US media campaign has failed to influence Cuba, senators say

US government television and radio broadcasts to Cuba have failed to make "any discernible inroads into Cuban society or to influence the Cuban government," the majority staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said in a report.

Although such programs may "have noble objectives," Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) said, "we need to examine whether we're achieving them." The report was the latest salvo in a years-long battle between congressional opponents of the broadcasting effort, who say it is a waste of money largely benefiting some members of the Cuban American community in Miami, and proponents, who insist that it is a useful adjunct to U.S. policy that provides unbiased reporting to the island. In his current budget request, President Obama proposed cutting funds for the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB) for the second time since taking office, asking for $29.2 million to cover fiscal year 2011. But it has resisted calls, primarily from Democrats, for further cuts.