U.S. Sen. Feingold: Statement on Wasteful TV Marti Program Continuing to be funded

Sen. Russ Feingold

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold, a member of the Senate Budget and Foreign Relations Committees, released the following statement on the inclusion of funding for the TV Martí program in the omnibus spending bill.

“Providing millions of dollars for this broadcast to Cuba that virtually nobody tunes into is a complete waste of the taxpayers’ money. Government studies of this Cold War relic show that it is ineffective and riddled with problems. In the face of record deficits, we should be cutting wasteful programs like this, not stuffing it back into a bill that is already bursting at the seams with earmarks and other spending.”

Feingold recently introduced the Control Spending Now Act, legislation made up of more than forty provisions to reduce the deficit by more than half a trillion dollars. Eliminating the Radio and TV Martí program was one of those provisions and its elimination would save an estimated $300 million over ten years. More information on Senator Feingold’s effort to eliminate the program is available below.

Spotlight on Spending:
Radio and TV Martí

Deficit Reduction:
$300 million over ten years

What it is:
Launched in 1983 under President Reagan with the intention of helping take down Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, Radio Martí is a U.S.-funded, 24-hour radio program directed at Cuba. In 1990, TV Martí was established for the same purposes. Radio and TV Martí are operated by the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB) under the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), which oversees U.S. government broadcasting.

Why it is wasteful:
The Radio and TV Martí programs are wasteful for reasons both operational and political.

A January 2009 report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that Radio and TV Martí broadcasts face jamming by the Cuban government. According to the GAO, the best available research suggests that the audience for Radio and TV Martí is small, and its effectiveness uncertain. BBG’s International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) also found that Radio Martí fails to meet certain journalistic standards, “particularly in the areas of balance and objectivity.”

During a June 2009 hearing before a House Foreign Affairs Subcommitee, a GAO official testified that there is “limited information to help assess the relative success on a return of investment for each of the transmission methods.” During the same hearing, John Nichols, a Professor of Communications and International Affairs at Penn State University testified that “…even if (Cubans) are opposed to the Castro government…they are going to look for more credible sources of information and entertainment.”

The political environment has changed significantly since the inception of Radio and TV Martí, and President Obama’s commitment to international diplomacy and dialogue offers a more effective way to engage with the people of Cuba. The Obama administration has already loosened restrictions on Cuban Americans’ visits to Cuba, and the White House and Congress are considering easing travel restrictions and other ways to normalize relations.

Posted @ 5:31 p.m.