At a time when Newsmax is working to bring its right-of-center flavor of political news and commentary to more cable, satellite and streaming viewers, the company made an usual business deal last month that involves the purchase of two Florida radio stations.
According to paperwork filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last week, Newsmax reached a deal with Latino Media Network (LMN) to acquire WAQI (710 AM) and WQBA (1140 AM), both licensed to Miami.
Newsmax’s radio business will pay nearly $1.3 million for WAQI and nearly $540,000 for WQBA. The agreements were signed earlier this month, with the WAQI requiring a 10 percent escrow deposit, the filings showed. The website Inside Radio was the first to report on the transaction on Monday.
Newsmax said its interest in acquiring the two stations was to target the city’s Cuban-American population with programming similar to Radio Mambí, which offered oldies music alongside community-oriented shows.
“Radio Mambí is an institution,” Chris Ruddy, the founder and CEO of Newsmax, said in a statement. “For decades, it has been the voice of a community that understands the value of freedom because it has fought to preserve it.”
Radio Mambí traces its origins to the mid-1980s, when businessman Amancio Suarez acquired the former WGBS-AM and converted it into a Spanish-language talk station serving Miami’s growing Cuban exile population. The station became known for its conservative political commentary and coverage of Cuban affairs, particularly among listeners opposed to the communist government established by Fidel Castro.
Over the following decades, Radio Mambí passed through several ownership groups, including Heftel Broadcasting, Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation and Univision Communications. Televisa-Univision eventually sold WAQI and WQBA as part of a larger transaction involving 18 radio stations acquired by Latino Media Network.
LMN subsequently faced financial challenges and struggled to expand the stations’ audiences: In December 2025, WAQI ended its longstanding live news and talk programming. General Manager Mike Sena announced that the station would discontinue its traditional format while exploring other programming opportunities.
Under Newsmax ownership, the station is expected to reintroduce its locally focused Spanish-language news, political commentary and community programming.
“Newsmax will invest in local programming, community outreach, and expanded news coverage designed to strengthen the stations’ connection to listeners throughout Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties,” a spokesperson for the company said.
Newsmax is expected to report its third quarter (Q3) financial earnings after the stock market closes on Monday.
