May 12, 2009 6:51 pm US/Eastern
More Money Planned For Radio And TV Martí
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
While U.S. President Barack Obama continues to reach out to Cuban leaders, he doesn't seem to be planning a halt to American broadcasts to the island nation anytime soon.
The Miami-based Office of Cuba broadcasting beams Radio and TV Marti to Cuba in an effort to counter the communist nation's government-run media. Supporters say the programs offer Cubans essential information about their country and about the U.S. that the Cuban government refuses to provide.
The President's 2010 budget proposal calls for $32.5 million for the broadcasts. The amount is down slightly from the previous year's budget and suggests some retooling, including shorter, more frequent TV news segments and an all-news radio format. That cuts down on the amount of commentary; critics have said it often fails to provide balanced perspectives.
One exception to Radio Marti's all-news format will be Major League Baseball broadcasts, which King said would continue because of their popularity.
The budge proposal implies President Obama is still moving cautiously in overturning America's decades-old policies toward Cuba, despite his recent decision to lift restrictions on Americans seeking to visit family members on the island.
Several months ago, a congressional report found that based on third-country phone surveys, the Marti stations had a limited audience among the island's 11 million residents.
The report was requested by Sen. Bill Delahunt, D-Mass, who has called for an end to the broadcasts. But supporters of the broadcasts say such surveys fail to elicit honest responses from Cubans who fear speaking out against the government.
Dissidents in Cuba have repeatedly said TV Marti's signal is frequently jammed by the communist government, but praise Radio Marti for its reach and influence.
Along with the U.S. embargo, the broadcasts have long been a thorny issue between the two countries.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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