A group associated to far-left billionaire George Soros has taken over 18 Spanish-language radio stations, which includes Radio Mambi, the legendary conservative talk station.
“It’s a stab in the heart of the community,” says Lourdes Ubieta, a former host at Radio Mambi.
Radio Mambi gained a reputation “as a station that serves the Cuban exile community,” Ubieta says, because it spoke openly about the harms of socialism and communism.
Ubieta and Dania Alexandrino, her colleague, learned that Radio Mambi would be part of the new Latino Media NetworkThey decided it was time for them to move on. According to reports, the new network is funded primarily Lakestar Finance is an entity affiliated to Soros Fund Management.
“These people from the left, these Democrats, they believe that [by]These 18 radio stations can be bought and controlled by the owners to influence the opinions they broadcast [to] the Hispanic community,” Ubieta says.
Ubieta and Alexandrino join this episode of “The Daily Signal Podcast” to explain why the left is targeting conservative Spanish-language media and how Americano Mediais committed to promoting the values of faith and family as well as patriotism.
Also on today’s show, we cover these stories:
- The Senate prepares for a vote on a bill to enshrine same sex and interracial marriage in federal law.
- A bipartisan group reached an agreement with senators to clarify the language of an outdated election law.
- In June, the median sale price of an American home was $416,000
Listen to the podcast below, or read the lightly edited transcript.
Virginia Allen: The political left is taking over 18 Hispanic radio stations in Miami, including Radio Mambi, a well-known conservative talk show. The billionaire liberal George Soros is partly behind this takeover. Lakestar Finance contributed a portion of the $60 million to the acquisition of these 18 stations. The investment group is affiliated by Soros Fund Management.
Soros is buying up Spanish-language radio stations. Lourdes Ubieta is here to discuss this. She is the former host of a show on Miami’s Radio Mambi. Dania Alexandrino, a former host of a show on Radio Mambi, is also present.
Ladies, thank-you so much for joining us today. It’s a pleasure to have you.
Lourdes Ubieta: Thank you so much.
Dania Alexandrino: Thank you, it’s a pleasure to be here.
Allen: Lourdes, I’d like to ask you what’s going on. Why are these stations being bought by the left, specifically these 18 stations in Spanish?
Ubieta: As you know, Hispanic voters tend to be very conservative. This conservatism is growing in America, unbeknownst to them. These Democrats and people on the left believe that by buying these 18 radio stations they can influence the opinions they express toward the Hispanic community. So in a way, what they’re trying to do is to silence the conservative voices, to introduce most liberal voices in those iconic radio stations like Radio Mambi.
Allen: OK, OK. Dania. Tell us a little about Radio Mambi’s mission. How would your description of the station sound?
Alexandrino: … Well, I was the newest on-air anchor for Radio Mambi. I actually joined Radio Mambi just this past April.
So I’ve always known of Radio Mambi’s history as a station that serves the Cuban exile community, the station where they found a home away from home, a station where they were able to express freely what they thought about the radical left and the Marxist ideals that have destroyed the beautiful island of Cuba for the past over 60 years.
So when I was actually approached to be on air, to me, it was an honor because I am not Cuban, I’m Puerto Rican. It was strange at the same, but also an honor. I knew what Radio Mambi meant for the Cuban exile community. They also knew the prestige it holds in Miami. That’s basically what Radio Mambi was and continues to be, to a certain extent, to the Cuban exile community.
Allen: Yeah. Lourdes, this takeover of 18 stations has been described as a stab to the heart. Why would you say that?
Ubieta: Because Mambi has been the—I would say the light. The light of hope, dignity and freedom for the Cuban community living in exile, the Venezuelan community also living in exile, and the Nicaraguan community also living in exile.
All these communities are here in South Florida. Radio Mambi is the voice of these people. We are the voice for exiles. And for me, it’s a stab in the heart of the community. And as you say, and I have said before, and it’s a shame. It’s very painful and it’s very sad, honestly.
Allen: Yeah. What now for the station that you have all invested so much of your time in, that has been such a strong conservative outlet for so many decades and voice for your local community? What’s going to happen now?
Ubieta: Well, if this continues to go the way it’s going, I mean, I’m talking about the selling of the station, not the process, at the end of the day, they’re going to take over. The Soros people will take over the stations. We will have to wait to see what happens to this iconic signal. There are still some very conservative people.
The decision to leave Moambi is a personal one. I respect both those who leave and those who stay. Each of us fights the best we can.
Some people believe that by staying at the station in these circumstances they are doing a good thing toward freedom of speech and liberty and fighting for it. And for others like me, I’m just not going out, playing the games. I’ve just left. I just decided that I don’t want to be part of the deal or be remembered like I was there during these times. My decision was not to stay.
Allen: Yeah. But I know that you’re staying in the fight in the sense of, you’re continuing to really be a part of the conservative media space and the Spanish-language conservative media space. Let’s talk a bit more about that.
Ubieta: I’m very happy to be in Americano Media, and I’m going to tell you why. First time they contact me last year and they told me … we want to be the first national conservative media broadcaster in Spanish, I was so excited because we need that so badly in the United States. There’s so much misinformation toward the Spanish community. And I was like, “Oh my God, this is the place I want to be.”
You know that sometimes you need to be careful about what your wish is, because it may come true. Right now, I’m here and I’m full time now in Americano, and I’m very happy and I’m very happy for my community.
These voices, like Nelson and Dania, are vital for the Hispanic community. [Rubio]Lucia, [Navarro]. We’re making a good team here, and I think this is going to be a very successful media network.
Allen: Yeah, yeah. Dania: Tell us a little about Americano Media’s mission.
Alexandrino: Our mission is to represent Hispanic Americans and be the voice of Hispanic Americans proud of the freedoms they enjoy.
We believe in God, and we believe and fear God. We believe in the family institution, and we’re aspirational. We do not like dependency. We also care a lot about our children’s education. So that’s what Americana represents. Americana represents those fundamental values that have made this country great for many years, since its inception and it’s founding.
That’s what our mission is, is to be the voice for those, who for a long time did not feel that they were being represented by the other national Spanish-speaking networks. And I say this as somebody who worked in those other stations and knew that behind the scenes what was being discussed, but in front of the cameras, most tried really hard to try to sell a perception that they were balanced, but I knew it wasn’t that way.
In 2016, a person announced a candidacy, which basically removed a mask form all of these national networks. So Americano was born, basically, to give the audience the other side of the story, the side of the story that’s often hidden from our people in order to manipulate them.
So sure, we welcome immigrants, but let’s do this in an orderly fashion. Let’s do it. This country is a country of law, order, and security. And so that’s basically what we try to do, is we try to educate our people. We try to be a voice of those who felt that other networks didn’t represent their values or who they were.
Allen: Yeah. What are their top concerns when you talk to people in your local community? What are the things that they’re saying to you? “Oh, you know, I’m thinking about this. This is overwhelming me.” What are you hearing from them?
Alexandrino: One of the main things that I often hear from my listeners, and from whichever of the shows that I do, that I host, is they’re concerned about the route the country has taken. They’re concerned about their financial well-being. Many people are concerned.
Radio Mambi’s audience included senior citizens, for example. Many of them were experiencing a decline in their savings. Many of them couldn’t afford to buy medication. They were spending almost all of their retirement money and Social Security checks on gas money. The reason they couldn’t afford to buy medication was that their grocery bills were growing. So that’s basically one of our main concerns.
The other was the ongoing attack on God and on our values and faith. Christians are often under attack in this country and around the globe, especially by mainstream media. I think people appreciate the fact we are a station that defends God and has God as our main provider and creator.
Allen: Yeah. Allen: Yes. Have you all spoken to individuals? Do you know what they’re thinking, what their thoughts are on that?
Alexandrino: Oh, well, I’m sure I speak for Lourdes, we get those messages every single day on all of our social media. We get comments on social media posts, and we get inboxes. We get every type of reaction that you can imagine.
People are upset, they’re hurting because the one bastion that they saw as the epitome of what being a conservative Hispanic was was under attack.
We’ve been under attack for quite a while, because this attempt at censorship of Hispanic, conservative voices has been ongoing for quite a while. … The Hispanic Congressional Caucus has been deliberate, has been very straightforward about their intent to silence voices like Lourdes, like myself.
I’ve basically challenged Congressman Darren Soto often and on the air to an interview, so that he can come on my show and tell me word-for-word, day, time as to what, according to him, is the disinformation that he claims I provide my audience.
And he’s never accepted an interview. Why? Because he knows that my opinion is substantiated by facts, and that’s what he fears. He fears facts and he fears the fact that people are awake, that people are not woke, and they’re tired of this woke agenda. It is evident every day in the messages we receive on social media.
People are upset, but they’re ready to fight. They are not going to remain silent any longer. That is something I often repeat to my audience. I was like, “You need to leave fear in the drawer, in the closet. It should be put somewhere. But this is not the time to be scared.”
Allen: Mm-hmm. We see people like Mayra Flores from Texas, newly elected representative. She is taking a stand. Her platform is her faith and a love for country, God, and family. And that, I think for so many Americans, that’s a message that resonates, right? That’s a message that really speaks to all of us, no matter our background.
Ubieta: … Virginia, we are Latinas, but we are Americans. And we’re Latinas. We are Latinas without an “X,” OK? … No X, no X here, and no taco here. No taco here, no X here. We are Latinas. Mayra Flores described us as Latinas.
We have a God in all of our lives. We work to build our families. We fight for our families. We are just like everyone else in this country, struggling with the economy. But we hold those values close to our hearts. But among all this, we are Americans and we are not going anywhere, and nobody’s going to silence us. We will not be silenced by anyone.
That’s why I’m so happy that we have interviews with journalists like you and that we have a place to work like Americano Media. This is a war against conservatism, let me tell you. Again, conservative host and Spanish.
Now that they are aware that this is the first minority in the United States and that the people are switching their vote, they will be able to see that President [Joe]Biden has only 32% approval, 33% of Hispanics vote. They are very scared. They are very scared and they do these crazy things like buying 18 radio stations, like if Hispanics are idiots and they’re going to go vote because someone is telling them what to do from a radio station. This is insane.
We don’t vote for someone telling us in a radio station what we have to do. We vote because inflation is killing us, because our people have enough money to pay for their children.
They are struggling just like every other American, Virginia. It doesn’t matter if you are African American, or Hispanic, or you are from Oklahoma, or from South Dakota, or from New York City. It doesn’t matter where you were born. If you’re not in the United States right this moment, you are likely struggling. That’s the truth. Hispanics are not idiots and we aren’t tacos. We are not Latinx. We are not all the exact same.
These values are what unites us all, as this congresswoman stated. These are the common values we share. Even same if you come from Mexico, if you come from Venezuela, or if you come from Puerto Rico, from Dominican Republic, or from Panama, doesn’t matter from whatever you come.
Alexandrino: Just after what Lourdes says, and it’s something that even … Congresswoman Mayra Flores said, Latinos have these values so grounded in our culture that … God, family, country are so important that everybody becomes family. I mean, Latino families are so big that … even the neighbor becomes “tia” and “tio.”
Ubieta: And the coworkers—”comadre” and “compadre.”
Alexandrino: So that’s how important family is to us. Even close friends can become family. And that’s what’s under attack in this country at this moment. We have God under attack, we have our values under attack, and we have family under attack—the most important things that have made this country great for over 240 years.
And whether you’re an immigrant like Lourdes, who became an American citizen, or whether you’re born an American citizen like myself, who was born in a U.S. territory, we value those principles. We cherish and value everything that makes America great. And that’s the reason why we do what we do.
Let me just tell you about an audience member who shared with me something. He said that he recently lost his mother in-law. He said, “I just want to thank you because for the first time in her life, my mother-in-law voted Republican in 2020. That was because of you. You and your shows made her realize that she was being lied to her entire life.”
It’s stories like that that matter and make what we do here at Americano even more important. It’s preserving those values, preserving that family, preserving everything that makes this country amazing.
Ubieta: And you know something, Virginia, and for your audience I think is important, I am not a Republican and I am independent, and … they also attack us. “No, because all these are Republicans.” First, I’m an independent, a conservative independent.
This is why I want you to know that millions of Hispanic independents aren’t necessarily members of a political party. I was never affiliated with a political party. This is not to say that I have anything against Republicans. Just because, as a journalist, I say, I’d rather be independent, so I can talk, I can attack both of them.
Allen: Keep it up! It is a wonderful thing.
Alexandrino: All the years I worked as a journalist, that’s exactly what I did. I never associated myself with any party, because I didn’t want to have to go to vote in primaries. Basically, as a journalist, I wanted to maintain that independence, and not only that, but in Puerto Rico—I lived in Puerto Rico for 10 years, although I grew up in Boston. Primaries, when you go to vote for primaries, it’s so specific that people know what party you’re voting at, because if you belong in one party, you vote on this side of the Electoral College. If you vote for another party—so people know which party you’re voting for.
That’s another reason why I was completely independent, because I did not want to be seen. I was a TV journalist, so I did not want to be seen on a voting line and be like, “Oh, that’s where she’s registered.” But it wasn’t until the moment that I actually stepped aside from journalism, became a journalism professor, that I actually decided this is where my principles and my values are, I’m not afraid to say it.
I grew up in a liberal community. A city that had not seen a Republican mayor since 1932, and that’s the city of Boston. I was different. I always questioned everything, and I guess I was destined to be a lawyer, but I didn’t become a lawyer, so I became a journalist, which is the other option of being, questioning everything. My mom used to tell me that my questioning and speaking out would get me in trouble.
Allen: Here you are.
Ubieta: So here she comes. So that’s what I was saying, and that’s what I wanted to point out there. We are millions of Hispanics that are independent, and they are conservative because of those values that this congresswoman, she suggested, and she’s absolutely right.
Allen: Yeah, yeah. We thank you both for standing up for the values we as Americans hold dear. I think that’s so critical, no matter what side of the aisle that you’re on, that we are standing up for faith, that we’re standing up for family, that we’re standing up for our nation. We are both deeply grateful.
For all our listeners, Americano Media is available for more information. Follow the work of Lourdes and Dania.
Ladies, we are so grateful for your time today. We are grateful for your participation in the show.
Ubieta: Virginia, thank you. You must come to our Americano shows now. You must call. You must come.
Allen: Thank you.
Alexandrino: And I want to say bye and thank you by reminding your audience of one thing that one of our Founding Fathers said: “Stand for something or die for nothing.”
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