Bush to Keep Pushing TV Marti, Notes Fears of U.S. Broadcasters

ATLANTA —  President Bush vowed Monday that the United States will press ahead with its efforts to beam television programs to Cuba, despite Cuba’s successful jamming efforts.

Bush called on broadcast executives to support the transmissions, which have given rise to concerns that Cuba would retaliate by using its own transmitters to disrupt broadcasting over U.S. airwaves.

In addition, broadcasters are concerned that the television signals, which emanate from an antenna deployed on a high-flying balloon over Florida, will disrupt television signal reception in southern Florida.

As the U.S. government’s TV Marti entered its second week of test broadcasts aimed at Cuba, the President said in a speech to the annual convention of the National Assn. of Broadcasters that he understands “the concerns some of you have about this.”

“But I also understand that you represent the very principle TV Marti exists to serve--the free flow of ideas,” Bush said. “Before we are businessmen and women, before we are doctors, lawyers or mechanics, we are Americans. Americans have always stood for free speech, and we always will.”

TV Marti began its test broadcasts early in the morning of March 27, offering test patterns, news shows, sports and reruns of such U.S. programs as “Kate & Allie.” Within little more than 30 minutes, Cuban technicians began electronic jamming to interrupt the television signal, U.S. officials have said.

Similar test efforts were broadcast last Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday and again Monday. Each was jammed.

Pledging to persist with the program, Bush said, “The voice of freedom will not be still as long as there is an America to tell the truth.”

Bush was given a polite, but not overly enthusiastic reception in his call for support for TV Marti.

After the speech, Edward O. Fritts, president and chief executive officer of the National Assn. of Broadcasters, said the group agreed with Bush on “the policy aspects--the free flow of ideas.”

“Everybody wants to be with the President if possible,” he said. But, he added, the group was concerned about “the (Fidel) Castro threat of retaliatory jamming.”

Fritts said that several days before TV Marti went on the air, a burst of radio interference from Cuba disrupted radio stations in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

And, he said, if Cuba chooses to use a 1-million-watt transmitter, it could disrupt AM radio reception in nearly all states east of Utah and in eastern Canada.