$Unique_ID{COW01127} $Pretitle{254} $Title{Dominican Republic Chapter 6D. Public Information} $Subtitle{} $Author{Thomas E. Weil, Jan Knippers Black, Harold I. Blutstein, Kathryn T. Johnson, David S. McNorris, Frederick P. Munson} $Affiliation{HQ, Department of the Army} $Subject{radio domingo santo de stations circulation united el states government} $Date{1973} $Log{} Country: Dominican Republic Book: Dominican Republic Author: Thomas E. Weil, Jan Knippers Black, Harold I. Blutstein, Kathryn T. Johnson, David S. McNorris, Frederick P. Munson Affiliation: HQ, Department of the Army Date: 1973 Chapter 6D. Public Information Freedom of Expression Although guaranteed by the constitution, freedom of expression during the Trujillo regime was virtually nonexistent. During the first two years after his assumption of power in 1932, Trujillo brought under his control all sources of public information by using a combination of political, economic, and social pressures in which coercion played a prominent part. Later, after he had gained control of the media, he attempted to formalize his procedures through legislation. The basic statute around which restrictive legislation centered was the communications law of 1938. A law promulgated in 1944 required submission of printed matter to the secretary of state for interior and police. Shop machinery was liable to confiscation as payment of fines imposed for violation of government regulations, and penalties of correctional imprisonment were established for violators. In 1949 a law created the National Commission of Public Spectacles and empowered it to formulate regulations affecting motion pictures, drama, radio, and television broadcasting. All performances considered offensive to good customs or critical of the government were prohibited. Under a law promulgated early in 1961, vendors of radio and television receiving sets were required to submit to the director general of telecommunications the names of all purchasers. The Constitution of 1962, framed after the assassination of Trujillo, reaffirmed the principle of freedom of expression, but a law promulgated in December 1962 repeated the Trujillo statutory regulations relating to communications media and made those media carrying appeals for civil disobedience liable to prosecution. The Constitution of 1963, enacted during the presidency of Juan Bosch, stated that the press might not be subjected to "any type of coercion or censorship"; after President Bosch was overthrown, however, the government returned to the Constitution of 1962. Dissemination of all forms of communist propaganda was prohibited, and owners and managers of broadcasting stations and publishing concerns who carried material originating with proscribed organizations were declared guilty of misdemeanors. In 1964 the government established a censorship committee to enforce a ban on all political broadcasts. During the late 1960s, however, steps were taken to eliminate the legacy of the Trujillo dictatorship, and the government relaxed its controls. Radio, Television, and Motion Pictures During the 1950s and 1960s the number of licensed radio transmitters in the republic increased dramatically, as did the number of radio listeners. The importation of inexpensive battery-operated transistor receiving sets during the 1960s launched a communications revolution. In 1972 there were approximately ninety-six originating radio stations. Approximately seven of these broadcast on shortwave frequencies only; about twenty-one broadcast on both mediumwave and shortwave; and the remainder transmitted on mediumwave only. Thirty-two had permission to operate on frequency modulation (FM) frequencies. There were thirty-three radio stations in Santo Domingo and fifteen in Santiago de los Caballeros. Under normal conditions only about nine of the Santo Domingo stations could be heard in the interior. The number of receivers in the country was estimated at 2.5 million. About 700,000 of the total number could receive shortwave broadcasts. Because of the difficult terrain FM transmission was used principally to link studios with standard transmitters. Most of the stations in Santo Domingo and Santiago de los Caballeros, as well as a number of other stations, were well equipped and used modern cartridge tape recorders for music and commercials. Four of the more powerful stations subscribed to a United States wire service, and four stations broadcast daily news programs, which were rebroadcast by twenty-eight stations in the interior. With the exception of a government-owned station, no radio station was identified with any particular philosophy or political party. Among the more important stations broadcasting from Santo Domingo in 1972 were Radio Universal, Radio Mil, the government-owned Radio Quisqueya Internacional, and Broadcasting Nacional. Popular stations broadcasting from Santiago de los Caballeros included Radio Santiago and Radio Hit Musical. Radio Quisqueya Internacional, with a fifty-kilowatt transmitter, was the most powerful station in the country. A number of stations had a ten-kilowatt capacity; several operated on five kilowatts; and a large number used one kilowatt. In 1972 about 75 percent of the people lived within the primary reception area for the country's four television channels, but only an estimated 25 percent of the population watched television-on approximately 250,000 receiving sets. All four channels originated in Santo Domingo. Radio Television Dominicana, government owned, operated on channel 4; it had one relay station (channel 5) in the interior. Color Vision, a private station, operated on channel 9 in Santo Domingo and had a relay station (channel 2) in Santiago de los Caballeros. Rehintel, also a private station, operated on channel 7 in the capital city and had a relay station (channel 11) in the interior. The fourth channel, Tele Inde (channel 30), officially opened in August 1972, broadcast using ultra-high frequencies and introduced a new system of audiovisual education. Each television station broadcast approximately nine hours. Along with newscasts, the stations' program material consisted of drama series, cartoons, and old films. A large proportion of this material originated in the United States. In 1972 there were more than 100 motion picture theaters in the country with a total seating capacity of about 50,000. The majority of the films shown were originated in the United States and were subtitled in Spanish, but films from Spanish-speaking countries, particularly Mexico, and from certain European countries were also exhibited. There were two basic kinds of motion picture theaters. First-class theaters showed United States and certain other foreign films. These were found only in the two major cities, and the price of admission limited attendance generally to foreigners and middle class and upper class Dominicans. Most Dominicans, however, could afford to attend the cheaper, less comfortable theaters, which showed older or poorer quality films. The people tended to regard motion pictures solely as a medium of entertainment. Newspapers, Periodicals, and Books In the past, the lifespans of newspapers in the Dominican Republic have been ephemeral. El Telegrafo Constitucional de Santo Domingo, the first newspaper printed in the capital city, appeared only briefly in 1821. El Dominicano, the first newspaper published after independence, appeared in 1845, but soon ceased publication because it assumed an antigovernment position. The Listin Diario, founded in 1889, established a reputation for being one of the most independent newspapers in Latin America, and in 1972 it maintained its position as a leading daily. During the Trujillo regime all publications were subjected to strict government controls, but after the assassination of the dictator the press was generally free. In 1972 there were seven independent daily newspapers in the republic-five in Santo Domingo and two in Santiago. One of the two more important dailies was El Caribe, founded in 1948; it was a morning paper published in Santo Domingo. In its advertising it stated that it was read by "members of households having the highest incomes as well as leaders of industry, business, government, and professional groups." It had a reputation for being moderate and nationalist, and its circulation was estimated at more than 30,000. It carried United States columnists. The other leading daily, Listin Diario, had a reputation for being moderate and reform-minded and energetically promoting economic progress. Listin Diario carried United States bylines and had an estimated circulation of over 30,000. Other Santo Domingo newspapers were El Tiempo, El Nacional de Ahora, and Ultima Hora. El Tiempo, with an estimated circulation of 6,000, was rightist, anticommunist, and promilitary. El Nacional de Ahora, an afternoon tabloid with a circulation of approximately 25,000, was strongly nationalistic and sensationalist. The other tabloid published in Santo Domingo was Ultima Hora, with an estimated circulation of 9,000. Ultima Hora was established by Listin Diario in 1970 in order to challenge El Nacional de Ahora. The two dailies published in Santiago de los Caballeros were La Informacion (circulation about 10,000) and El Sol (circulation approximately 15,000). La Informacion, an afternoon paper, was conservative. El Sol, a morning paper, appeared initially in January 1971 and was the country's newest daily. Its policy was regarded as moderate. Among the press services used by leading Santo Domingo newspapers in 1972 were the official news agencies of Spain and France and the Associated Press, United Press International, King Features Syndicate, Copley News Service, Los Angeles Times Service, Washington Post News Service, Newsweek Features Service, and New York Times Service. Copies of the New York Times and the Miami Herald could be obtained in Santo Domingo on the date of publication. Probably the most influential of the nine magazines published in the country in 1972 was the weekly news magazine, Ahora, with a circulation of about 12,000. This publication subscribed to a number of feature services and to United Press International wire services. A substantial portion of its material originated locally, and it provided good coverage of political and cultural developments. The magazine was the parent organization of a publishing and broadcasting complex. Other magazines were Horizontes de America (circulation about 6,000); Dominicana (circulation approximately 4,000); Amigo del Hogar (circulation about 10,000); and Economia Dominicana (circulation about 6,000). In 1972 about a dozen firms classified as publishers had an estimated output of less than 200 books, many of which pertained to the social sciences. Approximately six importers-exporters of books handled volumes published in the United States, Spain, Argentina, Mexico, and other Latin American countries. The people were served by more than 100 public libraries. All towns of 10,000 had at least one library containing works by both Dominican and foreign authors. Foreign Government Activities In 1972 small scholarship programs were supported by the United Nations, the Organization of American States, Belgium, Brazil, Spain, France, the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), Israel, Great Britain, Italy, and the United States. Informational and educational activities were conducted in the Dominican Republic by cultural groups representing France, Japan, Italy, West Germany, the Republic of China, Venezuela, Lebanon, and Spain. There were organizations of the French Alliance (Alliance Francaise) in Santo Domingo and in three interior cities. The Dominican-Japanese Cultural Association and a Dante Alighieri Cultural Association, sponsored by the Italian embassy, were established in the capital city. The United States Information Service distributed radio and television programs, motion pictures, and press releases to all media. It also maintained a reading room and a binational center in Santo Domingo and smaller binational centers in Santiago de los Caballeros and San Francisco de Macoris. The Santo Domingo and Santiago de los Caballeros centers featured lectures, exhibits, films, forums, and libraries. Radio Havana and Radio Moscow beamed broadcasts that could be received throughout the country.