In hopes of offering an alternative to government programming in Cuba, the United States has begun using a military aircraft and a satellite in an effort to broadcast Radio and TV Marti, the U.S. government-run operations, according to the South Florida Sentinel newspaper.
A first test was on Cuban Independence Day, May 20, and extra frequencies were beamed for several hours starting around 6 p.m. from a satellite and an Air Force EC-130E. The plane beamed two shortwave signals of Radio Marti and a VHF TV Marti signal and the satellite beamed a signal viewable by an unknown number of Cubans who have legal or illegal DirecTV satellite dishes. According to officials, the effort will continue to try to get signals past Cuban jamming.
Though Cuban-American activists have been pushing for increased transmission of the Marti stations, legal questions and disagreements had hampered action until President Bush condoned the effort.
U.S. Gets Creative With Cuba Broadcasts
U.S. Gets Creative With Cuba Broadcasts
