The Assembly of the Cuban Resistance, a coalition of pro-democracy Cuban groups on and off the island, sent a letter on Tuesday to the head of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) urging it to engage in a “diligent review,” including revealing all financiers, of the proposed sale of historic Spanish radio stations to a leftist network.
Latino Media Network (LMN), a newly minted organization founded by left-wing activists and Obama White House alum, announced in early June that had raised $80 million to purchase Spanish-language radio stations and came to an agreement with UnivisiónTelevisa to buy 18 stations for $60 million. The stations reportedly in the package are a diverse mix of talk radio and music, partially because a Univisión attempt to launch talk radio shows in 2015 failed, located throughout the country. Rapidly rising to the top of Hispanic-American concerns is the inclusion of two Miami stations, Radio Mambí 710 AM and WQBA 1140 AM, which spearheaded anti-communism commentary on local radio for decades.
LMN leaders have said in interviews that they are concerned about “misinformation” driving Hispanic voters to support conservative candidates, alarming listeners who fear that the new owners of the stations will censor conservative voices. Opponents of the deal have also noted that one of the reported funders of LMN is an investment fund with ties to far-left billionaire George Soros. Among other named funders are left-wing Hollywood actress Eva Longoria and longtime Univisión news anchor María Elena Salinas.
The FCC must approve all sales of this size and invites public commentary prior to making a decision.
In that spirit, the Assembly of the Cuban Resistance published its letter on Tuesday to Chairman Jessica Rosenworcel.
“Among the 18 stations, there are two iconic Miami radio stations, namely Radio Mambi 710 AM and WQBA 1140 AM, which since their foundation have been key voices of our community,” the letter read in part. “This community is full of victims of Communist and totalitarian rule, be it in Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, or Bolivia.”
“We are a community that loves and appreciates the United States of America and what it stands for as a beacon of freedom for the oppressed. We also know how easily these freedoms can be lost!” the letter continued. “Radio Mambi and WQBA have served as a vital and credible source of information for our community and have given voice to those persecuted and oppressed in Cuba and elsewhere. Thus, we are extremely concerned that these two vital radio stations for our community may be silenced if this proposed sale to LMN goes through.”
The Assembly’s members asked the FCC to “conduct a diligent review of the principals’ experience and qualifications as it pertains to radio broadcasting and that our voices be heard.”
“The financial backers of this proposed venture should be fully disclosed. The Assembly of the Cuban Resistance remains available to you to ensure that the FCC has as much information as possible before making such an important decision for our community,” the letter concluded.
According to an initial article breaking the news of the sale on the website of Florida’s WLRN-FM station, Stephanie Valencia, a former special assistant to President Barack Obama, and left-wing activist Jess Morales Rocketto will be directing the LMN. Valencia said in the article that Hispanic listeners are the victims of “very one-sided communication” and “disinformation” that their leadership at the stations will aspire to address. In an interview with MSNBC, Morales addressed the sale of Radio Mambí in particular, saying that LMN hoped to have the station air more “balanced” information.
The sale has prompted protests in Miami, including outside of Univisión’s local television station, where protesters held up protest signs reading “down with communism” and “Radio Soros.” The Bay of Pigs Veterans’ Association also hosted an event last week to bring attention to the sales and express disgust with the proposal.
“We are insulted by this action of selling our media — the media that has been actually taking us by the hand and fed our spirit all of these years — to a leftist organization,” Rafael Montalvo, the president of the Brigade 2506 that fought in Bay of Pigs, said at that event.
“Latino Media Network is a newly formed business venture led and controlled by social activists who espouse a leftist progressive ‘woke’ political agenda,” Silvia Iriondo, the head of the Mothers Against Repression in Cuba, said in her address to the conference. “In these days of cancel culture, where censorship of conservative views and values has become commonplace, we have grounds to be extremely alarmed about the imposition of an ideological agenda contrary to our community’s spiritual and moral values.”
Rumors have circulated that Radio Mambí’s on-air talent are also in revolt, threatening to leave if the sale goes through. The bilingual outlet El American reported last week that Univisión has offered bonuses of up to $120,000 to keep hosts at the station through the sale.
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