Ninoska Perez Castellon resigns from Radio Mambi after the sale of the station

The prominent journalist Ninoska Perez Castellon, one of the most recognized and emblematic activists of Cuban exile, resigned from the popular radio station Radio Mambi after 26 years, after the Latino Media Network company completed the acquisition of that medium that belonged to TelevisaUnivison.

The announcement was made on Tuesday minutes before the end of her program “Ninoska en Mambi”, a decision that caused sadness to her audience, but which was also applauded by some politicians and personalities from the Miami community who described her as “brave”.

“I just wanted to take a few minutes to tell you that this is my last broadcast from this booth that has been my second home for so many years.” Perez Castellon said. “The new company Latina Media Network has already officially bought Radio Mambi and although Univision will continue to manage the station, I always said that when the sale was official, it was my time to leave.”

When asked by el Nuevo Herald about her decision and her plans for the future, Perez Castellon declined to comment.

Latino Media Network, a media company that obtained financing from Lakestar Finance LLC related to liberal businessman George Soros, obtained the go-ahead from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last November to buy the station.

The company highlighted the role that Perez Castellon has played in South Florida for more than two decades as a radio journalist, activist and prominent figure in Cuban exile.

“Her loyalty to Radio Mambi listeners and to democracy and freedom are unmatched and her voice will forever be remembered as a big part of Miami history. While we hoped to work with her to continue advancing her legacy at Radio Mambi, we support her decision and wish her the best in her new endeavors,” Latino Media Network reported in a statement sent to El Nuevo Herald.

The company caused controversy in 2022 when it announced its plans to buy Radio Mambi, considered the voice of the Cuban community in Miami. Some conservative personalities warned that it could introduce programming changes and silence conservative voices in exile, while Democrats have claimed that the station’s hosts have spread misinformation in an attempt to promote a conservative agenda.

But Latino Media Network assured that it remains committed to the “preservation of Radio Mambi as a pillar of the Cuban American community and we are excited to share what is to come.”

Perez Castellon said in his last program on the station that he carried out his work with passion, defending values ​​and “denounced what the liberal press, which accuses us of misinforming, has decided to keep quiet.”

“I have faced great powers with the strength of my word and the truth in hand, always especially in the case of Cuba. While the big media have given the official version of the regime, I have been able to show that big interests have prevailed,” he said.

He assured that he chose to be on the side of the victims, “as I demonstrated when the tugboat sank on March 13 and on countless occasions” and that is why he defends the “vilified Cuban radio station that bothers so much and I will continue to do so over and over again despite from racist and smear campaigns whose sole purpose is to silence not only us, but you as well.”

“For me it is important to continue being the voice that has informed, entertained, guided and encouraged them,” said the journalist who was a spokesperson for the Cuban American National Foundation (CANF) and founded the Council for the Freedom of Cuba.

Perez Castellon is the most recent of the well-known Radio Mambi presenters to resign since the Latino Media Network announced its acquisition of the station. Previously, Nelson Rubio, Lourdes Ubieta and Dania Alexandrino resigned.

The presenter said that her resignation was not a final farewell, but a see you soon, but she did not disclose her future plans.

‘Silence exile’

Sylvia Iriondo, president of the organization Madres por Cuba (MAR), told el Nuevo Herald that the resignation of Perez Castellon was to be expected given the “so aggressive advanced campaign to silence the voices of the Cuban exile community and the values ​​that we support, with the purchase of Radio Mambi“ by a company related to Soros.

“I think we are seeing what she said so much materialize. She had to resign because when you have principles, they are maintained and she has been an extraordinary voice of the truth about the Cuban reality and that truth is what they want to silence,” said the director of MAR for Cuba, an organization that is also a member of the Assembly Resistance National.

Iriondo said that he had no doubt that the voice of the Cuban-American journalist will continue to accompany the exiles in denouncing the abuses of the victims, in continuing to advocate for the freedom of Cuba, as it does with other communities “victims of communism and socialism.” in our hemisphere.

Maria Elvira Salazar, a Republican representative from Florida, congratulated Perez Castellon on her decision to resign and stressed that the journalist defended her principles.

“Ninoska represents the best of our exile, the dignity of a community that is not sold to the highest bidder,” he said on his Twitter account.

Salazar, who also worked as a journalist, highlighted that Perez Castellon had a “magnificent” 26-year career at Radio Mambi and affirmed that he will continue to have it because it is the “moral reference of the conservative group within the Cuban exile.”

Cuban singer Willy Chirinos also spoke out saying that the journalist dedicated many years and effort to the cause of Cuba.

“I know that your work will continue until the day we manage to reach our free land,” he expressed on Perez Castellon’s Instagram account.

This story was originally published on January 11, 2023 1:05 p.m.