National News in Cuba - What Is Television Martí?

National News in Cuba: What Is Television Martí?
By Shannon Jones | Sunday, 24 Jan 2016 05:00 PM

The Cuban government largely controls all communications that come in
and go out of the country. This government censorship applies to
national news, including television and radio. The regime of Fidel
Castro has long held a tight-reign on the citizens of Cuba in an effort
to isolate them from outside information and suppress government resistance.

In 1990, Television Martí, located in Miami, Florida, began broadcasting
in Cuba with the assistance of United States government, running under
the program of Voice of America, History.com noted. The goal of the
project was to provide Cuban citizens a realistic look into the life of
Americans, as well as events throughout the world.

TV Martí attempts to circumvent the control of the Cuban government and
broadcast to the Cuban people, but it is limited in its reach. The media
conglomerate operates satellite television, short wave, and AM radio
stations geared at bringing unbiased information directly to Cuban
citizens. The stations seek to promote freedom and democracy in a
country that is held by regime that limits personal freedoms.

In recent years, the news programming has aimed at educating Cubans
about government. Interviews with social leaders have been broadcast as
well as a program about how to transition from Fidel Castro's
totalitarian government into a modern democracy.

The road to uncensored news has been a bumpy one for Martí and Cubans,
according to the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Today, TV Marti is
operated as part of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, a part of an
independent U.S. government agency. The station has faced sabotage
efforts by the Cuba government, from jamming signals to the island to
fires that force evacuation of the station.

Despite censorship efforts, as technology evolves, the availability of
television programming increases in Cuba. Martí now operates online and
using apps to send SMS messages to subscribers. These have proven to be
fruitful venues to get unfiltered information into Cuba. For those who
do not have access to online technology, human rights organizations have
gone so far as to distribute the news via USB drives and DVDs.
Additionally, news is also broadcast through a Martí's owned radio
station, which runs 24 hours a day.

Source: National News in Cuba: What Is Television Martí? -
http://www.newsmax.com/FastFeatures/national-news-Cuba-Television-Marti/2016/01/24/id/710663/