US Cancels Flights to Beam Signal to Cuba
HAVANA TIMES — The US government has quietly canceled the flights of Aero Martí, a platform to broadcast Washington’s TV Marti to Cuba, the island’s official media reported.
According to a report from the Office of Inspector General of the State Department and the Board of Governors for the transmissions, “the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB) is plagued by low morale, lack of transparency and lack of effective communication with their employees.”
The results of the audit, released this week, adds new elements to the criticism of the transmissions to Cuba by Radio and TV Marti for their high cost ($30 million annually from the federal budget) and ineffectiveness.
The Gulfstream-1 airplane for TV broadcasts, called “Aero Martí”, had started its operations in August 2006, but the defense strategies of the Cuban army have effectively prevented the signals from bein received by residents on the island.
The only programs I receive by shortwave radio on the island are Cuban – once I rerceived a US religious program of southern baptist persuasion – usual bunk.
This was a goofy plan from its inception. It was said that the cost of simply keeping this airplane hangared was nearly $80K per year. Better late than never to do the right thing.