Congress to investigate Radio, TV Marti.

Byline: Christina Hoag and Oscar Corral

Dec. 19--Congress will investigate allegations of mismanagement and political cronyism at taxpayer-funded Radio and TV Marti in early 2007, a ranking Democrat said Tuesday.

Rep. William Delahunt, D-Mass. -- who is slated to chair the Oversight and Investigations subcommittee for the House International Relations Committee -- said he will move to hold hearings on the Martis in late January or early February. His comments came a day after Radio Mambi, WAQI-AM (710), and Azteca America WPMF-TV 38, started carrying an hour each of Marti programming daily for payment.

"This will be a priority," said Delahunt, who was in Cuba this week as part of a Congressional delegation. "There's mismanagement . . . that really demands a thorough review."

Government-funded media -- such as the Martis -- cannot broadcast on U.S. airwaves because their mission is to present the U.S. viewpoint to foreign audiences. However, there are loopholes in the law: Time on an AM transmitter can be leased to circumvent signal jamming, and TV Marti can be "inadvertently" picked up by U.S. viewers as long as it reaches Cuba.

The Office of Cuba Broadcasting, which oversees the Marti operation, portrays the contracts as just another way to reach Cubans on the island. Radio Mambi's signal can reach Cuba under certain circumstances, and WPMF-TV is carried on DirecTV, which some Cubans can receive via a pirated signal.

However, critics say the U.S. government is essentially hiring the stations for propaganda to mostly local audiences, funded with taxpayer money. The six-month contracts call for Mambi to be paid $182,500 and WPMF $195,000. Channel 38 will also sell commercials during the Marti newscasts, said WPMF General Manager Enrique Landin -- which enraged Delahunt.