Radio Mambí, the Spanish-language station that for decades gave voice to Miami's Cuban exile community, is set to change hands again — this time in a proposed sale to conservative media company Newsmax, which has agreed to pay $1.8 million for WAQI-AM and its sister station WQBA-AM. The deal would end a tumultuous stretch for the stations: WQBA ceased its original programming and went largely dark, while Radio Mambí continues to broadcast news, talk, and media content.
The Deal and What Newsmax Says Comes Next
According to a filing with the Federal Communications Commission on November 6, Newsmax Radio is acquiring WAQI-AM and WQBA-AM from Latino Media Network for $1.8 million, as reported by TALKERS. The transaction still needs to clear customary FCC and other regulatory approvals and conditions before it can close, the outlet reported in a separate dispatch. Newsmax says it intends to keep Spanish-language programming on the stations and expects to begin operating and programming them in the coming months, though no official start date has been set, according to the Miami New Times.
Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy framed the purchase as a preservation effort rather than a format overhaul. The company intends to preserve Radio Mambí's heritage while building on the station's reputation as a source of news and discussion, Inside Radio reported, citing Ruddy's comments on the deal. Per Miami New Times, Ruddy also said Radio Mambí is an institution and that Newsmax intends to continue its tradition and keep it a trusted source for future generations.
A Station Silenced, Then Left to Archives
The acquisition caps nearly a year of upheaval for the stations. Radio Mambí continues to broadcast news, talk, and media content. Miami New Times adds that WQBA (El Pulso de Miami) went dark for nearly a year and ceased its original programming amid a lack of advertiser interest, according to a RadioInsight report cited by the paper.
Radio Mambí's roots stretch back to 1985, when the station began broadcasting at 710 AM, according to WLRN. Miami New Times reports that Amancio Suárez bought WAQI that year through Mambisa Broadcasting Corporation, and the station went on to become one of Miami's most popular Spanish-language outlets, known for staunch anti-communist and anti-dictatorship stances. It was regarded as a cornerstone of Cuban-American culture and a voice for political prisoners and Cubans still on the island, the paper reported. WAQI and WQBA changed hands several times between 1989 and 2022, per the same account.
From Democratic-Backed Ownership to a Conservative Buyer
The station's most recent chapter began in 2022, when Latino Media Network — founded by Stephanie Valencia and Jess Morales Rocketto — purchased WAQI and WQBA. Radio Ink reports that Latino Media Network acquired the two stations along with 16 others from Univision that year in a deal reported at $60 million. WLRN's earlier coverage noted that the 2022 purchase covered 18 Spanish-language stations nationwide for that same $60 million figure.
Miami New Times reports that the stations drew criticism over the years for spreading great replacement theory, election disinformation, and denials about the January 6 insurrection. Latino Media Network did not respond to the paper's request for comment before publication, Miami New Times said.
Declining Ratings and a Shrinking Ad Market
The sale lands amid broader financial pressure on Spanish-language AM radio in Miami. WLRN reported that advertising revenue for the format is not as large as it was in years past, especially as younger listeners pivot to social media platforms. Political science professor Eduardo Gamarra told WLRN in 2025 that younger audiences are turning to social media for news.
Those headwinds showed up in the numbers: WAQI fell to a 1.1 share in the November 2025 Nielsen Audio ratings, according to RadioInsight, a steep drop from a reported peak share of 6.7 in Spring 2000. The pattern isn't unique to Mambí — Salem Media acquired Miami's WWFE-AM 670, with the purchase taking effect January 10, 2023, and the station airs Christian preaching programming, according to Radio & Television Business Report.
Newsmax's Own Rise and Legal Baggage
Newsmax enters the Miami radio market carrying its own complicated history. Founded by Christopher Ruddy after he left a newspaper job in Pittsburgh in 1998, the outlet rose to prominence during the Clinton administration and, per Miami New Times, was described as a compass for conservative politics in the late 2000s and early 2010s, boasting one of the era's largest online news and politics reader bases. The paper reports Newsmax helped legitimize Donald Trump years before his first presidential campaign and has since become a direct competitor to Fox News, though it has rarely surpassed Fox in television viewership.
As Trump rose to power, Newsmax increasingly featured commentary and conspiracy theories about climate change, vaccines, and other contentious issues, Miami New Times reported. The outlet also supported voter fraud conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, which led Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic to sue the company that year. Those lawsuits resulted in more than $100 million in settlements and restitution, according to the paper. Newsmax's operations today include a book publisher, a monthly magazine, and television and web channels, Miami New Times notes.
For now, the fate of Radio Mambí and WQBA rests with federal regulators, who must approve the deal before it is finalized. Whether Newsmax's promise to preserve the stations' Spanish-language identity translates into a true revival — or something closer to a rebrand — remains to be seen once programming actually begins.
