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Miami/Fort Lauderdale Report: Radio Mambí 710 AM To Go Off The Air On December 12
- Thread starter tony82
- Start date
So New York's WOR may possibly be heard in Miami at nights after tomorrow. (Of course, I'm overlooking the Cuban stations on the frequency attempting to block WAQI's signal on their island.) While @davideduardo may argue that it it is part of Latino Media's failure (and a good argument can be made here) and @TheBigA may argue that it is a sign of AM's waning influence (he hasn't yet but give it time), I'm beginning to wonder if it is playing into the hands of a current U.S. President who sees a dictatorial Russia as an ally and not an enemy and who therefore would like to end all public and private radio station broadcasts aimed at the Cuban community. (Okay, maybe I'm overestimating his overreach but *that* [overreach] he most certainly has done). Anyway, goodbye Radio Mamby. It looks like a new political day is dawning in Miami and you're no longer part of it. Audios amigo (if I'm remember my Mexican Spanish spelling correctly).
Anyone have any idea of who else might buy the LMN stations other than Audacy? I’m suspect it might involve piecemeal sales in different markets. No market cap room in some LMN markets for Audacy unless they want to force waivers, much as Nexstar is trying to do with its TEGNA acquisition.
Keeping an eye on LMN’s KLAT in Houston and KFLC/KFZO in DFW.
I don't think I'm alone in that opinion. But I think there are some factors that are unique to this station.
I don't think Mambí's sign off is related to politics at all. I think it's related to LMN's (with all due respect) general incompetence. If the name "Soros" wasn't anywhere near LMN, Mambí would likely still be highly successful for an AM catering to Hispanics in nursing homes.
Keep in mind that LMN didn't touch WAQI (though it promised to). Per not only this article but an earlier posting by @davideduardo, Latino Media networks decided to change the weaker 1140 kHz frequency (WQII) and leave the 710 frequency alone. Of much greater effect, I think, beyond the waning influence of AM radio (if @TheBigA is correct), was the lessening interest of second- and third- and (dare I say) fourth-generation Cuban-americans in getting involved in the politics of an island that most of them have never known.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
Adiós*
Maybe Ted's misspelling makes sense since we are discussing a radio station ...
Not "off air". Just change to all music format.
In a way, they did. Because the star talent disliked the new owners, they left. The station was, to say it bluntly, "gutted".
And the changes on 1140 did no good, showing the incompetence of LMN management.
That is a much slower process, and does not account for the drop in ratings by WAQI in just the two years that LMN owned WAQI.
Remember, we still have hundreds of thousands of Cubans who came during Mariel who are predominantly in their 50's and 60's as well as many, many more who came in the "wet foot / dry foot" migration in the following decades.
I supervised WAQI around 2002 to 2012 and was "in house consultant" until about 2020. From past work in Miami starting in 1970 as consultant and even GM of one station, I am the only non-Cuban member of the Asociation of Cuban Journalists in Exile, so I keep up with the market and the station.
Question for @davideduardo or anyone else with a little more knowledge than me and just to be sure... I mainly listened to the station for sports. The Marlins and Heat are or were, I guess, under contract with Mambí to broadcast their respective ball games. Those teams now have to search for another radio station, correct? Could La Poderosa broadcast their games or they can go to a rival station?
"Radio Mambí" is ending as a format, but the AM station on 710 is supposedly continuing with a music format. I don't know what they will call it.
Some press reports say that they are turning off the station entirely, others say that they will just play music. One report says they will simulcast 1140.
Music on AM? Whether aimed at Latinos or Anglos, that's a losing proposition in 2025. (What are you going to try? '50s/60s oldies. That niche is covered by Sirius and a few big time streamers.) Even with the big signals, the audio quality is poor and the interference issues sizable.
No. All we really know is they're ending the local talk format today. It's cheaper to run any type of music than local talk.
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@tony82 Lance has more info on the Marlins and Heat games, etc:
radioinsight.com
710 Radio Mambí To Cease Operations
Latino Media Network will drop the Spanish Conservative Talk programming on "Radio Mambí 710" WAQI Miami tonight. In a statement,
radioinsight.com
Interesting...no mention of any "imminent sale" that was in the OP.
The Miami Herald Spanish edition reports that it will run music and "recorded" reruns of talk shows along with its sports commitment:
The article has a number of quotes and references from former staff and Miami Cuban community voices as to how the station had been in decline for the last two years as the new owners attempted to create a more moderate voice.