Musk calls for closure of USAGM services

[Mediafrog+]

I posted this on the General Radio Topics board, but felt it should also go here: Musk calls for shutting down US-funded outlets Radio Free Europe, Voice of America

No surprise. Numerous other international sources also reporting this, as revealed on a search of “Musk VOA Radio Free Europe shutdown”.

 

[boombox4]

He clearly doesn't understand soft power. China does.

 

[JeeperOne]

What else would you expect out of someone who TRULY BELIEVES WITH EVERY FIBER OF THEIR BEING that ANYTHING receiving ANY amount of Government funding (Even if less than 1%) would COMPLETELY DIE without it to say??

PBS/NPR/CPB & Planned Parenthood have been preparing for this day FOR DECADES because Republicans can't KEEP THEIR MOUTHS SHIUT when it comes to wishing things like this would glo away

As it iks now, it's not like they won't survive on their own without Government fiunding as they'll find ways to adapt

So Elon Musk (Who BTW doesn't have ANY legal authority) can HOPE these things are shut down, but they WILL NOT be shut down. They'll just no longer receive Government funding

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

What else would you expect out of someone who TRULY BELIEVES WITH EVERY FIBER OF THEIR BEING that ANYTHING receiving ANY amount of Government funding (Even if less than 1%) would COMPLETELY DIE without it to say??

PBS/NPR/CPB & Planned Parenthood have been preparing for this day FOR DECADES because Republicans can't KEEP THEIR MOUTHS SHIUT when it comes to wishing things like this would glo away

As it iks now, it's not like they won't survive on their own without Government fiunding as they'll find ways to adapt

So Elon Musk (Who BTW doesn't have ANY legal authority) can HOPE these things are shut down, but they WILL NOT be shut down. They'll just no longer receive Government funding

Legal authority to hasnt stopped him yet form doing what hes doing now has it?

If the VOA doesnt get government funding, then RFE and VOA are gone. If CPB doesnt get government funding, small NPR member stations are gone, toast, off air permanently...... and the bigger ones will have massive cutbacks akin to IHeart

 

[keys2]

I’ve always enjoyed the DX & Reception board as an oasis from the politically charged posts found on other RD Discussions forums. Boy do I miss Cyberdad, who gently steered and kept the mood here neutral and upbeat.

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

And what does the new PD of the VOA Kari Lake have to say about her promotion to a station being on the bulldozing list already?

And by the way: since her new offices are located in D.C. and she has been designated as a government employee, is she required to show up for work there or be fired -- or is she given a dispensation to consult from her Phoenix estate?

As a famous TV doctor named Hawkeye once said' 'The plot thins'.

 

[Patrick 29582]

I’ve always enjoyed the DX & Reception board as an oasis from the politically charged posts found on other RD Discussions forums. Boy do I miss Cyberdad, who gently steered and kept the mood here neutral and upbeat.

There's no reception when the plug is pulled. 🤔

 

[Mediafrog+]

There's no reception when the plug is pulled. 🤔

That plug pull could come rather abruptly.

The transmitter schedules for the A-25 shortwave broadcast semester (3/30 through 10/25/2025) will be released around March 16. Will be interesting to see if cuts are preemptively implemented before any final shutdown decisions are made.

 

[Patrick 29582]

My guess it will be Radio Marti y adios.

 

[Mediafrog+]

My guess it will be Radio Marti y adios.

Radio Marti is the least likely of the USAGM shortwave services to be shut down. The Cuban diaspora in Florida is a powerful force. And you have Marco Rubio as Secretary of State.

Is there any possibility Radio Marti would be privatized? If that Cuban diaspora wants to broadcast to the home country, shouldn’t they finance it themselves?

 

[TheBigA]

And what does the new PD of the VOA Kari Lake have to say about her promotion to a station being on the bulldozing list already?

FYI: She hasn't been appointed yet. The new head of the USAGM hasn't been confirmed by the senate either. Neither are on the payroll.

Musk's next two targets are Education and Defense. VOA is a long way down his priority list. He was just responding to a comment. Not announcing any action. Hard to tell with him. He acts on impulse, not in any organized way.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

There's no reception when the plug is pulled. 🤔

My guess it will be Radio Marti y adios.

Radio Marti is the least likely of the USAGM shortwave services to be shut down. The Cuban diaspora in Florida is a powerful force. And you have Marco Rubio as Secretary of State.

Is there any possibility Radio Marti would be privatized? If that Cuban diaspora wants to broadcast to the home country, shouldn’t they finance it themselves?

From my perception of things, Cuba is not a threat to the US at all and poses no real challenge to what President Musk is doing... its people places things organizations and businesses that post a challenge/threat that he and Vice President Trump are going after.

 

[Mediafrog+]

From my perception of things, Cuba is not a threat to the US at all and poses no real challenge to what President Musk is doing... its people places things organizations and businesses that post a challenge/threat that he and Vice President Trump are going after.

Not sure what you are saying here…do you mean Cuba is not a threat and therefore Radio Marti is safe? Or that Cuba is irrelevant as is RM and thus the service should be shut down?

Remember the possible USAGM shortwave cuts have more to do with chopping government spending on inefficient platforms rather than ideology.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

Not sure what you are saying here…do you mean Cuba is not a threat and therefore Radio Marti is safe? Or that Cuba is irrelevant as is RM and thus the service should be shut down?

Remember the possible USAGM shortwave cuts have more to do with chopping government spending on inefficient platforms rather than ideology.

The first thing.. Cuba isnt a threat to much of anything President Musk and VP trump wanna do...... theyre broke, poor, have infrastructure issues.. what can they do? I'd be shocked if Pres. Musk knows it exists.

 

[davideduardo]

Is there any possibility Radio Marti would be privatized? If that Cuban diaspora wants to broadcast to the home country, shouldn’t they finance it themselves?

The generation that believed they could return to a Cuba Libre is now in their 80's or dead. There would be little or no support in Miami. And many, if not most, of the radical anti-Castro folks, thought Martí did not do a very good job.

I have considerable background in this. I did the Congress-mandated annual review or Martí twice, and have consulted on programming on several occasions. And I am the only non-Cuban member of the Society of Cuban Radio Journalists in Exile.

 

[davideduardo]

The first thing.. Cuba isnt a threat to much of anything President Musk and VP trump wanna do...... theyre broke, poor, have infrastructure issues.. what can they do? I'd be shocked if Pres. Musk knows it exists.

As China is reinforcing the infrastructure in Cuba, from radio to ports, it is not long before they open military bases. I'm sure the Trump folks know all about that.

However, trying to convince the population to overthrow the existing government with a radio station is a bit absurd.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

As China is reinforcing the infrastructure in Cuba, from radio to ports, it is not long before they open military bases. I'm sure the Trump folks know all about that.

However, trying to convince the population to overthrow the existing government with a radio station is a bit absurd.

Ive heard China was peeved off at Cuba .. alot of their SW infrastructure has never come back.. and China wasnt wanting to spend the money

 

[davideduardo]

Ive heard China was peeved off at Cuba .. alot of their SW infrastructure has never come back.. and China wasnt wanting to spend the money

Cuban only had limited SW ever, and the Chinese did not rebuild it. They did, however, totally rebuild AM across the island and they built out a parallel FM system that is very robust.

Obviously, the Chinese realized that SW in the rest of Latin America had begun to die in the 60's. By the end of the 70's, FM was dominant nearly everywhere and now AMs are closing and most nations have no SW stations or, maybe, one or two stay-behind religious operations. But it is really hard to find a SW radio at retail anywhere in the area.

 

[boombox4]

The first thing.. Cuba isnt a threat to much of anything President Musk and VP trump wanna do...... theyre broke, poor, have infrastructure issues.. what can they do? I'd be shocked if Pres. Musk knows it exists.

Points taken, but what about China? Afghanistan? North Korea? We have SW (and possibly other) broadcasting aimed at them, too. Two of them may be adversaries, but are they really going to attack us? Doubtful.

Yet we broadcast there because of soft power reasons. I think it's the same with Marti, which has a lobe aimed at Mexico and Central America (whether it's on purpose or not I don't know). The biggest thing about Cuba is its close proximity to the US, and it having a history of being somewhat of a political adversary, at least from the perspective of its government. In the past it was used as a Soviet military outpost. Not so sure what connections Cuba may have with the Russians today (I hadn't heard about Chinese military connections, although China doesn't have much of a blue water navy or long distance capable air force).

Personally, I think the US should open up diplomatic and other relations completely with Cuba, and it should have done so long ago. But that's apparently not politically expedient.

If Marti gets the plug pulled that would be sad, in a way. They have some good programming. They talk about sports, and baseball a lot. If you're learning, or re-learning Spanish, and you're far enough from the Cuban jammers to be able to hear Marti clearly, it's a great resource.

 

[boombox4]

Radio Marti is the least likely of the USAGM shortwave services to be shut down. The Cuban diaspora in Florida is a powerful force. And you have Marco Rubio as Secretary of State.

Is there any possibility Radio Marti would be privatized? If that Cuban diaspora wants to broadcast to the home country, shouldn’t they finance it themselves?

If the Cuban diaspora could do that, they probably would have done so already, using MW or FM. After all, Cuba is only 90 m from the Keys. Any such station would just be jammed, though. Or covered by domestic radio.