List of television stations in Cuba
Encyclopedia
Early History of Cuban Television 1950-1959
Television arrived to Cuba on October 14, 1950 In the 1940s, Cuba’s two largest radio stations, CMQ and RHC-Cadena Azul announced they would soon start broadcasting television. Since building TV stations and broadcast networks from scratch was extremely expensive and complex it took longer than expected. They were both beaten to the air by the tiny radio station, Union Radio. Gaspar Pumarejo, owner of Union Radio, built the new station in his Havana home and garage. Pumarejo set the inauguration of his TV station for October 24, 1950 which was Journalists Day in Cuba. After honoring the journalist, Cuba’s President Prio was shown mugging it up for the camera and playing the role of camera man. After this event Union Radio’s slogan became “Union Radio, primera en television, primera en popularidad” (”Union Radio, First in television, first in popularity”).Union Radio was quickly followed by CMQ which began broadcasting December 18, 1950.Variety of shows
One of the first shows broadcast was coverage of Cuban Winter League baseball games
[in late October, the station carried the first of what would be regular Cuban Winter
League Baseball Games. A crew drove to the stadium in a remote-control truck. The
broadcast were beamed to Pumarejo’s house by microwave, where they were
rebroadcast. Cameramen were positioned at first base and home plate. The station‘s
third camera remained in the house until newsman Alberto Gandero finished his
newscast. After the newscast, the third camera was carried to the stadium by taxi and
positioned near third base.]
Soap operas also known as telenovelas, news, cooking shows and comedy groups were shown. After Union Radio TV went on the air Cuban demand for television sets soared. Luckily Cuban broadcasting coincided with a glut of sets in the US market. Despite the high cost, ranging $350 for a 16” set to $2,000 for a 30” unit, the Cuban government Imports and Exports Analysis Agency estimated that Cubans imported more than 100,000 television receivers by 1952.
Social and political aspects
From its inception, Cuban television played a huge part in the social and political fiber of Cubans. Extensive discussions about television began to unfold in the radio and entertainment sections of Cuban newspapers and magazines in the year leading up to October 14, 1950, the day Unión Radio-TV became the first television station to broadcast in Havana. Critics believed that US television set a level of excellence that they wanted to uphold. They believed the medium's primary purpose in Cuba would be to enhance the "high culture" education of the Cuban citizen.Censorship under Batista
On March 10, 1952 following Fulgencio BatistaFulgencio Batista
Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar was the United States-aligned Cuban President, dictator and military leader who served as the leader of Cuba from 1933 to 1944 and from 1952 to 1959, before being overthrown as a result of the Cuban Revolution....
's successful coup he sent for representatives of the media and imposed censorship. Though it was supposed to be temporary it wasn’t until Journalists’ Day October 24, 1953 that censorship was supposedly lifted. In truth the censorship became even harsher after Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
's uly 26, 1953 attack on Moncada Barracks
Moncada Barracks
The Moncada Barracks was a military barracks in Santiago de Cuba, named after General Guillermón Moncada, a hero of the War of Independence. On July 26, 1953, the barracks was the site of an armed attack by a small group of revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro. This armed attack is widely accepted...
. Stations could be fined or shut down for various infractions. For example on march 14,1953, CMCH-Radio Cadena Habana permitted a criticism of the coup. The station was immediately occupied by government soldiers. In true Cuban fashion the media learned to operate within the parameters of the censorship. In late 1957, Circuito Nacional Cubano, a station purported to be secretly owned by Batista, broadcast a fictional program called El Dictador De Valle Azul” [it starred Rolando Leyva as the rebel leader Taguary, who, with his group of men, roamed the Blue Valley and helped the people fight the valley’s evil dictator in each episode. The comparisons with the dictator Batista and the rebel leader Castro were unmistakable. The governments failure to recognize the satire only made the government appear inept as well as tyrannical.] Moral censorship also increased under Batista. There was a move towards more family friendly broadcasts and less sexually provocative variety shows. In particular these were the rumba and mambo inspired dances and more specifically the female dancers.
Listings
Daily listings appear in the newspaper GranmaGranma (newspaper)
Granma is the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party.Its name comes from the yacht Granma that carried Fidel Castro and 81 other rebels to Cuba's shores in 1956 launching the Cuban Revolution.-Editions:...
.
Weekly listings appear on the website of Juventud Rebelde
Juventud Rebelde (newspaper)
The Juventud Rebelde is a Cuban newspaper of the Unión de Jóvenes Comunistas .On October 21, 1965 Fidel Castro described the newspaper as ".....
(in Spanish):