Sun-Sentinel

MIAMI -- President Bush has nominated a Miami attorney and lobbyist to head Radio and TV Marti, the federally funded pro-democracy broadcasting stations that
beam into Cuba.

White House officials said Tuesday that Bush would ask the board that oversees the Office of Cuba Broadcasting to approve Pedro Roig as the office's director.
Roig will have to undergo an FBI background check, which could take several weeks.

The position became available when current director Salvador Lew announced Monday he was stepping down.

Lew's resignation comes on the heels of a report that said the Office of Cuba Broadcasting used hiring practices that may have violated federal regulations. It also
said programming lacked quality control.

Lew, a veteran Cuban radio man appointed to the job in 2001 by Bush, cited health reasons for stepping down but conceded that the controversies embroiling the
organization contributed to his decision.

``Working there is extremely hard,'' Lew said Tuesday.

In the meantime, Fernando Rojas, Lew's chief of staff, will take over as interim director, said Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, chairman of the U.S. Broadcasting Board of
Governors.

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