Audacy Inc. has revealed that, after 57 years as a News-focused offering serving the New York Tri-State area, WCBS-AM 880 in New York will sign off the air on August 26.
At that time, the Craig Karmazin-helmed Good Karma Brands (GKB) will assume control of the property through a local marketing agreement. This will see a change in call letters, as the Class A 50kw facility heard in multiple states and in three Canadian provinces after dark becomes the new home for “ESPN New York.”
What does this mean for WEPN-AM 1050, which GKB acquired in March 2022?
RBR+TVBR has confirmed from a GKB representative that WEPN is not for sale. As such, it will likely remain an auxiliary home for ESPN network programming as New York Mets will remain on what will become WHSQ-AM. Local programming heard on WEPN-FM will shift to the forthcoming WHSQ.
Audacy/New York will continue to serve as the exclusive rights holder and flagship audio home of the Major League Baseball team, and it will be Audacy-produced broadcasts that will continue to air on WHSQ and stream on the Audacy app. The New York Mets signed an agreement with Audacy in 2019, shifting games from WOR-AM 710, the iHeartMedia-owned Talk once a Buckley flagship property.
All of the other programming heard on 880 kHz will be the responsibility of ESPN New York, which will be exiting WEPN-FM 98.7 at the end of the month with the conclusion of a long-standing LMA between GKB (and, before that, The Walt Disney Company as parent of ESPN) and Emmis Communications. Emmis head Jeff Smulyan has said that WEPN-FM will assume music programming and that potential buyers are in discussions with his company.
In a statement provided by GKB, ESPN New York Market Manager Vinny DiMarco said, “We are thrilled to add the iconic 880 AM signal to ESPN New York, expanding distribution and enriching the listening experience for our dedicated fans. This heritage station will strengthen our connection with the community, enhance the advertising solutions we can deliver for our partners, and create an opportunity for additional incredible content, while continuing to air the ESPN Radio Network on 1050 AM.”
For those seeking all-News programming, those in the New York Tri-State area that have counted on tuning to AM 880 (or a HD multicast signal tied to an Audacy FM in New York) will no longer have two choices, something seen since August 28, 1967. In the mid-1970s, there were three all-News offerings in New York, with the NBC News and Information Service heard on what is today WQHT “Hot 97.”
With Group W/Westinghouse’s WINS-AM 1010 flipping from Top 40 to all-News in April 1965, the format had proven popular. Two years later, with WCBS-AM’s Middle of the Road format failing to attract a meaningful audience, WCBS-2 VP/GM Clark George was handed the keys to its then-sibling radio station on the AM dial. He began a transition to news and information that formally converted WCBS-AM to all-News in 1970. This move prompted CBS to make similar shifts to all-News in other cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
WCBS-AM became famous for “more than just the headlines.” For generations, listeners tuned to 880 MHz for traffic and weather together “on the eights.” During the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, WCBS-AM was an essential emergency information source for commuters in suburban areas where WINS-AM’s signal cannot clearly be heard.
Today, thanks to shifting technologies and increased competition from instant news sources, WCBS-AM saw a diminished role in the Tri-State landscape. An October 2022 conclusion of WNYL-FM’s Top 40 format to become a simulcast partner of WINS-AM proved successful for that all-News brand, with ratings increases pushing it to No. 6 in the market, overall. WCBS-AM remained challenges, with recent Nielsen Audio finishes between a 1.5 and 2.0 share for the venerable station. Furthermore, WABC-AM, the Big Apple Media-owned station led by John Katsimatidis, has seen a rebirth of sorts under his ownership, and towers over WCBS-AM in the ratings.
“As the nation’s leader in news radio, Audacy will now focus its commitment to delivering premium news content to Tri-State listeners exclusively on ‘1010 [email protected] FM,” the company said.
Commenting on the pending changes, Audacy New York Market President Chris Olivero said, “New York has always been proudly unique in supporting two all-news radio brands, but the news business has gone through significant changes. The headwinds facing local journalism nationwide made it essential to strategically reimagine how we deliver the news for the most impact. WCBS 880 has been one of the most respected radio stations in history, with a legacy cemented by the hundreds of world-class journalists, on and off the air, who willed it into existence over the decades. If it happened in New York or the world, you heard about it on WCBS 880. Today, 1010 [email protected], equally iconic, moves forward as New York’s only 24/7 all-news station with the best distribution platform, the largest audience and the most recognized brand in the industry. All-news is a pillar of Audacy, and this decision, though difficult, fortifies that leadership position for generations to come.”
In a move designed “to honor WCBS 880’s meaningful impact,” the station will broadcast a live commemorative special, WCBS 880 News: The People, the Moments, and the Events that Shaped our Lives, on August 22 from 10am-1pm.
It is a special edition of WCBS-AM’s “NEWSLINE” program with Brigitte Quinn will include interviews and historical clips.
Corporate ownership by only a few companies has ruined radio. I hope they all fail!