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The historic station Radio Mambí (WAQI-710 AM), one of the most influential voices of the Cuban exile community and a reference point for Hispanic conservatism in Miami, will cease broadcasting next Friday, December 12, bringing an end to four decades of uninterrupted programming that impacted generations of listeners.
The news was confirmed on Facebook by journalist Wilfredo Cancio Isla, who cited employees and sources close to the management of the owning group, Latino Media Network.
Founded in 1985, and promoted for years as "La Grande," Radio Mambí became a key space for political debates, denunciations against the Cuban regime, and the articulation of exile thought.
Under the leadership of iconic figures such as Agustín Tamargo, Armando Pérez Roura, and Marta Flores, the station established itself as a cultural and informational platform for thousands of Cubans in South Florida.
The decision to take Radio Mambí off the air comes amid the imminent sale of the station - and other stations in the same group - to new owners, who reportedly requested to halt all ongoing operations.
According to Cancio Isla, around twenty workers, including presenters, journalists, technicians, and contracted staff, will be left unemployed.
Promises of change that were never fulfilled
When Latino Media Network acquired both stations in 2022, the official announcement promised a deep transformation: more diverse programming, with a “democratic and centrist” focus, representative of the growing Latino community in Miami.
However, Radio Mambí never changed. The lineup remained practically intact, maintaining an editorial line with a distinct Republican slant and aligned with Trumpism, even allowing space for conspiratorial narratives regarding the 2020 U.S. elections and the Capitol riot in 2021.
WQBA did undergo a redesign in mid-2024, incorporating new voices and formats, but the changes did not succeed in reversing the decline in audience or attracting advertisers. In just a year, the entire staff was let go.
This blow comes just months after the closure of another Hispanic radio institution in Miami: WQBA-1140 AM "La Cubanísima", also owned by Latino Media Network, which last July canceled all its live programming and laid off its staff.
An inevitable decline
The decline in audiences and financial results ultimately led to the sale of the stations, and with that, the decision to permanently shut down the signal of Radio Mambí.
For many, its departure from the airwaves marks not only the end of a media cycle but also the closing of an important chapter in the history of the Cuban exile community in Miami.
With its farewell, "La Grande" leaves behind a trail of memories, controversies, passionate debates, and a hard-to-replace spot in the Spanish-language radio landscape of South Florida.
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