I’ve been enjoying my free-to-air satellite dish and the varied programming it brings in. I’ve got hundreds of channels of TV and radio, many from around the world.
Last week, I bought another dish that was posted on Craigslist. While my motorized dish can reach most satellites aimed at the United States, it’s not positioned to get the birds at the extreme end of the satellite arc. I needed another one.
This weekend, I spent a little time aiming the new dish straight down my street towards a patch of sky just over the distant treetops. The satellites hanging over the Atlantic Ocean are there, carrying signals from Europe and Africa. I was hoping to tune in a half-dozen channels or more of Italian programming but I could never lock onto the satellite.
Disappointed with not pulling in Italy, I set my sights on a land much closer to our shores but still very foreign: Cuba. I can pick up all of the official TV channels and radio stations. While I smile at the propaganda (hell, I don’t even know what they’re saying), the real jewel is the Cuban culture. For a guy like me who is currently obsessed with world music, these channels offer a peek into a forbidden world rich in culture (if not rich in wealth or freedom).
Right now I’m watching a hot Cuban band play a show for what looks like a tourist-filled resort audience. Their production values would embarrass a high school drama club but the band’s music is hot. If I can’t go to Cuba, Cuba can come to me through satellite TV.
There are other worlds to conquer with my dish. I haven’t given up on Italy, or cultures beyond. Even just starting out, though, it’s pretty amazing how much of the world I can bring down from the skies and into our home.
“needed” another one.