WCBS 880 AM, the all-news radio station New Yorkers have recognized for many years by means of the trademark “Site visitors and climate in combination at the 8’s” will log out Aug. 26, dad or mum corporate Audacy introduced Monday.In a twist to a long-lasting sports activities communicate radio struggle, Audacy will license the 880 frequency to ESPN New York, rival to its personal WFAN sports activities radio communicate station. ESPN New York carries Knicks and Rangers video games. The Mets will proceed to be heard on 880 AM.Dozens of staffers, together with one of the most best-known names on New York radio, will likely be laid off within the transfer, consistent with the union representing them.In an on-air interview Monday on 880, morning anchor Wayne Cabot known as the inside track a “intestine punch.” WHAT TO KNOWAll-news WCBS 880 will log out Aug. 26, the station’s proprietor introduced.The 880 frequency would be the new house of ESPN New York.WCBS’ dad or mum corporate attributed the trade to “headwinds dealing with native journalism.” The corporate will focal point its New York-area information efforts on its different marquee station, 1010 WINS.Radio and podcast large Audacy mentioned In a information free up that it might now focal point its information efforts within the New York Town metropolitan field on its different marquee New York station, 1010 WINS, which it known as the most-listened to information station in america.”New York has all the time been proudly distinctive in supporting two all-news radio manufacturers, however the information trade has long gone thru important adjustments,” mentioned Chris Oliviero, New York Marketplace President, Audacy. “The headwinds dealing with native journalism national made it very important to strategically reimagine how we ship the inside track for probably the most affect.”Adam Jacobson, editor-in-chief of Radio and Tv Trade Document, which covers the broadcasting trade, mentioned Audacy, which won courtroom acclaim for a plan to go out chapter previous this 12 months, “wanted to concentrate on its sources in some way that was once most productive and fiscally prudent in one in all its maximum necessary marketplaces . .. Having two all-news stations in the similar marketplace, beneath the similar possession in 2024 doesn’t make sense.”Staffing for information collecting can also be pricey, and information radio faces festival from unregulated virtual media, Jacobson mentioned. Additionally this 12 months, Congress didn’t go a legislation that may have required automakers to incorporate AM broadcast radio put in as same old apparatus in new motor automobiles.The signoff will come amid a yearslong retrenchment for the inside track trade, mentioned George Bodarky, a journalism professor and Group Partnerships and Coaching Editor on the town’s public radio station, WNYC. “It’s unhappy to peer the shrinking of native journalism,” he mentioned. “Having native journalism and reporters at the floor is seriously necessary to democracy.”Kind of two dozen staffers will likely be laid off as a result of Audacy’s choice, consistent with their union, the Writers Guild of The usa East.They come with reporters who’ve been at the air there for greater than 30 years, like leader meteorologist Craig Allen and Tom Kaminski, managing editor, site visitors and transit data. Morning anchors Paul Murnane and Cabot are anticipated to go away, too, in addition to afternoon anchors Steve Scott and Michael Wallace, and in a single day anchor Levon Putney.Writers, editors and individuals of the station’s technical make stronger group may also be laid off.David Heim, an Audacy spokesman, mentioned he may just now not ascertain the names or numbers. Heim additionally mentioned he may just now not divulge phrases of Audacy’s advertising and marketing settlement with Excellent Karma Manufacturers, ESPN New York’s dad or mum.In a telephone interview, Allen, 67 — who has spent 43 years at 880 as its longest tenured reporter, with 30 of the ones years broadcasting from his house studio in Merrick — known as Monday’s announcement “surprising. It is only a surprising finishing, a loss within the circle of relatives.”1010 WINS and WCBS — or just “880” to generations of listeners — battled for native radio information supremacy relationship again to the mid-60s, with the release in their all-news codecs (or 1965, for 1010, and 1967, for 880). 1010 has lengthy been a historically more potent station in New York Town, whilst 880’s stronghold has been Lengthy Island, Connecticut, and suburbs north and particularly east. The WCBS antenna, in keeping with a small rock outcrop off Town Island, directs a lot of its firepower due east, and can also be heard obviously so far as Rhode Island.The struggle in large part ended after Philadelphia-based Audacy — then known as Entercom — purchased the CBS-owned stations in 2017, then started to simulcast 1010 on 92.3 FM in 2022. The transfer was once designed to introduce more youthful listeners to 1010 and to spice up that listenership past the 5 boroughs.Since then, 1010’s scores have advanced dramatically, whilst 880’s dropped. Allen mentioned Monday that there have been indications that Audacy had appreciated 1010, however the concept that the contest had become a 0 sum sport — with one prevailing, the opposite going beneath — was once unthinkable, he mentioned. That was once as a result of 880 — boosted by means of a 50,000 “transparent channel” sign — had remained a fixture all the way through the tristate field. Corridor, 880’s Lengthy Island reporter, mentioned the temper within the newsroom was once somber. Whilst Corridor will proceed to seem on 1010, she mentioned she is going to leave out the 880 process, which she began in 2001.She’d met younger individuals who’d grown up paying attention to the station of their folks’ vehicles on how you can faculty and older listeners who’d tuned in for many years, she mentioned. “It was once a real dream to get the process when I used to be in my mid-20s, simply to carry that 880 microphone on a daily basis and interview other folks,” she mentioned.
