The Business of Radio

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RADIO MARTÍ
KEY CONTACT INFORMATION
MARIA “MALULE” GONZÁLEZ
Director, Office of Cuba Broadcasting
RADIO MARTÍ
4201 NW 77th Ave,
Doral,
FL 33166, United States
T +1 305-437-7001
INBRIEF
To promote freedom and democracy by providing the
people of Cuba with objective news and information
programming.
The Martis - television and radio - have an annual
budget of US$26.6m (2014) and around 132 staff
PROFILE
Radio Martí began broadcasting to
Cuba on May 20, 1985, to provide
fair, accurate, balanced and
comprehensive news and
information to the Cuban people.
Radio Marti continues to be the sole
source of uncensored news and
information for Cubans, providing
expert analysis on Cuba, human
rights issues, immigration reform
and the mounting desire for private
entrepreneurship on the island, as
well as the ongoing diplomatic
relations between the US and Cuba.
Radio Martí broadcasts 24 hours
a day, seven days a week to Cuba
through a combination of high and
low-tech approaches, such as
satellite, shortwave and AM radio,
online with live streaming and on-
demand, flash drives and mobile
apps. Radio programmes cover a
wide and diverse range of topics
including news, information,
sports, and entertainment.
In addition to the many news
and current events programmes
focused on Cuba and Cuba-related
stories, one of Radio Martí’s most
popular programmes is Con voz
propia (With One’s Own Voice).
Created by women for women, it
delves into issues that impact the
lives of the Cuban female
population with candid and often
direct conversation with listeners
on the island.
Al duro y sin guantes (Hardball
with Gloves Off) is a daily sports
news programme that generates
continuous comments and
reactions from Cubans living inside
and outside of Cuba via social
media, email, SMS messages and
phone calls.
Throughout its history, Radio
Martí has been a singularly
important source of uncensored
information on some of the most
important news in Cuba, including
• Glasnost and Perestroika
reforms in the Soviet Union
• The fall of the Berlin Wall
• The 1994 “Cuban Exodus” and
development of the so called “wet
foot/dry foot” policy
• Pope John Paul’s visit to Cuba
in 1998
• The Elian Gonzalez saga
• Cuba’s Black Spring, in which
more than 75 dissidents, including
29 journalists, were imprisoned
• The death of prominent activist
Oswaldo Paya
• The release of American Alan
Gross and the announcement of an
opening of U.S.-Cuban relations
audience numbers through research
Social media
60k Facebook followers
Audienceestimate (2015, Radio)
Because of the difficult media
environment in Cuba, it is not
yet possible to establish
OPERATED BY THE OFFICE OF CUBA BROADCASTING AND
OVERSEEN BY THE BROADCASTING BOARD OF GOVERNORS
THE BUSINESS OF RADIO | BROADCASTERS
32 | WORLD RADIO DAY 2016 | CELEBRATING RADIO