[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
[HCDX] Cuba broadcasting ripped
Cuba broadcasting ripped
http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/07/cuba_broadcastin
g_ripped.html
Posted July 16, 2008 6:30 AM
by Andrew Zajac
The U.S. government's long and troubled history of trying to broadcast TV
and radio programming into Cuba added another unhappy chapter with
release of a Government Accountability Office report critical of efforts to use
commercial broadcasters to beam Radio and TV Marti signals into the
island.
No-bid contracts awarded in December 2006 to transmit programming via
Radio Mambi and TV Azteca "did not reflect sound business practices",
GAO investigators found.
The GAO also criticized a lack of transparency in the way Miami-based
Office of Cuba Broadcasting recruits and pays for production and on-air
talent.
OCB defended the contracts to Mambi and Azteca, arguing that the U.S.
urgently needed a way to reach the Cuban people because of the
deteriorating health of president Fidel Castro (pictured above).
The government watchdog inquiry was requested by Massachusetts
Democratic Rep. William Delahunt, a longtime critic of the broadcasting
regime, as well as of the U.S. economic embargo against Cuba.
Delahunt is part of an increasingly vocal faction in Congress who view the
Cuba broadcast operation as a financial sop to the politically influential
Cuban exile community in Miami rather than as a serious effort to engage
the Cuban people.
Delahunt said the GAO findings are troubling. He noted that an agency
investigation into the OCB's management continues and he promised more
scrutiny of the Marti broadcast operation.
Here's a 2006 Tribune story offering a broader overview of some of the
shortcomings of the Cuba broadcast effort:
Cuba broadcasting 06.doc
(Photo credit: AP/Jose Goitia/file)
---
TV And Radio Marti Contracts Under Fed Scrutiny
http://cbs4.com/local/TV.Marti.Cuba.2.771683.html
Haga Clic Aquí Para Leer Este Titular En Español
Click Here To Read An Excerpt Of The GAO Report On Weaknesses In
Cuban Radio Bids
WASHINGTON (CBS4) ? In a report issued Tuesday, the Government
Accountability Office said the International Broadcasting Bureau failed to
follow proper federal contract procedures when it it authorized no-bid deals
totaling $1,069,451 for local stations that air Radio and TV Marti broadcasts
to Cuba.
In response, IBB officials said they decided against publicly seeking
competitive offers because theydid not believe they would get satisfactory
responses from other potential providers. They also said they feared the
move would alert the Cuban government, which would be better able to jam
the broadcasts.
The report is the first in a series of GAO studies on the operations of Radio
and TV Martí, which beam commentary, entertainment and news to Cuba
under the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, which is based in Miami.
The report also is part of a broader investigation into the U.S. government's
efforts to beam news and other programming into Cuba.
The U.S. has sought to provide alternative news and information to the
communist island since the 1980s, and its efforts have long been
controversial.
Please read my aricle on SINPO at http://tinyurl.com/yt7qjd
________________________
http://zliangas.blogspot.com (radio tech , gadgets, grk ethics)
http://zlgr.stumbleupon.com (my social 'bookmarks' )
http://zlgr.multiply.com (radio monitoring site plus audio clips ) MAIN SITE
http://www.youtube.com/zach0gr some videos
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/302315/ (Litohoro) 321199/Tinos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zachgr pictures upload
http://www.geocities.com/zliangas
http://www.myspace.com/310100806
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=770974854
http://del.icio.us/gr_geek1
........
Zacharias Liangas , Thessaloniki Greece
greekdx @ otenet dot gr ---
Pesawat penerima: ICOM R75 , Lowe HF150 , Degen 1102,1103,108,
Tecsun PL200/550, Chibo c300/c979, Yupi 7000
Antenna: 16m hor, 2x16 m V invert, 1m australian loop
---[Start Commercial]---------------------
Order your WRTH 2008:
http://www.hard-core-dx.com/redirect2.php?id=wrth2008
---[End Commercial]-----------------------
________________________________________
Hard-Core-DX mailing list
Hard-Core-DX@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/hard-core-dx
http://www.hard-core-dx.com/
_______________________________________________
THE INFORMATION IN THIS ARTICLE IS FREE. It may be copied, distributed
and/or modified under the conditions set down in the Design Science License
published by Michael Stutz at
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/dsl.html