Slick new graphics, drum and bass theme music and young presenters: at least in its presentation, Cuba’s latest state television channel is a break with the past.
Called Canal Caribe, it is an attempt to stand out from the stiffly presented, heavily scripted newscasts that have aired on state TV for decades.
The channel is trying out different formats. They include live link-ups with international correspondents via Skype and the use of social media sites like Twitter – simple devices that are common on most other news channels but new for Cuban TV.
As one of the founders of another left-wing Latin American news service, the Venezuelan-funded Telesur, he says this new venture will be unique in Cuba because it will run outside the fixed midday and early-evening slots. “The key difference is that this will be a news and information channel that’s on air for 18 hours a day and the vast majority of our coverage, around two-thirds, will be live.”” says Mr Cabrera. ”
A live, round-the-clock television news channel might not sound particularly innovative, but in Cuba such changes happen slowly. Ovidio Cabrera says Canal Caribe is a channel “for more revolution”.”This is a channel for more revolution,” says Mr Cabrera, immediately squashing any suggestion that Canal Caribe will be anything less than 100% pro-government. We won’t shy away from criticising what isn’t working, from making suggestions, from analysing and discussing social problems, but always through the prism of supporting the revolutionary process, not against it,” he explains.
Ovidio Cabrera, Director of Radio Caribe.
One example: The state-run newspaper and mouthpiece of the Cuban Communist Party, Granma, has barely changed its typeface in 50 years of revolution.
The question is whether editorially Canal Caribe will be any different from other channels on the Communist-run island and if criticism will be broadcast.
Weak signal of changes.
The young journalists at Canal Caribe insist that, despite the restrictions on them, they will report issues that matter to ordinary people. “As an intern [working in state media] here, I was told a lot of rules I found to be nonsense,” says news anchor Luis Miguel Cabrera in fluent English.
Luis Miguel Cabrera says some rules have been relaxed. “And I’m really proud that I’ve experienced how those rules have been – I can’t say ‘changed’ exactly – but certainly made more flexible. “I have personally experienced that I could report the sort of issues that one couldn’t do in the past. So I think that we have that responsibility to push hard in order to change things that we don’t find representative of what is going on, not only in Cuba but in the world as well.”
That said, he is a realist and knows the editorial environment in which he works. “You have to keep in mind that this is a state-owned channel. But I believe that we can responsibly show on TV what is going in Cuba and what is representative of the Cuban people,” he says.
Not yet in his thirties, Mr Cabrera presents The World Now programme and believes that Canal Caribe is evidence of changing media attitudes in Cuba.
Change under way.
The way Cubans are consuming their news is undoubtedly changing.
anal Caribe will have to compete for the attention of youngsters with the Internet.
“I haven’t watched state TV in years”, a young music video producer tells me. “I get all my information from the Weekly Package” he adds, referring to an offline form of file-sharing in Cuba using hard-drives which is both cheap and hugely popular.
There are also now about 100 public wi-fi spots dotted across the island and most young people would rather pay for an hour of Internet access than tune into the nightly news.
A pilot scheme has just ended to allow Internet connections in private homes and theoretically should soon become more widely available.
Luis Miguel Cabrera says some rules have been relaxed.
Essential message
One Cuban blogger, Ariel Montenegro, thinks the days of the Internet being perceived as dangerous by the authorities may now be numbered.
“I don’t believe that the Cuban Government believes right now that the Internet is bad and is going to be bad for the country and for the revolution and for socialism and so on,” he says, sitting in a public wi-fi spot.
Although getting online is still slow and expensive, he says, he is broadly optimistic about the future of the island’s connectivity.
Part of the Canal Caribe newsroom is a building site as they construct a completely new set while inside the on-air studio, the young team of journalists is preparing to broadcast live again.
Canal Caribe’s message still very much reflects the government’s line.
In a rapidly changing media environment, the Cuban government is acutely aware that the slogans of the past no longer appeal to many young people.
With a round-the-clock news channel, they are hoping to become more relevant to their audience again while still delivering the same essential message.
La nueva estación del gobierno cubano, TV “Canal Caribe” tratará con dificultad de ser diferente.
Nuevos gráficos sofisticados, música temática de tambor y bajo y jóvenes presentadores: al menos en su presentación, el último canal de televisión estatal de Cuba es una ruptura con el pasado.
Llamado Canal Caribe, es un intento de destacarse de los noticiarios rigurosamente presentados y con guión que han sido transmitidos por televisión estatal durante décadas.
El canal está probando diferentes formatos. Ellos incluyen enlaces directos con corresponsales internacionales a través de Skype y el uso de sitios de redes sociales como Twitter – dispositivos simples que son comunes en la mayoría de los canales de noticias, pero nuevos para la televisión cubana.
Como uno de los fundadores de otro servicio de noticias latinoamericano de izquierda, Telesur, financiado por Venezuela, dice que esta nueva aventura será única en Cuba, ya que se ejecutará fuera de las franjas fijas del mediodía y de la madrugada. “La principal diferencia es que este será un canal de noticias e información que estará en el aire durante 18 horas al día y la gran mayoría de nuestra cobertura, alrededor de dos tercios, estará en vivo”, dice Cabrera.
Un canal de noticias de televisión en vivo, las veinticuatro horas del día, podría no sonar particularmente innovador, pero en Cuba tales cambios ocurren lentamente. Ovidio Cabrera dice que Canal Caribe es un canal “para más revolución”, “este es un canal para más revolución”, dice Cabrera, aplastando inmediatamente cualquier sugerencia de que Canal Caribe sea algo menos que 100% pro gubernamental. No dejaremos de criticar lo que no funciona, de hacer sugerencias, analizar y discutir problemas sociales, pero siempre a través del prisma de apoyar el proceso revolucionario, no contra él “, explica.
Un ejemplo: El diario estatal y portavoz del Partido Comunista de Cuba, Granma, apenas ha cambiado su tipografía en 50 años de revolución.
La cuestión es si editorialmente Canal Caribe será diferente de otros canales en la isla dirigida por los comunistas y si la crítica será difundida.
Señal débil de los cambios.
Los jóvenes periodistas de Canal Caribe insisten en que, a pesar de las restricciones que se les imponen, informarán sobre asuntos que afectan a la gente común. “Como interno [trabajando en medios estatales] aquí, me dijeron muchas reglas que consideré una tontería”, dice el presentador de noticias Luis Miguel Cabrera en inglés fluido.
Luis Miguel Cabrera dice que algunas reglas se han relajado. “Y estoy muy orgulloso de haber experimentado cómo esas reglas han sido – no puedo decir ‘cambiado’ exactamente – pero ciertamente hechas más flexibles.” Yo personalmente he experimentado que podría informar el tipo de problemas que uno couldn ‘T hacer en el pasado. Así que creo que tenemos esa responsabilidad de empujar con fuerza para cambiar cosas que no encontramos representativas de lo que está sucediendo, no sólo en Cuba, sino también en el mundo “.
Dicho esto, es realista y conoce el entorno editorial en el que trabaja. “Hay que tener en cuenta que se trata de un canal estatal, pero creo que podemos mostrar de forma responsable en Cuba lo que está pasando en Cuba y lo que es representativo del pueblo cubano”, dice.
Todavía no tiene treinta años, el Sr. Cabrera presenta el programa The World Now y cree que Canal Caribe es una evidencia del cambio en las actitudes mediáticas en Cuba.
Cambio en marcha.
La forma en que los cubanos están consumiendo sus noticias está sin duda cambiando.
Anal Caribe tendrá que competir por la atención de los jóvenes con Internet.
“No he visto televisión estatal en años”, me cuenta un productor de videos musicales. “Recibo toda mi información del Paquete Semanal”, añade, refiriéndose a una forma offline de compartir archivos en Cuba usando discos duros que es a la vez barato y enormemente popular.
También hay ahora alrededor de 100 lugares públicos wi-fi repartidos por toda la isla y la mayoría de los jóvenes prefieren pagar una hora de acceso a Internet que sintonizar las noticias nocturnas.
Un proyecto piloto acaba de terminar para permitir las conexiones a Internet en hogares privados y, en teoría, pronto debería estar más ampliamente disponible.
Essential message
One Cuban blogger, Ariel Montenegro, thinks the days of the Internet being perceived as dangerous by the authorities may now be numbered.
“I don’t believe that the Cuban Government believes right now that the Internet is bad and is going to be bad for the country and for the revolution and for socialism and so on,” he says, sitting in a public wi-fi spot.
Although getting online is still slow and expensive, he says, he is broadly optimistic about the future of the island’s connectivity.
Part of the Canal Caribe newsroom is a building site as they construct a completely new set while inside the on-air studio, the young team of journalists is preparing to broadcast live again.
Canal Caribe’s message still very much reflects the government’s line.
In a rapidly changing media environment, the Cuban government is acutely aware that the slogans of the past no longer appeal to many young people.
With a round-the-clock news channel, they are hoping to become more relevant to their audience again while still delivering the same essential message.
Agencies/BBC/ Will Grant, La Habana/Internet/BBC Photos/ Arnoldo Varona/ TheCubanHistory.com
THE CUBAN HISTORY, HOLLYWOOD.
