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The media of Cuba consist of several different types of media: television, radio, newspapers, and internet. The Cuban media are tightly controlled by the Cuban government led by the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) in the past five decades. The PCC strictly censors news, information and commentary, restricts dissemination of foreign publications to tourist hotels. Journalists must operate within the confines of laws against anti-government propaganda and the insulting of officials which carry penalties of up to three years in prison. Private ownership of broadcast media is prohibited, and the government owns all mainstream media outlets.

Radio and Television

Radio and Television before the Cuban Revolution

Cuba was one of the first countries in the Americas to have radio and television service. In 1922, under the cooperation of the US-based International Telephone and Telegraph, the first radio station in the country (2LC) began broadcasts on 22 August. However, the first regular broadcasts were made by the PWX on 10 October, with the issuance of a speech by President Alfredo Zayas y Alfonso. The radio stations in the country were developed by private initiatives, and its programming was initially based on news and entertainment.

The popularity of radio led to the development and launch of television stations. The first years of television in Cuba were marked by a climate of competitiveness between two Cuban businessmen who were backed by US companies, Gaspar Pumarejo by DuMont and Goar Mestre by RCA Victor. Mestre started construction of a building called Radio Center, inspired by the Radio City in New York, while Gaspar Pumarejo tried to develop a television studio in his own home in his quest to be the first in establishing a TV station.

Pumarejo's channel 4 (Unión Radio Televisión) was the first TV channel to start broadcasts in the island; it began broadcasting on 24 October 1950 with an address by President Carlos Prío Socarrás from the Presidential Palace. Mestre began broadcasts on Channel 6 (CMQ) on 18 December of that year, and both networks would develop a program format similar to their radio brethren, in addition to live sports and special events. On 18 February 1953, Channel 2 (Telemundo) began its broadcasts.

Radio and Television during and after the Cuban Revolution

With the advent of the Cuban Revolution in 1959, the new government applied a series of measures that transformed all national media. Radio Rebelde, the first radio station developed under the revolution, started broadcasting on 24 February.

During the early years of the revolution there was a division between the mainstream media in Cuba, created with private capital and oriented against the new political situation and a series of small radio stations whose editorial line was in favor of the new government, which organized an "Independent Front of Free Broadcasters" (Spanish: Frente Independiente de Emisoras Libres). These radio stations were recognized as official by the new government. The government would develop a Bureau of Broadcasting, attached to the Ministry of Communications and under the political leadership of the Communist Party of Cuba. Private television stations were expropriated; Mestre's channel 6 was taken over by the state in 1960. Radio stations and television channels in the country were completely put under state control on 24 May 1962 under the management of the newly established Cuban Broadcasting Institute. Under the new broadcasting system, all media were to meet a set of values established by the government to strengthen the political process in the country, some names of TV and radio stations were changed, and the coverage of the TV and radio services were extended to reach the whole country. In 1975, the agency changed its name to the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television.

Newspapers and Magazines

Granma regularly features speeches by Raúl Castro and other leaders of the Cuban government, including former President Fidel Castro's column, 'Reflexiones de Fidel' (Fidel's Reflections), official announcements of the Cuban government, popular sketches highlighting the history of Cuba's revolutionary struggle from the 19th to the 21st century, developments in Latin America and world politics, steps by Cuba's workers and farmers to defend and advance the socialist revolution, and developments in industry, agriculture, science, the arts, and sports in Cuba today.

The Prensa Latina was founded shortly after the Cuban Revolution. The agency was founded at the initiative of Ernesto Che Guevara similarly to Agencia Latina founded by Juan Perón in Argentina, to spread government ideology and neutralize American propaganda.

The written press began in Cuba in 1764 with La Gazeta, followed by the Papel Periódico de La Habana (Havana Periodical Paper) in 1790. Cuba currently has several newspapers, including the following:

National Circulation

Name	Circulation	Founded
Granma	Daily (except on Sundays)	October 4, 1965
Juventud Rebelde	Daily (except on Mondays)	October 21, 1965
Trabajadores	Weekly	June 6, 1970

Provincial Circulation

Name	Province	Circulation	Founded
Tribuna de La Habana	Havana	Weekly	October 7, 1980
Guerrillero	Pinar del Río	Weekly	July 6, 1960
El Artemiseño	Artemisa	Weekly	January 11, 2011
Mayabeque	Mayabeque	Weekly	January 11, 2011
Girón	Matanzas	Weekly	December 5, 1961
5 de septiembre	Cienfuegos	Weekly	September 5, 1961
Vanguardia	Villa Clara	Weekly	August 9, 1962
Escambray	Sancti Spíritus	Weekly	January 4, 1979
Invasor	Ciego de Ávila	Weekly	July 26, 1979
Adelante	Camagüey	Weekly	January 12, 1959
Periódico 26	Las Tunas	Weekly	July 26, 1978
Ahora!	Holguín	Weekly	November 19, 1962
La Demajagua	Granma	Weekly	October 10, 1977
Sierra Maestra	Santiago de Cuba	Weekly	September 7, 1957
Venceremos	Guantánamo	Weekly	July 25, 1962
Victoria	Isla de la Juventud	Weekly	February 20, 1967

The Church's role in the press

Although the press is publicly owned, magazines and bulletins owned by the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations are also published and available to any Cuban citizen. In Havana, the Catholic Church publishes magazines such as Palabra Nueva and Espacio Laical monthly. In the diocese of Pinar del Río, Vitral is published bimonthly. These magazines and bulletins include religious instruction and news from the church.  The bulletin with the highest circulation is Vida cristiana published weekly in Havana; it reaches the majority of Catholics in the country. Today, the Church seeks to expand to different forms of media such as television and radio which it currently has no access.

Internet

Main Article: Internet in Cuba

Cuba has on of the lowest Internet circulation rates in the Western hemisphere. Cuban Internet is characterized by a low number of connections, limited bandwidth, censorship and high cost. The Internet in Cuba stagnated since its introduction in 1996 due to several factors:

• a lack of funding due to the devastation of Cuba’s economy after the fall of the Soviet Union
• the U.S. embargo which delayed construction infrastructure and made equipment expensive and difficult to obtain
• tight government restrictions which identified the Internet as a tool for subversion of the the Cuban Revolution

Starting in 2007 this situation began to improve—Internet remains illegal in private homes but government owned internet cafes offer Internet access. 118 cybercafes operate in Cuba.  In 2015, the government opened the first public wifi hotspots in 35 public locations and reduced prices and increased speeds for Internet access in cybercafes.

Censorship

See Also: Censorship in Cuba

The Cuban internet is among the most tightly controlled in the world. All content is subject to review by the Department of Revolutionary Orientation. Cuba is considered an “Internet Enemy” by Reporters Without Borders. At Internet cafes Cuban citizens have to give their name and address. All material intended for publication on the Internet must be approved by the National Registry of Serial Publications in advance. One report found that many foreign news outlet websites are not blocked in Cuba, but the slow connections and outdated technology in Cuba makes it impossible for citizens to load these websites. Rather than having complex filtering systems, the government relies on the high cost of getting online and the telecommunications infrastructure that is slow to restrict Internet access. Reports have shown that the Cuban government uses Avila Link software to monitor citizens use of the Internet. The government has obtained citizens usernames and passwords in order to closely monitor emails.

Dissidents accuse the government of not providing affordable home internet access for political reasons. The Cuban government blames the US for the poor state of telecoms infrastructure, which it says is caused by the American economic embargo imposed in the 1960s.

In recent times, censorship of the Internet has slowly relaxed. In 2007, it became possible for members of the public to legally buy a computer. Since June 4, 2013 Cubans can sign up with ETECSA, the state telecom company, for public Internet access at 118 centers across the country. The government approved wifi hotspots opened in 2015 give largely unfettered internet access and access to social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter however opposition sites are blocked. The cost of the new access at $4.50 an hour is still high in a country where state salaries average $20 a month. As of 2016, only 5% of Cubans enjoy web access at home.

Controversies and circumventing censorship

Citizens have developed numerous techniques to circumvent government’s control of the Internet. Some get online through embassies and coffee shops or purchase accounts through the black market. The black market consists of professional or former government officials who have been cleared to have Internet access whom sell or rent their usernames and passwords to citizens who want to have access. Bloggers and dissidents also use USB keys to get their work published by giving their pieces to people who have an easier time getting online who then upload their items from the USB.

In 2006, Guillermo Fariñas, a Cuban psychologist, independent journalist, and political dissident, held a seven-month hunger strike to protest Internet censorship in Cuba. He ended it in the autumn of 2006, due to severe health problems. He has stated that he is ready to die in the struggle against censorship.

Alan Gross, an American government contractor under employment for the U.S. Agency for International Development, was arrested in Cuba on December 3, 2009 and was convicted on March 12, 2011 for covertly distributing laptops and cellphones on the island.