The main media platforms in Cuba are radio and television channels managed by the former Cuban Institute for Radio and Television (ICRT), a state broadcaster with over 13,000 employees. Radio Habana, one of ICRT’s earliest outlets, was established in 1961. The following year, the government created the Cuban Institute of Radio Broadcasting through Law 1030, which was renamed ICRT in 1976. In 2021, a new institution, Instituto de Información y Comunicación Social en Cuba (ICS) was established to replace ICRT.
ICS operates Televisión Cubana, which includes nine channels: Cubavisión (general programming), Tele Rebelde (sports), Canal Caribe (news, documentaries, science, and cultural programs), Canal Habana (telenovelas, documentaries, news, and music), Canal Clave (music), two educational channels, a channel for children, and a global channel. Additionally, ICS oversees Radio Cubana, a network with approximately 100 stations, six of which have nationwide coverage. One of these stations, Radio Habana Cuba, is specifically intended for international audiences.
Media assets
Television: Televisión Cubana (Cubavisión, Tele Rebelde, Canal Caribe, Canal Habana, Cubavisión Internacional, Canal Clave, Canal Educativo, Canal Educativo 2, Multivisión)
Radio: Radio Cubana (Radio Rebelde, Radio Progreso, Radio Taíno, Radio Reloj, CMBF Radio Musical Nacional, Radio Enciclopedia, Radio Havana Cuba)
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
In 2021, the Cuban government announced the creation of a new institution, the Institute of Information and Social Communication (ICS), which replaced the ICRT. Some observers have likened the new institution to the “Ministry of Truth” because it is tasked with designing the Cuban government’s communication policy.
ICS is tightly controlled by the government. Alfonso Noya Martínez, the president of ICS, is a member of the government (Council of Ministers). Waldo Ramírez Ribera is the director of TV Cubana, and Onelio Castillo Corder is the head of Radio Cubana, both of whom are government appointees.
Source of funding and budget
ICS receives all its funding from the government. Our sources in Cuba consulted for this report in May 2024 indicated that in certain instances, the funds are channeled through financing sources from other countries. For instance, the budget of Canal Educativo 2 is used to support some of the programs of Tele Sur, a project of the Venezuelan government. Specific information about the subsidies allocated to ICS is not disclosed by the government.
Editorial independence
The state fully controls and dictates the editorial line of all the outlets run by ICS. The institute’s mission is to “manage, execute, and control the application of the state and government’s policy through the radio and television activities.”
Article 55 of the Cuban Constitution states that the media is considered the “socialist property of the entire people.” The state, under the Constitution, establishes the principles for the organization and functioning of all media in the country.
ICS’s outlets frequently portray dissidents and protesters against the regime as “criminal actors.” Before the adoption of an amended Constitution in February 2019, Cuban television broadcast a series of reports accusing individuals critical of the constitution of “subversion.” Such propagandistic reports are a regular feature of the content aired by ICS’s outlets.
There is no statute oe independent assessment mechanism to validate the editorial independence of ICS’s media outlets.
August 2024