Counters Radio Marti : Cuban Radio Puts Sinatra Back on Air
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HAVANA — Frank Sinatra singing “Come Fly With Me” was heard on Cuba’s state-run radio today for the first time in decades in an apparent concession to the challenge from recently launched, U.S.-based Radio Marti.
The American singer and his songs were effectively banned here in the early 1960s because of his alleged friendship with gangsters who used to run much of downtown Havana in the years before Fidel Castro’s revolution.
But a morning music program on state-run Radio Rebelde (Rebel) today featured “Ol’ Blue Eyes” singing “Come Fly With Me.”
Cuban sources said the unofficial ban appeared to have been lifted because of Radio Marti, a U.S. government-funded station launched last month to give Cubans a non-communist source of news, views and entertainment.
Many Cubans over the age of 40 are Sinatra fans, and Radio Marti appears to have had some success in attracting older Cubans who enjoy listening to its nostalgic blend of songs from their youth.
No Cuban officials were available for comment.
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