Radio & TV in Cuba

It's amazing how little we know about a country 90 miles from Florida, but does anyone know about Radio & TV in Cuba?

Here's what I know, partly from reading other posts here:

Cuba has several national radio networks, which have AM and FM outlets around the island:
--Radio Reloj (all news and time checks)
--Radio Rebelde
--Radio Havana

When I was in Key West, it was easy to hear Radio Reloj on two frequencies, 590 and 950. I also heard Cuban stations playing music on several frequencies but didn't have the time to wait for I.D.s. One played international hits in English as well as Spanish. I was surprised to hear Bruce Springsteen and Madonna one day. Many of the AM stations date back from pre-Castro days. Obviously the FM stations came after Castro's take-over. They've been described as not very powerful and on short towers, which is why they're hard, if not impossible to pick up in the Florida Keys. Others on this board have said while on an airplane flight over the Carribbean, they've heard Cuban FMs on their walkmans. One poster said he was surprised at how clear Radio Reloj sounds on FM.

Do we know if Cuba has FM-only networks or other AM networks in addition to the three I mentioned above? I think I've heard there is a Classical FM station in Havana.

How about TV? Some have posted that Channel 2 and 6 are sometimes seen in the Keys. There are a few examples of Cuban TV on You Tube, including stations caught in Florida on a skip. I assume they have separate programming. Do we have any idea if that's it for TV in Cuba... two networks? Do they produce their own programs mostly or do they import from other Latin America countries for teleromans, dramas, documentaries, etc? Do they carry overseas sports such as The Olympics and The World Cup or is their budget too limited?




Gregg
[email protected]

Gregg said:

Do we know if Cuba has FM-only networks or other AM networks in addition to the three I mentioned above? I think I've heard there is a Classical FM station in Havana.

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Radio: http://www.radiocubana.cu/

There are seven national networks (Radio Habana, Cuba, is not a network, it's a shortwave service) and about 20 provincial (regional) stations and maybe 50 local stations.

Do we have any idea if that's it for TV in Cuba... two networks? Do they produce their own programs mostly or do they import from other Latin America countries for teleromans, dramas, documentaries, etc? Do they carry overseas sports such as The Olympics and The World Cup or is their budget too limited?

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TV: five networks, national. http://www.tvcubana.icrt.cu/ About 20 regional production centers, too.

DavidEduardo said:

Gregg said:

Do we know if Cuba has FM-only networks or other AM networks in addition to the three I mentioned above? I think I've heard there is a Classical FM station in Havana.

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Radio: http://www.radiocubana.cu/

There are seven national networks (Radio Habana, Cuba, is not a network, it's a shortwave service) and about 20 provincial (regional) stations and maybe 50 local stations.

Do we have any idea if that's it for TV in Cuba... two networks? Do they produce their own programs mostly or do they import from other Latin America countries for teleromans, dramas, documentaries, etc? Do they carry overseas sports such as The Olympics and The World Cup or is their budget too limited?

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How many Cuban FM stations are in Stereo? Are they using RDS on some?

Peter Q. George (K1XRB) said:

How many Cuban FM stations are in Stereo? Are they using RDS on some?

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I've heard a number via E-skip and don't recall any of them being mono. (that includes Reloj. Believe me, it's a kick to hear that familiar format, loud & clear on FM!)

I don't recall hearing any Cuban FMs that *don't* have RDS. No call letters but the RDS does clearly identify which network you're listening to.

Chris Dunne I'm sure has a far better handle on this subject.

w9wi said:

Peter Q. George (K1XRB) said:

How many Cuban FM stations are in Stereo? Are they using RDS on some?

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I've heard a number via E-skip and don't recall any of them being mono. (that includes Reloj. Believe me, it's a kick to hear that familiar format, loud & clear on FM!)

I don't recall hearing any Cuban FMs that *don't* have RDS. No call letters but the RDS does clearly identify which network you're listening to.

Chris Dunne I'm sure has a far better handle on this subject.

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That would be me, folks.

I've made it a project the last 20 years (more seriously in the last 4-5 years) to go to the Florida Keys to monitor the situation. I bring outdoor antenna, TV/VCR combo & Sony XDR-F1HD among other items.

There are 5 national networks now:

Tele Rebelde (ch 2 in La Habana)
Canal Educativo (ch 4 LH)
Cubavision (ch 6 LH)
Canal Educativo Dos (ch 15 LH)
Multivision (ch 21 LH)

The last two are an all-UHF network as far as I know.

I had a trip to the Keys on March 28 or so, and was able to actually view about 50 Cuban TV stations.....normally, conditions aren't near that good.

In La Habana there is also Canal Habana (UHF 27/38) that serves the city.

In most cases, the "regional" networks are used by Tele Rebelde stations in late afternoons.

As to FM:

(1) R Reloj on FM *is* mono, at least in LH, as no "ST" readout is on the car stereo.
(2) At this time, only 1 FM station in LH does not have RDS, and that's R Cadena Habana 99.9. All others have it, but only the name of the network....no songs played or anything. I was told that Reloj in LH (101.5) just added RDS.
(3) I myself never saw any RDS on stations outside LH (even network stations), until Radio Mayabeque 104.7 in Guines showed it.
(4) Cuban FMs don't run a lot of power....it's easier to hear it via Es from Kentucky than, say, via Tropo from central Florida! That being said, the above Mayabeque (a recent new station) really belts a signal along the Keys, especially the 7 mile Bridge. I'd like to know how much power they run.

There would be more to say, but I hope this answers some questions.

cd

Sorry, I did not address some things.

There are two FM-only networks:

Radio Taino, 93.3 in la Habana (mainly for tourism, but has a local flair). It used to be on AM, but no longer. They claim at TOH as "The FM of Cuba" (bilingual ID----I discovered that there is an English news report at 7:15pm).

Habana Radio, 106.9 in la Habana, but heard throughout Cuba. HR is the easiest catch for me from my home. It's classical/cultural/talk, and some pop.

Also the classical is CMBF, mostly FM like 99.1 in LH, but also AM 590. Easy catch in the Keys on AM. They have a stereo light, but I don't think I have really heard anything in stereo from it.

I am sure there may be some "standalone" FM stations, but I am not 100% sure.

cd

In December 2009 I was in western Puerto Rico (San Germán/Mayagüez) visiting family for the holidays.

One night I was listening to Mayagüez station WKJB on 710 Khz, and when they signed off for the night, in came BOTH Radio Rebelde and WAQI like an electromagnetic duel of ideologies.

thathoustonradiogeek said:

In December 2009 I was in western Puerto Rico (San Germán/Mayagüez) visiting family for the holidays.

One night I was listening to Mayagüez station WKJB on 710 Khz, and when they signed off for the night, in came BOTH Radio Rebelde and WAQI like an electromagnetic duel of ideologies.

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Does WKJB suffer from that QRM when they are running? I feel sorry for them, if so.

cd

thathoustonradiogeek said:

One night I was listening to Mayagüez station WKJB on 710 Khz, and when they signed off for the night, in came BOTH Radio Rebelde and WAQI like an electromagnetic duel of ideologies.

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That's pretty normal. WAQI /WGBS always had a nice signal over western PR in WKJB's absence, and is the reason why WKJB has such low night power. The Cuban interference is a consequence of the content of WAQI's programming.

Actually WKJB (which rebroadcasts Radio Isla's programming for the west coast of Puerto Rico) sounded pretty good.

No sign of RR nor Radio Mambi until after the 'KJB switch was thrown.

I was going to mention Radio Taino as an FM-only network. Back in the day...the late 80's, during the 'radio war' between The US's Radio Marti and high powered AM Cuban stations, Taino was on 1180 and branded itself as "La Turemisora de Cuba" (Cuba's Tourist Station) with a music intense format, mixed with tourist information in Spanish. I do remember a "Legal ID' in Spanish and English. This would have been around 1988ish.

I also hear Radio Enciclopedia on 530 AM most nights with Easy Listening (mostly instrumental) music.

The OP mentioned that they heard American music being played at one point. Anything I have heard from Cuba never did that. Is that something new? Or perhaps an American station broadcasting Cuban programming? Seems that the Cuban authorities would have a hard time with American pop music on their airwaves. I'd think......

I think Cuba has eased up on its anti-American slant, at least as far as radio is concerned. Just judging from my limited Spanish, coverage of U.S. news sounded pretty much like wire copy stuff to me on Radio Reloj. All the stories have to be under a minute anyway. Not much time for commentary. I can't speak for talk and opinion shows.

And yes, I heard both Springsteen and Madonna mixed with Spanish pop one afternoon on a distant AM station. I'm quite sure it was a Cuban station. There are no other Spanish-speaking countries near the Florida Keys and certainly no U.S. AM Spanish station is going to be playing Springsteen and Madonna.


Gregg
[email protected]

nocomradio said:

The OP mentioned that they heard American music being played at one point. Anything I have heard from Cuba never did that. Is that something new? Or perhaps an American station broadcasting Cuban programming? Seems that the Cuban authorities would have a hard time with American pop music on their airwaves. I'd think......

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English language music has been played for some time on the pop / AC stations... but those tended to be the lower powered ones in larger cities.

Of course, they call it "Anglo" music, not American music... as salsa and the more traditional Latin American music is what is called "American" in Cuba.

Of course, a number of the Cuban-American stations in Miami play a lot of music in English, as do pop station all over Latin America... but generally not AMs

Gregg said:

I think Cuba has eased up on its anti-American slant, at least as far as radio is concerned. Just judging from my limited Spanish, coverage of U.S. news sounded pretty much like wire copy stuff to me on Radio Reloj. All the stories have to be under a minute anyway. Not much time for commentary. I can't speak for talk and opinion shows.

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Funny coincidence... I'm doing an evaluation of news in and for Cuba right now and while I have seen a gradual improvement of formatics, I don't see any change in content. The news is very slanted, just as all the Prensa Latina copy has always been. It's certainly filled with the keywords like "imperialist" and such, but the more strident stuff is gone. The comparisons of the Occupy movement with the Cuban Revolution have been quite virulent, in fact... addressing the imminent uprising of the masses and full of references to throwing off of chains, yokes and such. It's Pure Fidel (tm) spiced with the current Chavez-flavored condiment.

Also, although my espanol is limited, I do not necessarily believe that all stories must be under a minute. Sometimes right before the time signal, one hears "continua" or "continuara' ", which would lead me to believe that more is to come on the same story after the time check.

David, if you are doing research, do ya think maybe you could sample 30 minutes of Reloj and give us a simple summary? That would be interesting, I'd think.

cd

cd637299 said:

David, if you are doing research, do ya think maybe you could sample 30 minutes of Reloj and give us a simple summary? That would be interesting, I'd think.

cd

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Smart idea! I'd love to read that as well...as a person who lived in South Florida for sometime, mentioning anything not negative about post-revolution Cuba is about as taboo as saying anything positive about Nazism to a crowded Isreali temple! Direct Cuban immigrants down there (who honestly haven't touched Cuban media in over 30-50 years) assume Satan himself runs these stations and yearn for the days of the old CMQ, etc., etc. Not saying by any means that they're my go-to source for unbiased news but I do hear far more extremist views on both sides from Pacifica Radio and/or Fox News.

And a point about Cuban radio: certain stations such as Radio Enciclopedia's 530 AM come in to South Florida quite well even during the day. I have NEVER heard a Cuba FM in the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area. I have picked up a crystal-clear Radio Enciclopedia with RDS from Habana on 94.1...in South Carolina!

I should point out that most major Cuban networks do stream on the internet, for those who are curious and can't pick up the networks on the radio. Depending on the station, stream quality ranges from 20kbps that constantly drops out to a very good Radio Reloj stream. Kind of ironic considering Cuba has some of the lowest percentages of internet users in the world.

Radio-X

radiodxrichmond said:

Smart idea! I'd love to read that as well...as a person who lived in South Florida for sometime, mentioning anything not negative about post-revolution Cuba is about as taboo as saying anything positive about Nazism to a crowded Isreali temple!

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Anecdote time.

When I consulted WQBA around 1970, and later when I managed WHTT in 80-82 we had lists of euphemisms for Fidel Castro, as mentioning him by name was not considered good form.

Among the (translated) substitutes for his name were things like The Traitor of the Americasl The Assassin of Cuba, and The Hangman. In all, there were like a dozen that rotated in use.

And music that was playable one day might all be pulled the next if the artist did a concert in Cuba or said something nice about Fidel.

Of course, since I knew people whose parents had been killed in front of their eyes when they were still children by the Castro henchmen, I was pretty understanding towards the strong feelings. In fact, one of my news people had spent time in the horrible prison, Combinado del Este, where dissidents were sent.

cd637299 said:

David, if you are doing research, do ya think maybe you could sample 30 minutes of Reloj and give us a simple summary? That would be interesting, I'd think.

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I will give it a listen... my project is on behalf of a non-related entity, but another listen to Rebelde might be interesting.

DavidEduardo said:

radiodxrichmond said:

Smart idea! I'd love to read that as well...as a person who lived in South Florida for sometime, mentioning anything not negative about post-revolution Cuba is about as taboo as saying anything positive about Nazism to a crowded Isreali temple!

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Anecdote time.

When I consulted WQBA around 1970, and later when I managed WHTT in 80-82 we had lists of euphemisms for Fidel Castro, as mentioning him by name was not considered good form.

Among the (translated) substitutes for his name were things like The Traitor of the Americasl The Assassin of Cuba, and The Hangman. In all, there were like a dozen that rotated in use.

And music that was playable one day might all be pulled the next if the artist did a concert in Cuba or said something nice about Fidel.

Of course, since I knew people whose parents had been killed in front of their eyes when they were still children by the Castro henchmen, I was pretty understanding towards the strong feelings. In fact, one of my news people had spent time in the horrible prison, Combinado del Este, where dissidents were sent.

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My wife, who is from South America, has many relatives who are from various parts of Latin America, and in particular one cousin who is originally from Cuba. He was forced to leave Cuba as a young man of around 20 years old when after the revolution all of their land was taken by the Communist government. There, he had a good job and came from a family with some substantial real estate holdings. He came to the US, basically peniless, and had to work back up from nothing, which took many years of hard work to get where he is now. The mention of the name Castro still invokes some very, very strong emotions in him, even to this day. I can certainly understand his position.