Photo By Staff Sgt. David McLean | Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Timothy Tolliver, an interior communications electrician...... read more read more
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GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba — Hidden between the dozen or so Spanish-speaking Cuban radio stations are three classic American radio station channels run by service members at the Defense Media Activity Broadcast Detachment, U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The channels sound different than stateside stations with a broader variety of music and a lack of commercial advertisements, replaced instead with creative, colorful, public service announcements.
But the crew at Radio GTMO does more than play music; they serve a vital role in their mission for the entire installation, which includes more than 2,000 personnel assigned here with Joint Task Force Guantanamo.
"The Defense Media Activity Broadcast Detachment provides U.S. radio and television news, information and entertainment programming to military service members, Department of Defense civilians and contract employees and their families," said Navy Chief Petty Officer Jennifer Walker, chief petty officer-in-charge of the detachment. "We do our part to get information out to everyone, and it isn't just radio."
The staff at Radio GTMO broadcasts radio signals on three channels and receives the satellite transmission for the Armed Forces Network television channels.
"We have your daily news updates that come out of this building, combined with 'All Hands Radio News' stories that are played," said Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Jamel R. Jones, an interior communications electrician with the DMA. "We run all the AFN channels as they are routed through our station into Phoenix cable, and they distribute the signal."
The DMA provides familiar sights and sounds to service members and families stationed overseas, and gives essential information to the Guantanamo Bay community for events or in times of emergency.
"We are one of the main sources of information during hurricane season," Jones said. "We are up live 24 hours a day during a hurricane. We pass on information that we receive to keep everyone safe and try to keep people occupied with some music."
Music is one of the most noticeable attributes of the station, but the complex set of tasks requires different Navy ratings to handle the many jobs required to complete the mission. Mass communication specialists and interior communication electricians handle opposite aspects of the mission, but they work together and share the responsibilities inside the station. The MC specialists produce and manage the content of the broadcast, while the IC specialists keep the equipment and signal working.
"In general, working on the radio is the biggest highlight of my job," said Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Jesse R. Sharp, a mass communication specialist with the DMA. "Joining the Navy, I never thought I would get a chance to do anything like this. I knew I was going to be a journalist, but I handle most of the software troubleshooting for the programming we have here. I'm the guy who maintains the on-air capability."
On-air programming features DMA staff blended with volunteer service members and civilians, who creates shows with a mix of musical tastes and themes. "Cold Coffee," "Sundown RockOut," "Mid-Day Meltdown," "Ace's Hip Hop Show," "Friday Night Party Mix," "Saturday Morning Cartunage," "The Main Event," "The Cut," "Open Line" and others are broadcasted over the radio waves week after week and bring a healthy slice of American culture and information to a distant land.
Whether listening to the radio or watching television, the DMA Broadcast Detachment at U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay works to keep everyone informed and entertained.
For more information about Joint Task Force Guantanamo, visit the Web site at www.jtfgtmo.southcom.mil.
| Date Taken: | 08.28.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 08.31.2009 12:43 |
| Story ID: | 38186 |
| Location: | GUANTANAMO BAY, CU |
| Web Views: | 258 |
| Downloads: | 182 |
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