[HCDX] Cuba broadcasting ripped
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[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)
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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
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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 


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