A rumor goes around Miami again: Radio and Television Martí would have their days numbered or their staff would be severely reduced.
No one has officially confirmed it, but Republican Cuban-American congressman Mario Díaz-Balart already takes it for granted. In a public statementaffirmed that he was “horrified by the shameful decision of the Biden Administration to initiate a ‘reduction of personnel’ in the Office of Broadcasts to Cuba (OCB, for its acronym in English), which manages Radio and TV Martí.”
“For years, the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) has requested approximately $13 million for OCB, despite OCB’s usual annual budget of approximately $30 million in recent years. tax. USAGM continues to blame Congress for the cuts, and certainly the Democratic majority shares much of the blame. However, to date, I have yet to receive an explanation as to why USAGM continues to request such an abysmally low number for OCB year after year, fully acknowledging the consequences if Congress actually adopts their request.”
“USAGM has not stated whether it is initiating these layoffs due to the Administration’s ‘reform’ plans or due to requested budget cuts. (…) However, the Biden Administration is irresponsibly advancing with devastating dismissals based on little justification,” added the congressman.
In fact, so far there are no justifications or even confirmations. OnCuba tried this Friday to obtain confirmations with the White House and the OCB, but without results.
These rumors are not new. They tend to be recurrent in South Florida when the Biden Administration has made some progress in bilateral matters, which is perceived as a concession to the Cuban government. The strange thing is that lately there has been nothing in this direction, beyond an increase in flights between the two countries.
But two sources within Radio and Television Martí have confirmed to OnCuba that among the staff of the stations there is concern. One of the sources recalled that the rumors are not new but this time “there is more concern” than before. What’s more, she said, “some are already fired,” emphasizing that OCB management has contacted some employees to offer them an incentivized leave or early retirement.
