Media of Cuba

Last updated
Users of a public WiFi hotspot in Havana, Cuba WiFi Internet Access Havanna.JPG
Users of a public WiFi hotspot in Havana, Cuba

The media of Cuba consist of several different types: television, radio, newspapers, and internet. The Cuban media are tightly controlled by the Cuban government led by the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) in the past five decades. The PCC strictly censors news, information and commentary, and restricts dissemination of foreign publications to tourist hotels. Journalists must operate within the confines of laws against anti-government propaganda and the insulting of officials, which carry penalties of up to three years in prison. Private ownership of broadcast media is prohibited, and the government owns all mainstream media outlets. [1]

Contents

Newspapers

Cuba has several dozen online regional newspapers. The only national daily paper is Granma , the official organ of the PCC. A weekly version, Granma International, is published in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Turkish and German, available online. Havana residents also have their own weekly, Havana-oriented paper, Tribuna de La Habana . The weekly Juventud Rebelde is the official organ of the Communist Youth Union. The biweekly Bohemia is the country's only general-interest newsmagazine. Cuba's official news agency is Prensa Latina, which publishes several magazines, including Cuba Internacional, directed at the foreign audience. [2]

Granma regularly features speeches by Raúl Castro and other leaders of the Cuban government, including former President Fidel Castro's column, "Reflexiones de Fidel" (Fidel's Reflections), official announcements of the Cuban government, popular sketches highlighting the history of Cuba's revolutionary struggle from the 19th to the 21st century, developments in Latin America and world politics, steps by Cuba's workers and farmers to defend and advance the socialist revolution, and developments in industry, agriculture, science, the arts, and sports in Cuba today. [1]

The Prensa Latina was founded shortly after the Cuban Revolution. The agency was founded at the initiative of Ernesto Che Guevara similarly to Agencia Latina founded by Juan Perón in Argentina, to spread government ideology and neutralize American propaganda. [1]

Man reading Granma where the year reads "Ano de la revolucion 53". Havana (La Habana), Cuba Havana - Cuba - 3155.jpg
Man reading Granma where the year reads "Año de la revolución 53". Havana (La Habana), Cuba

The written press began in Cuba in 1764 with La Gazeta, followed by the Papel Periódico de La Habana (Havana Periodical Paper) in 1790. Cuba currently has several newspapers, including the following:

National circulation

NameCirculationFounded
Granma Daily (except on Sundays)October 4, 1965
Juventud Rebelde Daily (except on Mondays)October 21, 1965
Trabajadores WeeklyJune 6, 1970

Provincial circulation

NameProvinceCirculationFounded
Tribuna de La Habana Havana WeeklyOctober 7, 1980
Guerrillero Pinar del Río WeeklyJuly 6, 1960
El Artemiseño Artemisa WeeklyJanuary 11, 2011
Mayabeque Mayabeque WeeklyJanuary 11, 2011
Girón Matanzas WeeklyDecember 5, 1961
5 de septiembre Cienfuegos WeeklySeptember 5, 1961
Vanguardia Villa Clara WeeklyAugust 9, 1962
Escambray Sancti Spíritus WeeklyJanuary 4, 1979
Invasor Ciego de Ávila WeeklyJuly 26, 1979
Adelante Camagüey WeeklyJanuary 12, 1959
Periódico 26 Las Tunas WeeklyJuly 26, 1978
Ahora! Holguín WeeklyNovember 19, 1962
La Demajagua Granma WeeklyOctober 10, 1977
Sierra Maestra Santiago de Cuba WeeklySeptember 7, 1957
Venceremos Guantánamo WeeklyJuly 25, 1962
Victoria Isla de la Juventud WeeklyFebruary 20, 1967

Role of the Church

Although the press is publicly owned, magazines and bulletins owned by the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations are also published and available to any Cuban citizen. In Havana, the Catholic Church publishes magazines such as Palabra Nueva and Espacio Laical monthly. In the diocese of Pinar del Río, Vitral is published bimonthly. These magazines and bulletins include religious instruction and news from the church. The bulletin with the highest circulation is Vida cristiana, published weekly in Havana; it reaches the majority of Catholics in the country. Today, the Church seeks to expand to different forms of media such as television and radio which it currently has no access. [1]

Censorship

Cubans cannot read books, magazines or newspapers unless they have been approved/published by the government. Cubans can not receive publications from abroad or from visitors. [3]

Radio

In 2005 Cubans had at least 3.9 million radio receivers, and the country had 169 AM, and 55 FM stations. The Cuban Institute of Radio and Television serves as the government’s administrative outlet for broadcasting. Of the six national AM/FM radio networks, the top three are Radio Progreso, Radio Reloj, and Radio Rebelde, in that order. Two other national radio networks that also provide news and entertainment are Radio Musical Nacional (CMBF) and Radio Enciclopedia. Another station, Radio Taíno, promotes tourism. The Cuban government also operates Radio Havana, the official Cuban international short-wave radio service. Cuba’s restriction of foreign broadcast media is one reason the U.S. government has sponsored radio broadcasting into Cuba through Radio y Televisión Martí, much of which is jammed. [2]

Before the Cuban Revolution

Cuba was one of the first countries in the Americas to have radio service. In 1922, under the cooperation of the US-based International Telephone and Telegraph, the first radio station in the country (2LC) began broadcasts on 22 August. The radio stations in the country were developed by private initiatives, and its programming was initially based on news and entertainment.

Businessman Goar Mestre [4] started construction of Radio Center, inspired by the Radio City in New York. [3] Mestre began broadcasts on Channel 6 (CMQ) on December 18 of that year. Under Fulgencio Batista's dictatorship censorship was imposed. [5] Radio's primary purpose in Cuba was to enhance the "high culture" education of the Cuban citizen.

Radio stations and networks included: [6]

During and after the Cuban Revolution

Soon after the Cuban Revolution in 1959, Fidel Castro's government applied a series of measures that transformed all national media. Rebelde, the first radio station developed under the revolution, started broadcasting on February 24.

During the early years of the revolution there was a division between the mainstream media in Cuba, created with private capital that opposed the new political situation. A series of small radio stations in favor of the new government, organized an "Independent Front of Free Broadcasters" (Spanish: Frente Independiente de Emisoras Libres). These radio stations were recognized as official by the new government. The government would develop a Bureau of Broadcasting under the political leadership of the PCC. Radio stations in the country were completely put under state control on May 24, 1962 under the management of the newly established Cuban Broadcasting Institute. Under the new broadcasting system, all media were to meet a set of values established by the government to strengthen the political process in the country, some names of radio stations were changed, and the coverage of radio services were extended to reach the whole country. In 1975, the agency changed its name to the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television. [8]

Censorship

Cubans cannot watch or listen to independent, private, or foreign broadcasts. In 1963, using Soviet-supplied equipment, Cuba became the first nation in the Western Hemisphere to jam radio broadcasts, the apparent targets being the anti-Castro stations in the US. [3]

Current radio channels

Television

In 2005 Cubans had at least 3 million television sets, and the country had 58 TV broadcasting stations. The Cuban Institute of Radio and Television serves as the government’s administrative outlet for broadcasting. The Cuban television system is made up of two networks: Cubavisión and Tele Rebelde. Cuba’s restriction of foreign broadcast media is one reason the U.S. government has sponsored television broadcasting into Cuba through Radio y Televisión Martí, much of which is jammed. [2]

Before the Cuban Revolution

Cuba was one of the first countries in the Americas to have television service. The popularity of radio led to the development and launch of television stations. The first years of television in Cuba were marked by a climate of competitiveness between two Cuban businessmen backed by US companies, Gaspar Pumarejo and Goar Mestre. Mestre started construction of Radio Center, inspired by the Radio City in New York, while Pumarejo tried to develop a television studio in his own home. [3] Pumarejo's channel (Unión Radio Televisión) was the first TV channel to start broadcasts in the island; it began broadcasting on 24 October 1950 with an address by President Carlos Prío Socarrás from the Presidential Palace. Mestre began broadcasts on Channel 6 (CMQ) on December 18 of that year. Telenovelas, news, cooking shows, and comedy groups were shown. After Union Radio TV went on the air, Cuban demand for television sets soared. [5] Under Fulgencio Batista's dictatorship censorship was imposed. [5] Television's primary purpose in Cuba was to enhance the "high culture" education of the Cuban citizen.

During and after the Cuban Revolution

Soon after the Cuban Revolution in 1959, Fidel Castro's government applied a series of measures that transformed all national media. Television channels in the country were completely put under state control on May 24, 1962 under the management of the newly established Cuban Broadcasting Institute. Under the new broadcasting system, all media were to meet a set of values established by the government to strengthen the political process in the country, some names of TV stations were changed, and the coverage of the TV services were extended to reach the whole country. In 1975, the agency changed its name to the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television. [8]

Censorship

Cubans cannot watch or listen to independent, private, or foreign broadcasts.

TV channels

Internet

Cuba has one of the lowest Internet circulation rates in the Western hemisphere. Cuban Internet is characterized by a low number of connections, limited bandwidth, censorship and high cost. The Internet in Cuba stagnated since its introduction in 1996 due to several factors:

Starting in 2007 this situation began to improve — Internet remains illegal in private homes but government-owned internet cafes offer Internet access. 118 cybercafes operate in Cuba. In 2015, the government opened the first public wifi hotspots in 35 public locations and reduced prices and increased speeds for Internet access in cybercafes. [10]

Censorship

The Cuban internet is among the most tightly regulated in the world. All content is subject to review by the Department of Revolutionary Orientation. At Internet cafes Cuban citizens have to give their name and address. All material intended for publication on the Internet must be approved by the National Registry of Serial Publications in advance. One report found that many foreign news outlet websites are not blocked in Cuba, but the slow connections and outdated technology in Cuba makes it impossible for citizens to load these websites. Rather than having complex filtering systems, the government relies on the high cost of getting online and the telecommunications infrastructure that is slow to restrict Internet access. Reports have shown that the Cuban government uses Avila Link software to monitor citizens use of the Internet. The government has obtained citizens usernames and passwords in order to closely monitor emails. [11]

Dissidents accuse the government of not providing affordable home internet access for political reasons. The Cuban government blames the US for the poor state of telecoms infrastructure, which it says is caused by the American economic embargo imposed in the 1960s. [12]

Internet users in Cuba per 1,000 inhabitants (2002-2011) according to Cuban state statistics ONE Internetusers-cuba.png
Internet users in Cuba per 1,000 inhabitants (2002–2011) according to Cuban state statistics ONE

In recent times, censorship of the Internet has slowly relaxed. In 2007, it became possible for members of the public to legally buy a computer. Since June 4, 2013 Cubans can sign up with ETECSA, the state telecom company, for public Internet access at 118 centers across the country. The government approved wifi hotspots which were opened in 2015 give largely unfettered internet access and access to social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter; however, opposition sites are blocked. The cost of the new access at $4.50 an hour is still high in a country where state salaries average $20 a month. As of 2016, only 5% of Cubans enjoy web access at home. [12]

Circumventing censorship and controversies

Citizens have developed numerous techniques to circumvent the government's control of the Internet. Some get online through embassies and coffee shops, or purchase accounts through the black market. The black market consists of professional or former government officials who have been cleared to have Internet access who sell or rent their usernames and passwords to citizens who want to have access. Bloggers and dissidents also use USB keys to get their work published by giving their pieces to people who have an easier time getting online, who then upload their items from the USB. [11]

These USB sticks are known as "El Paquete Semanal" or weekly package noting their frequency of distribution across the Island. [13] A paquete contains 1 terabyte of data filled with anything from pirated foreign television, music videos, apps, news, and other digital media content otherwise inaccessible to the Cuban population. Paquetes cost around 5 Cuban Pesos or about 20 US cents making them much a much more reliable and economical way to consume media. [14] They are also largely tolerated, so long as they do not contain pornography or political dissent although the latter requirement is often broken.

In 2006, Guillermo Fariñas, a Cuban psychologist, independent journalist, and political dissident, held a seven-month hunger strike to protest Internet censorship in Cuba. He ended it in the autumn of 2006, due to severe health problems. He stated that he was ready to die in the struggle against censorship. [15]

Alan Gross, an American government contractor under employment for the U.S. Agency for International Development, was arrested in Cuba on December 3, 2009 and was convicted on March 12, 2011 for covertly distributing laptops and cellphones on the island.

See also

Related Research Articles

Telecommunications in Cuba consists mainly of NTSC analog television, analog radio, telephony, AMPS, D-AMPS, and GSM mobile telephony, and the Internet. Telephone service is provided through ETECSA, mobile telephone service is provided through the Cellular Telephone Company of Cuba (CUBACEL) and Caribbean Cellular. Cuba's main international telecommunications links are through Intersputnik, with antiquated undersea telephone cables to the U.S., the West Indies, Spain, and possibly Italy.

Cuban Revolution Revolution in Cuba between 1953 and 1959

The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt conducted by Fidel Castro's revolutionary 26th of July Movement and its allies against the military dictatorship of Cuban President Fulgencio Batista. The revolution began in July 1953, and continued sporadically until the rebels finally ousted Batista on 31 December 1958, replacing his government with a revolutionary socialist state. 26 July 1953 is celebrated in Cuba as the Day of the Revolution . The 26th of July Movement later reformed along communist lines, becoming the Communist Party in October 1965.

Radio y Televisión Martí American radio and television broadcaster to Cuba

Radio Televisión Martí is an American radio and television international broadcaster based in Miami, Florida, financed by the Federal government of the United States through the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which transmits news in Spanish to Cuba. Its broadcasts can also be heard and viewed worldwide through their website and on shortwave radio frequencies.

Radio Havana Cuba public radio in Cuba

Radio Havana Cuba is the official government-run international broadcasting station of Cuba. It can be heard in many parts of the world including the United States on shortwave frequencies. Radio Havana, along with Radio Rebelde, Cubavision Television and other Cuban Radio and Television broadcasts to North, Central and South America via free-to-air programming from the Hispanisat satellite over the Atlantic Ocean and via Internet streaming.

Eduardo Chibás Cuban politician

Eduardo René Chibás Ribas was a Cuban politician who used radio to broadcast his political views to the public. He primarily denounced corruption and gangsterism rampant during the governments of Ramón Grau and Carlos Prío which preceded the Batista era. He believed corruption was the most important problem Cuba faced.

Hotel Tryp Habana Libre La Habana

Hotel Tryp Habana Libre is one of the larger hotels in Cuba, situated in Vedado, Havana. The hotel has 572 rooms in a 25-floor tower at Calle 23 and Calle L.

The first television broadcast in Cuba was in 1950, by the small radio station Union Radio, soon followed by other stations. The broadcasts featured sport, soap operas, news, cooking shows, and comedy. Censorship was imposed following the 1952 coup by Fulgencio Batista. Color broadcasting began in 1958.

The 2006–2008 Cuban transfer of presidential duties was the handover of the title of president and presidential duties from longtime Cuban leader Fidel Castro to his brother Raúl Castro, the next-in-line-of-succession person in Cuba, following Fidel's operation and recovery from an undisclosed digestive illness believed to be diverticulitis. Although Raúl Castro exercised the duties of president, Fidel Castro retained the title of President of Cuba, formally the President of the Council of State of Cuba, during this period.

Radio Rebelde is a Cuban Spanish-language radio station. It broadcasts 24 hours a day with a varied program of national and international music hits of the moment, news reports and live sport events. The station was set up in 1958 by Che Guevara in the Sierra Maestra region of eastern Cuba, and was designed to broadcast the aims of the 26th of July Movement led by Fidel Castro. Transmitting on shortwave, Radio Rebelde also broadcast the latest combat news, music and spoken literature to the people of Cuba during the Cuban Revolution. Today, Radio Rebelde has forty-four transmitters on the FM dial covering 98 percent of the island of Cuba, plus a shortwave signal on the 60-meter band at 5.025 MHz, (5025 kHz) and several AM transmitters on various frequencies, most commonly 540, 550, 560, 600, 610, 620, 670, 710, and 770 kHz.

Censorship in Cuba is extensive. It has resulted in European Union sanctions from 2003 to 2008 as well as statements of protest from groups, governments, and noted individuals.

Henry Pollack (broadcaster) American broadcaster

Henry Pollack is the Cuban born American host and founder of "Havana Rock," a radio program that has been on the air since May 1995, the Miami, Florida show on radio station WWFE 670 AM and has enjoyed a cult following since it first aired in 1995. The show has received much praise for its staunch anti-Communist stance and has been featured on CNN, BBC, ABC and Fox News. It is also the only radio show in South Florida that is completely bilingual. He is also the editor of an anti-Fidel Castro web sites on the net, which went online in 1998 as one of the first anti-Castro websites on the internet.

Cuban Institute of Radio and Television

The Cuban Institute of Radio and Television is the government agency responsible for the control of radio and television broadcasters in Cuba.

Internet in Cuba is severely limited due to the United States embargo against Cuba. The United States refuses to allow an undersea cable to pass 100 miles from Cuba to Florida. Instead, Cuba's Internet connection is via the 6,000 mile ALBA-1 cable to Venezuela, which has had technical problems limiting its speed. The Cuban government also directly prevents access to certain websites. While preventing access to certain websites is present, it is not particularly extensive. Limited access to the Internet through limited internet infrastructure and high cost to access foreign websites is the main problem with Internet access in Cuba.

University of Havana university located in the Vedado district of Havana, Cuba

The University of Havana or UH is a university located in the Vedado district of Havana, the capital of the Republic of Cuba. Founded on January 5, 1728, the university is the oldest in Cuba, but not one of the first to be founded in the Americas. Originally a religious institution, today the University of Havana has 15 faculties (colleges) at its Havana campus and distance learning centers throughout Cuba.

CMQ (Cuba) Pre-1959 Cuban radio and television station

CMQ was a Cuban radio and television station located in Havana, Cuba, reaching an audience in the 1940s and 1950s, attracting viewers and listeners with a program that ranged from music and news dissemination. It later expanded into radio and television networks. As a radio network it was a heated competitor of the RHC-Cadena Azul network.

Propaganda in Cuba

The Cuban Revolution was not only fought by armed rebels on the battlefield but also through the propaganda campaigns designed and orchestrated by Fidel Castro and his rebel comrades. Propaganda in Cuba during revolution included Castro's use of personal interviews with journalists, radio broadcasts and publicity seeking operations that contributed significantly to the victory of the rebels over Fulgencio Batista's and provided insight into the successful propaganda campaign established by Castro after gaining power. The limited yet successful revolutionary propaganda apparatus transitioned into what Castro has called "one of the most potent weapons in his foreign policy arsenal." Today the Cuban government maintains an intricate propaganda machine that includes a global news agency, magazines, newspapers, broadcasting facilities, publishing houses, front groups, and other miscellaneous organizations that all stem from the modest beginnings of Castro's revolutionary propaganda machine.

Several independent Cuba-based digital media outlets offer alternative voices to censored state-run television, radio, and newspapers. Many of these new media ventures take the form of news outlets or webzines. These outlets may be used as platforms to critique the Socialist government, or to discuss issues or offer entertainment that the state-run media may ignore or consider taboo, such as sports and fashion.

Press freedom is an ongoing issue in Cuba. The country has ranked low on the Press Freedom Index, a list published by Reporters Without Borders which reflects the degree of freedom that journalists, news organisations, and netizens have in a country. Cuba has been ranked among the index's “least free" countries for a decade. In 2016, Amnesty International reported that the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba in December 2014 "renewed hope for an end to the US economic embargo, which has had a direct impact on the human rights of ordinary Cubans."

Radiocentro CMQ Building Radio and television production complex in El Vedado, Havana, Cuba

The Radiocentro CMQ Building complex consisted of a radio and television production facility and office building in Calle L and La Rampa in El Vedado, Cuba and it was modeled after Raymond Hood's 1933 Rockefeller Center in New York City. With 1,650 seats, the theater first opened on December 23, 1947 under the name Teatro Warner Radiocentro, it was owned by brothers Goar and Abel Mestre.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 a., hudson, rex; division, library of congress. federal research. "Cuba : a country study". The Library of Congress. Retrieved 2017-04-23.
  2. 1 2 3 Cuba country profile. Library of Congress Federal Research Division (September 2006). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Monografias.com, Dany Herranz Delgado. "Breve historia de la televisión en el mundo, en Cuba y en la provincia de Sancti Spíritus (página 2) - Monografias.com". www.monografias.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2017-04-23.
  4. ↑ Pablo Sirvén (2013). El rey de la TV: Goar Mestre y la pelea entre gobiernos y medios latinoamericanos, de Fidel Castro a Juan Perón (in Spanish). Buenos Aires: Editorial Sudamericana  [ es ]. ISBN   9789500745345.
  5. 1 2 3 Salwen 1994.
  6. ↑ Sterling 2004.
  7. 1 2 Jerome S. Berg (2013). Early Shortwave Stations: A Broadcasting History Through 1945. McFarland & Company. ISBN   978-0-7864-7411-0.
  8. 1 2 "icrt". www.cubagob.cu. Archived from the original on 2014-03-18. Retrieved 2017-04-24.
  9. 1 2 "Cuba profile - Media". BBC News. 2014-12-17. Retrieved 2017-04-24.
  10. ↑ "Reporters sans frontières - Internet - Cuba". archive.is. 2011-07-27. Archived from the original on 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2017-04-24.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
  11. 1 2 "Cuba: Long live freedom (but not for the Internet)!". Enemies of the Internet. 2014-03-11. Retrieved 2017-04-24.
  12. 1 2 Pedro, Emilio San (2016-03-21). "Cuba internet access still severely restricted". BBC News. Retrieved 2017-04-24.
  13. ↑ Humphreys, Laura-Zoë. "Utopia in a Package? Digital Media Piracy and the Politics of Entertainment in Cuba." Hot Spots, Cultural Anthropology website, March 23, 2017. https://culanth.org/fieldsights/1090-utopia-in-a-package-digital-media-piracy-and-the-politics-of-entertainment-in-cuba
  14. ↑ Reyes, Mario Luis. 2016. “Danys: el hombre detrás de El Paquete.” Cachivache Media, November 4.https://cachivachemedia.com/danys-el-hombre-detras-de-el-paquete-449ac31ec7a0
  15. ↑ "Guillermo Fariñas ends seven-month-old hunger strike for Internet access | Reporters without borders". RSF (in French). Retrieved 2017-04-24.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.