Cuba broadcaster plans to slash personnel at Radio and TV Martí

The U.S. Agency for Global Media, a federal office overseeing Voice of America and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, informed employees of the Marti stations in Miami this week that some could be laid off soon.

Employees at the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, which manages the Radio and TV Marti stations, learned of the plans in a newsroom-wide video call meeting that its current director, former Univision and Telemundo executive Silvia Rosabal, held from her office while the employees were present in the station’s main building near Miami International Airport. They also received a notification from the agency earlier this week that “a reduction in force affecting employees of the OCB is anticipated.”

The U.S. Agency for Global Media confirmed the plans in a statement sent to the Miami Herald, stating that “a reduction in force will be necessary by the end of November.”

The agency said that “despite years of cutting costs, additional reductions are required” and that it is exploring “all options for cost reductions without compromising the ability to achieve its mission, including personnel reductions, to operate within current funding levels.”

The agency did not say how many employees could lose their jobs but said it has been in frequent communication with employees during the process and has tried to “minimize” the impact on the workforce.

“The Office of Cuba Broadcasting remains committed to its mission of promoting freedom and democracy by providing the people of Cuba with objective news and information programming,” the statement added.

Two employees who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation said that as many as 25 employees could be dismissed. One of the sources said a list of the positions that could be eliminated has been circulating internally. The employees said many of the workers affected are currently assigned to TV Martí, including hosts, producers, editors and videographers.

According to the Agency for Global Media website there are 117 employees at the Office of Cuba Broadcasting.

For many years, critics of TV Marti have questioned its effectiveness, noting the Cuban government jams its signal. In response, the stations have expanded their online presence.

During the pandemic, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting quietly eliminated the television newscast, and hosts and other television journalists have turned into multimedia reporters producing audiovisual and radio content for social media and the station’s website.

The agency did not answer questions about the television operation.

Florida Republicans in Congress, Sen. Marco Rubio and Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, criticized the plans to cut station personnel.

Following widespread protests in Cuba on July 11, 2021, “the Biden administration should be lifting the voices of those who advocate for Cuba’s freedom, NOT silencing them through shameful personnel cuts at Radio and TV Martí,” wrote Rubio on Twitter. “Martínoticias is a crucial component of initiatives in support of freedom and democracy in Cuba.”

Díaz-Balart complained that in recent years the U.S. Agency for Global Media has repeatedly requested a roughly $13 million budget for the stations, down from the $30 million that it used to get in the past, which would lead to staff cuts, he said in a statement.

Díaz-Balart said he has “yet to receive an explanation as to why USAGM continues to request such an abysmally low number for OCB year after year while fully knowing the consequences.”

The U.S. Agency for Global Media did not answer questions about its budget request.

In recent years, Congress has been transferring funds from other programs to fill the budget deficit and avoid cuts. Díaz-Balart did not say if that could be the case this year too, but urged the Biden administration and the Agency for Global Media to “abandon this despicable attempt to weaken OCB before they cause irreparable harm, and finally stand with the Cuban people at a time when they need it most.”

An independent review commissioned by the agency in 2019, in response to criticism after TV Marti aired a controversial report on businessman and philanthropist George Soros, found that some of the news programs failed to meet basic journalistic standards. John Lansing, the head of the agency at the time, called for structural changes at the Martí stations.