for a society such as Cuba to repress the basic laws of human rights and exempt its people from the freedoms that many Western societies take for granted such as; freedom of expression, press, association and assembly. During the early 1960s, a class struggle was waged within media outlets all over Cuba. This struggle reflected the major changes taking place all over Cuban society. The Revolution's aftermath resulted in the nationalization of Cuban media. Mass media information was no longer subject to private corporations but became a public asset. The Cuban Institute of Radio and Television (IRCT), was created to supervise and manage radio and television stations island-wide. In Cuba today there are 62 radio stations across the island, staffed by 911 journalists. (Salwen 84) Cuba operates one international short wave radio station, Radio Havana, which broadcast in nine languages. (Salwen 84) Radio Rebelde, Radio Progreso, Radio Reloj, Radio Musical National and Radio Enciclopedia are the national station heard throughout the country. There are 38 provincial and municipal stations and 92 community radio stations that focus on local issues and have more limited air. (Salwen 84) Radio broadcasts play an important role in Cuba. With the fall of the Soviet Union, Cuba has found itself in an economic crisis. With this crisis came drastic cuts in newspaper and magazine information, and a reduction in television broadcast time. (Salwen 88) This meant that much of what was covered by these media became the responsibility of the radio. Television broadcasting in Cuba began in the late 1940s. During this time Cuba was used by businesses as grounds for new technologies, making Cuba a world pioneer in television. (Salwen 104) In Cuba today there are two national television channels, one international channel, and eight regional channels. (Salwen 104) There are many households in Cuba with a television sets, but they are old and outdated. The end ...
