Radio Martí officials this week said they expanded newscasts and coverage of Hurricane Ike to fill an “information gap left by Cuban government media.”
The Office of Cuba Broadcasting is funded by the U.S. government through the Broadcasting Board of Governors; it oversee operations of Radio and TV Martí, which programs to the people of Cuba.
The organization quoted a journalist in Holgium, Cuba earlier this week saying, “The station has been the source of information on Hurricane Ike since Cuban media is not reporting about the damages.”
Radio Martí detailed damage wrought by Ike on the island, with reports of flooding, collapsed buildings, electrical outages and scarce supplies. “First-hand accounts describe a serious humanitarian crisis after the bombardment of heavy rains and sea surges,” it said.
It said one listener called via cell phone from atop a water tank to thank Radio Martí for its programming.
