The mass media in

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

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 (, 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 26th of July Movement and Popu ...

(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 all the mainstream media outlets are publicly owned.

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,

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 countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

, French, Portuguese, Turkish and

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, available online.

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Tribuna de La Habana''. The weekly ''

Juventud Rebelde The ''Juventud Rebelde'' () is a Cuban newspaper of the Young Communist League. Overview On October 21, 1965 Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban politician and revolutionary who was t ...

'' is the official organ of the Communist Youth Union. The biweekly ''

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

'' 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 a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

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(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 exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...

.'' ''Granma'' regularly features speeches by

Raúl Castro Raúl Modesto Castro Ruz ( ; ; born 3 June 1931) is a Cuban retired politician and general who served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, the most senior position in the One-par ...

and other leaders of the Cuban government, including former President

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban politician and revolutionary who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and President of Cuba, president ...

'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, 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 similarly to Agencia Latina founded by

Juan Perón Juan Domingo Perón (, , ; 8 October 1895 – 1 July 1974) was an Argentine military officer and Statesman (politician), statesman who served as the History of Argentina (1946-1955), 29th president of Argentina from 1946 to Revolución Libertad ...

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

Each of Cuba's 16 provinces has a regional weekly, which acts as the official newspaper published by each provincial Communist Party branch. The two most recently launched, ''El Artemiseño'' and ''Mayabeque'', began publication in 2011, to serve the newly formed provinces of Artemisa and Mayabeque. Each weekly has its own website with local news, updated daily, which offers weekly print editions for free download in the

PDF format Portable document format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating system ...

. Some also publish online editions in English.

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 communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

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 (; ICRT) was the government agency responsible for the control of radio and television broadcasters in Cuba. On August 24, 2021, the institute ceased to operate and was replaced by the Institute of 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, and Radio Rebelde, 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 and is the tourism radio station of Cuba, broadcasts 24 hours a day from Radio Center Havana. History and details The station was founded on November 3, 1985 and was popularly known as "Cub ...

, promotes

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

. 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 Radio y Televisión Martí is an American state-run radio and television international broadcaster based in Miami, Florida, financed by the federal government of the United States through the U.S. Agency for Global Media (formerly Broadcasting ...

, 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, 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 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 played a dominant role in Cuban politics from his initial rise to power as part of the 1933 Revolt of t ...

'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 (1954-1959) * 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 and 1948, and played an important role in shaping contemporary Cu ...

* 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 () was the military and political movement that overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, who had ruled Cuba from 1952 to 1959. The revolution began after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état, in which Batista overthrew ...

in 1959,

'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

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 TV, TV set, television, telly, or tele) is an electronic device for viewing and hearing television broadcasts, or as a computer monitor. It combines a tuner, display, and loudspeake ...

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

, 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 (film and television), drama genres around the w ...

s, news, cooking shows, and comedy groups were shown. After Union Radio TV went on the air, Cuban demand for television sets soared. Under

'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

in 1959,

'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

Sources of independent news about Cuba can be found on the Internet. They include La Nueva Cuba, founded in 1998,

Havana Times ''Havana Times'' is a Cuban Digital Newspaper and online magazine founded in 2008. The online publication is edited in Nicaragua. Most of its contributors live in Havana, Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo. There are also Cuban contributors in Venez ...

, founded in 2008 and edited in Nicaragua, and 14ymedio, founded in 2014. Another, El Toque won some awards for its coverage in 2023, along with editor-in-chief José J. Nieves. Its coverage has been criticized by the Cuban government. Cuba has one of the lowest Internet circulation rates in the Western hemisphere. The 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. 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. Internetusers-cuba

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, 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 Alan Phillip Gross (born May 2, 1949) is a former United States government contractor employed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). In December 2009 he was arrested in Cuba while working on a program funded under t ...

, an American government contractor under employment for the U.S. Agency for International Development, was arrested in Cuba on December 3, 2009, and was convicted on March 12, 2011, for covertly distributing laptops and cellphones on the island.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * *

External links

''Bohemia''
issue that is openly available in the Digital Library of the Caribbean {{DEFAULTSORT:Media Of Cuba

Newspapers

National circulation

Provincial circulation

Role of the Church

Radio

Before the Cuban Revolution

During and after the Cuban Revolution

Censorship

Current radio channels

Television

Before the Cuban Revolution

During and after the Cuban Revolution

TV channels

Internet

Censorship

Circumventing censorship and controversies

See also

References

Bibliography

External links