The White House ordered the temporary closure of the Office of Transmissions to Cuba (OCB)entity in charge of operating Radio TV Martías part of a restructuring that seeks to reduce costs at the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM).
The decision, formalized through an executive order signed by President Donald J. Trump on Friday, March 14, has generated various reactions and both employees and readers are expectation of the final resolution.
Administrative license for employees and service cut
After the announcement, Radio and TV Martí employees were placed on administrative license with salary enjoyment, leaving uncertainty about the future of the medium, Local10 reported.
During the first hours after the order, the medium website continued to operate, although with a notable reduction in the volume of publications and the use of news agencies images, due to the cancellation of contracts with Reuters, AP and AFP.
As indicated by Café Fuerte, “RadioTv Martí had about 100 workers among federal employees and contractors. Of the 46 professional employees registered in federal payroll, they all receive salaries above $ 100,000 per year.”
A statement published on the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) page indicates that: “The main advisor of Usagm, Kari Lake, cancels an excessively expensive 15 -year lease contract that was a burden for taxpayers and enforces Trump’s executive order to drastically reduce the size of the agency.”
The dismantling of the OCB is framed in a broader plan of the Trump administration to reduce federal waste and USAGM costs, which also supervises media such as La Voz de América, Radio Free Asia and Radio Free Europe. In addition to Radio and Televisión Martí, these stations have also seen cuts in their staff and budget in recent days.
Although the White House argues that the measure seeks to eliminate redundancies in the government apparatus, critics argue that it weakens the influence of the US in the fight against the propaganda of authoritarian regimes.
Radio y Televisión Martí paralysis represents a turning point in the American communication strategy towards Cuba. While their employees expect more clarity about their future, the exiled community in Florida remains attentive to the next movements of the administration in relation to the media addressed to the island.
Radio TV Martí, informing for a free Cuba
Radio Martí and Televisión Martí, created in the 1980s during the presidency of Ronald Reagan, have been for years an alternative information for Cubans, as opposed to the official narrative of the regime.
However, the signal of these media has faced historical interference by the Cuban regime, limiting its reach on the island.
As read on the medium page: “Our mandate, from the promulgation in 1983 of the law that gives way to the creation of Radio Martíand its first transmission, on May 20, 1985, on the anniversary of the birth of the Republic of Cuba, is to serve as a reliable and authorized source of precise, balanced and complete information for the Cuban people. “
“In a closed society where all the media continue to be controlled by the State, Radio Martinoticias.com They focus on essentially covering the Cuban theme with an alternative vision That breaks censorship, “expands the text.
And it continues: “The mission of Radio Martí and Martínoticias.com will continue until all Cubans can enjoy the protection of the Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Every individual has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; This right includes not being disturbed because of their opinions, investigating and receiving information, and disseminating them, without border limitation, by any means of expression. “
