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The state media Cubadebate published a laudatory report about the company Radiocuba, claiming that it manages to keep radio and television on despite the blackouts and the energy crisis.
But the reality described by the Cubans themselves in the comments on that same post strongly contradicts the official narrative.
The article, authored by Frank Martínez Rivero, portrays Radiocuba as a heroic entity that overcomes the "criminal blockade" and fuel shortages to ensure the signal reaches every corner of the country.
The general director of the entity, Leonardo Vázquez, stated that the disruptions to the service "have been minimal, as transmission has been restored in the shortest time possible."
Cubans who read the post on Facebook responded with a flood of testimonies that contradict those statements point by point.
"Here in the city of Pinar del Río, specifically in the Hermanos Cruz neighborhood, when there is a blackout, the only thing that can be heard is Radio Martí, no national stations. I'm DX, I go to bed with my battery radio every night, and the radio spectrum does nothing but make noise; not even Cuban radio can be heard on FM," wrote an internet user.
This is not an isolated case. In May 2025, only seven out of 28 transmission centers in Pinar del Río had backup power, as acknowledged at that time by the provincial director of Radiocuba.
From Holguín, another reader was direct: "When the power goes out, daily and for several hours, the transmitter located at Loma de la Cruz also shuts down, leaving us without radio or TV. This has become the new normal." A third comment, also from that province, was even more devastating: "In the municipality of Banes, since the latest and most severe wave of blackouts began, we haven't seen the TV signal again."
In January 2026, power outages had already cut off radio and television signals in Holguín and other provinces, a situation that has worsened rather than improved.
From Camagüey, a resident described a paradox that summarizes the hypocrisy of the system: "When you call Radiocuba to find out why there’s no television signal, they tell you it’s for energy saving. If there’s a blackout, you obviously can’t watch television, but even when the power is on, you still can’t watch it."
In the municipality of Bartolomé Masó, Granma, the situation is one of total isolation. "We have been deprived of access to these informational and recreational resources for several months, as both television and radio signals are nonexistent. We are cut off from what is happening both within and beyond our borders, and we only have three hours of Internet connection amid more than 20 hours of daily blackouts," reported another user.
In Segundo Frente, Santiago de Cuba, the situation has remained unresolved for almost a month: "We are already afraid that when the signal arrives, the announcer will be speaking in English, Chinese, or Russian," jested a resident.
The energy context in which Cubadebate publishes this triumphalist report is devastating. The Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant went offline last Tuesday due to a boiler malfunction, and the blackouts surged following this shutdown, with deficits ranging from 1,415 to 1,731 MW, leaving up to 46% of the country without electricity during peak hours.
In March, the crisis had already forced Radiocuba to reduce its television broadcasts to just eight hours a day due to a shortage of diesel. Vázquez himself admitted in the Cubadebate article that the generators have "years of service and accumulated wear" and that the broadcasting equipment is "inefficient" from an energy standpoint.
Given this reality, the phrase with which the executive concluded his remarks on the solar panels installed as an alternative solution is unintentionally revealing: "Of course, this is just the first step of a long journey we must undertake."
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