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The mass media in
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
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
The Communist Party of Cuba ( es, Partido Comunista de Cuba, PCC) is the sole ruling party of Cuba. It was founded on 3 October 1965 as the successor to the United Party of the Cuban Socialist Revolution, which was in turn made up of the 26 ...
(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.
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
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
,
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
,
French,
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
,
Turkish and
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
, available online.
Havana
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. residents also have their own weekly, Havana-oriented paper, ''
Tribuna de La Habana''. The weekly ''
Juventud Rebelde
The ''Juventud Rebelde'' ( en, Rebel Youth) is a Cubans, Cuban newspaper of the Young Communist League (Cuba), Young Communist League.
Overview
On October 21, 1965 Fidel Castro described the newspaper as "a paper devoted mainly to youth, with thin ...
'' 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.
[Cuba country profile]
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...
Federal Research Division
The Federal Research Division (FRD) is the research and analysis unit of the United States Library of Congress.
The Federal Research Division provides directed research and analysis on domestic and international subjects to agencies of the Unit ...
(September 2006). ''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain
The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired, ...
.''
''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
Revolutionary socialism is a political philosophy, doctrine, and tradition within socialism that stresses the idea that a social revolution is necessary to bring about structural changes in society. More specifically, it is the view that revoluti ...
, and developments in industry, agriculture, science, the arts, and sports in Cuba today.
The Prensa Latina was founded shortly after the Cuban Revolution. The agency was founded at the initiative of
Ernesto Che Guevara
Ernesto Che Guevara (; 14 June 1928The date of birth recorded on /upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Ernesto_Guevara_Acta_de_Nacimiento.jpg his birth certificatewas 14 June 1928, although one tertiary source, (Julia Constenla, quoted ...
similarly to Agencia Latina founded by
Juan Perón in Argentina, to spread government ideology and neutralize American propaganda.
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
Provincial circulation
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.
Radio
In 2005 Cubans had at least 3.9 million
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...
receivers, and the country had 169
AM, and 55
FM stations. The
Cuban Institute of Radio and Television
The Cuban Institute of Radio and Television ( es, Instituto Cubano de Radio y Televisión; ICRT) is the government agency responsible for the control of radio and television broadcasters in Cuba.
History
Cuba was one of the first countries in ...
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
Radio Reloj (Spanish for ''Radio Clock'') is an internationally broadcast Spanish-language radio station, located in Cuba. It currently carries an all-news format. The station is noted for the sound of a ticking clock in the background, and annou ...
, and
Radio Rebelde
Radio Rebelde (English: Rebel Radio) 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 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
Radio Taíno is a Cuban Spanish language radio station
Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadca ...
, promotes
tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...
. 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.
[
]
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
ITT Inc., formerly ITT Corporation, is an American worldwide manufacturing company based in Stamford, Connecticut. The company produces specialty components for the aerospace, transportation, energy and industrial markets. ITT's three businesse ...
, 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
Goar Mestre Espinosa (born December 25, 1912 – March 23, 1994) was a Cuban-born Argentine businessman, remembered as one of the pioneers of the audiovisual industry in Latin America. He owned several broadcasters, led by CMQ."El Rey de la TV: ...
started construction of ''Radio Center'', inspired by the Radio City in New York. Mestre began broadcasts on Channel 6 (CMQ) on December 18 of that year. Under Fulgencio Batista
Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar (; ; born Rubén Zaldívar, January 16, 1901 – August 6, 1973) was a Cuban military officer and politician who served as the elected president of Cuba from 1940 to 1944 and as its U.S.-backed military dictator ...
's dictatorship censorship was imposed. Radio's primary purpose in Cuba was to enhance the "high culture" education of the Cuban citizen.
Radio stations and networks included:
* Cadena Oriental de Radio
* Circuito Nacional Cubano (est. 1954)
* CMBF
* COCQ
* COCX
* Radio Mil Diez
Radio Mil Diez (or Radio 1010) was a radio station broadcasting from Havana, Cuba, owned by the Popular Socialist Party (PSP). Radio Mil Diez broadcast for five years, between 1943-1948, and played an important role in shaping contemporary Cuban ...
* PWX (later CMQ)
* Radio Habana Cuba (RHC)
* Radio Progreso
* Radio Reloj (est. 1947)
* Sabates
* Union Radio (est. 1947)
During and after the Cuban Revolution
Soon after the Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution ( es, Revolución Cubana) was carried out after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état which placed Fulgencio Batista as head of state and the failed mass strike in opposition that followed. After failing to contest Batista in co ...
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.
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.
Current radio channels
* Radio Rebelde – news, music, sport
* Radio Reloj – news
* Radio Habana Cuba – external, languages include Spanish, English, French, Portuguese
* Radio Progreso – entertainment
Television
In 2005 Cubans had at least 3 million television set
A television set or television receiver, more commonly called the television, TV, TV set, telly, tele, or tube, is a device that combines a tuner, display, and loudspeakers, for the purpose of viewing and hearing television broadcasts, or using ...
s, 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.[
]
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. 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. Telenovela
A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar drama genres around the world include '' teleserye'' ...
s, news, cooking shows, and comedy groups were shown. After Union Radio TV went on the air, Cuban demand for television sets soared. Under Fulgencio Batista
Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar (; ; born Rubén Zaldívar, January 16, 1901 – August 6, 1973) was a Cuban military officer and politician who served as the elected president of Cuba from 1940 to 1944 and as its U.S.-backed military dictator ...
's dictatorship censorship was imposed. 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
The Cuban Revolution ( es, Revolución Cubana) was carried out after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état which placed Fulgencio Batista as head of state and the failed mass strike in opposition that followed. After failing to contest Batista in co ...
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.
TV channels
* Cubavision
* Portal de la TV Cubana ←
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:
* a lack of funding due to the devastation of Cuba’s economy after the fall of the Soviet Union
* the U.S. embargo which delayed construction infrastructure and made equipment expensive and difficult to obtain
* tight government restrictions which identified the Internet as a tool for subversion of the Cuban Revolution
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.
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
Department of Revolutionary Orientation (DOR) is a division of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba.
See also
* Committees for the Defense of the Revolution
Committees for the Defense of the Revolution ( es, Comités de Defens ...
. 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.
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.
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
Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Cuba S.A. ( en, Telecommunications Company of Cuba; ETECSA), is the Cuban state company that provides telephony and communications services in Cuba. It is the sole lawful provider of telephony and telecommunicatio ...
, 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.
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.
These USB sticks are known as "El Paquete Semanal" or weekly package noting their frequency of distribution across the Island. 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. 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.
Alan Gross, an American government contractor under employment for the U.S. Agency for International Development
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 ...
, 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
*Telecommunications in Cuba 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 (Telecommunications Company of Cuba), mobile tel ...
*Human rights in Cuba
Human rights in Cuba are under the scrutiny of Western human rights organizations, which accuse the Cuban government of committing systematic human rights abuses against the Cuban people, including arbitrary imprisonment and unfair trials. Intern ...
* Cinema of Cuba
*Cuban Institute of Radio and Television
The Cuban Institute of Radio and Television ( es, Instituto Cubano de Radio y Televisión; ICRT) is the government agency responsible for the control of radio and television broadcasters in Cuba.
History
Cuba was one of the first countries in ...
*Independent digital media in Cuba 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 ...
References
Bibliography
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External links
''Bohemia''
issue that is openly available in the Digital Library of the Caribbean
The Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC) is an international digital library operated collaboratively by the contributing partners.
Partners
Current partners continue to grow on a regular basis and are listed on thdLOC Partner Page Partners in ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Media Of Cuba
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...