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@hard-core-dx.com 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
