All News format out, ESPN Radio takes over

I guess there is only room for one all-news station in NYC. I grew up listening to WCBS 880
https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/2024/08/12/wcbs-880-radio-espn-news/74770260007/

 

Heard this on 880 yesterday, dropping in during the middle of them talking about it and wasn't sure what they were talking about for a bit. Not that I'm super plugged in to the radio biz, but this really shocked me.

I also don't know why I'm surprised any longer. But I find it incredibly sad.

 

God forbid people surfing through the AM band find out information more substantial than who the Chargers will start at slot receiver. Helluva society we have going here.

 

Lose the news, keep the Mets.

College friend of mine is an afternoon drive host there. Sad!

 

Thoughts:

Guess that's it for Tom Kaminsky.

Recall some years ago Sporting News tried to be the third all-sports station in NYC and failed.

Who moves from FM to AM? Who listens to AM?

I thought Howie Rose broke in with Sportsphone.

 

Westinghouse (WINS 1010) beat William Paley (WCBS 880) to become the first all-newser in NYC.
Paley did not want the same to happen in Chicago and ordered a hasty transition at WBBM.
The signal swap? Meh. Sign of the times. Here, the legendary news-talker announced its dropping all high school play-by-play. Hell, the late, great Bill King worked there when he was a pup.

 

I think this is an example of market concentration leading to less competition. CBS sold their radio stations and WCBS is owned by Audacy, as is the other all-news station in New York, WINS-FM.

WINS-FM was the fifth highest billing station in the United States in 2023, billing 40 million dollars, and WCBS was 10th, billing 30 million dollars. I would think a station billing 30 million dollars a year could make money with an all-news format.

BIA Reveals US Radio's Highest Billing Stations Of 2023 - Radio Ink

I think that Audacy decided that if they just shut down WCBS most of the audience and ad dollars would go to WINS while they could get rid of the WCBS staff. Then Audacy can rent out the signal and make even more money.

 

Had not seen your post while writing mine. Didn't want to seem too callous. I've previously been in your college friend's situation.

 

Oh God, you’re going to summon him faster than you can say Beetlejuice.

 

No worries here.

 

And the punchline is, Audacy filed for bankruptcy in January.