New Leader Overhauls US Broadcasts into Cuba

MIAMI (AP) — A new generation of leaders from outside Miami's exile hub is promising to overhaul the U.S. government's radio and TV broadcasts into Cuba, in an effort to make them more relevant and to reach a younger audience.

The overhaul follows broader U.S. policy changes toward the communist island. President Barack Obama has shifted from the Bush-era of directly advocating for the overthrow of the Castro government toward encouraging more cultural and economic exchanges.

The new director of $28 million a year TV and Radio Marti has cut more than a third of the broadcasts' outside contractors and promoted new shows that encourage bartering and other exchanges among Cubans on the island. But critics question the value of overhauling TV Marti in particular. By most accounts the Cuban government successfully blocks it.

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Online:

Martis: http://www.martinoticias.com/noticias/