At the same time the Cuban government protested the U. S. government’s decision not to continue migratory talks, it was redoubling its efforts to jam U. S. broadcasts through Radio Martàshort-wave frequencies into the island nation. "With the new noises, I can’t hear it any more," said Esther, a Havana housewife who said she used to listen to Radio Martàthrough her old Soviet-era VEF radio.
Ester, are you sure you didn’t accidently tune in a rap channel?
Broadcasts from the U. S. on the AM band are blocked by stronger signals from nearby Cuban stations, but when these go off the air for repairs or maintenance, the Radio Martàsignal comes in loud and clear, according to listeners’ reports. Listeners who own newer radios can sometimes pick up the broadcasts at favorable times on certain bands. The Cuban government has implicitly recognized that Cubans listen to Radio MartÃÂ, and often blame it for any manifestation against the government. At the trials of the 75 dissidents and independent journalists in April, 2003, one of the principal pieces of evidence introduced was possession of a short-wave radio.
We can do better than this. How about a broadcast signal from GITMO at low power but with a frequency that changes every hour. Then broadcast over 10 frequencies at once followed by 20 and 100. Make the Cuban Government work. |