must use unconventional means to reach citizens of Cuba where the government often jams transmissions. The country may have one of the most restrictive media atmospheres in the world, but Radio Martí pushes onward. Now that relations between the U.S. and Cuba are thawing and some travel bans have been lifted, Radio Martí is getting more attention than ever. Here are some Cuba news radio facts about Radio Martí.
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1. It’s been around for three decades
Radio Martí was established in 1983 by the Reagan administration and the Cuban American Broadcasting Foundation and sent its first transmission across the airwaves in 1985. Now up to 20 percent of Cubans find a way to listen in, according to the Broadcasting Board of Governors.
2. Getting news to the masses
The Cuban government often jams the Radio Martí signal because the station believes in the free flow of information and its message isn’t supportive of the current government,
The New York Times reported. Since those living in Cuba aren’t often able to listen, the station must find other ways to inform the people. Included in those methods are the ability to listen online, via discreetly distributed DVDs and flash drives containing content, through satellite TV, and even an app so those with cell phones have access.
3. They have a mission
According to Martí News, the station’s goal is to promote “freedom and democracy by providing objective information to the Cuban population that would otherwise be unavailable. Its mission is to empower the Cuban people to make their own educated decisions about their future without coercion.”
4. It’s federally funded
The station was originally established by the Reagan administration and the Cuban American Broadcasting Foundation and has remained a federally funded program ever since, The New York Times said. But because of what some consider a hopeless and expensive endeavor, not to mention one that has strained U.S. and Cuban relations, the Obama administration favors turning the station into a non-profit.
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5. Radio Martí broadcasts the issues
More than an entertainment station that offers sports and event coverage, Radio Martí covers news about the Cuban economy, health care, women’s issues, human rights, and the government,
The Washington Post reported. The station broadcast President Obama’s speech the day he announced his intentions to repair relations with Cuba, and Alan Gross’ news conference after the Cuban prisoner arrived in the U.S.
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