The broadcasting company Audacy, which owns two all-news radio stations in New York City, WINS and WCBS, both of which blanket Westchester and Fairfield counties, has announced that it is shutting down WCBS Newsradio 88. Audacy says it will continue to own the radio broadcasting frequency 880 on the AM dial but will lease the radio station to Good Karma Brands, which will begin broadcasting ESPN New York, sports programming, on the frequency. The FCC will be asked for permission to change the call letters of the station from WCBS to WHSQ-AM.
WCBS, which draws its call letters from the Columbia Broadcasting System, founded by William Paley in the 1920s, has been one of the most respected radio stations in the country for decades. WCBS has been the flagship station for the CBS Radio Network.
The end of WCBS Newsradio 88 will come on August 26. The ESPN programming will take place using what is known as a Local Marketing Agreement, under which the FCC allows a licensed station owner to lease use of the frequency to another entity.
Chris Oliviero, New York market president for, Audacy said, “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.”
Audacy earlier this year filed for bankruptcy and emerged from bankruptcy having reduced its debt from $1.9 billion to $350 million. The company owned more than 220 radio stations in the U.S. Among its stations is all-news WINS in New York City.
well this just sucks
We live in the Soviet Union, except that the Soviet Union was stable!
This is far too important a station to delete. Is 1010 wins next?
A huge blow to the Broadcast Industry and to all of us who relied on Newsradio 88 for important information. It is stunning that Audacy is “renting out” a clear channel 50-thousand watt frequency. All of Audacy’s licenses should now be challenged.
Another example of corporate mismanagement, overstepping to try and create revenue instead of making what you already had better. Sometimes it’s better to leave stuff alone and let people enjoy. How many times do the everyday people need be to hit over the head? I will miss this radio station not just because it was traditional CBS but because it was just an excellent station. I know its me being a senior citizen and I don’t like conspiracy theories but who doesn’t want us to know the news (truth)? For sports?
When the quality of news declines as it has for 30+ years, when the consuming public has less and less confidence in the news product being produced, you have to expect something as ephemeral as sports programming can simply make more money in this high-end market. Goodbye News 88, like a lot of things, you became redundant.
This is terribly disappointing. terrible. Hard to believe this institution is left to the vagaries of corporate funding.
news radio 88 can be heard up and down the east coast 24/7 with the location of their omnidirectional antenna in the sound on high island. alas, 1010 wins with their antenna in new jersey doesn’t get the same range for those of us who still utilize the AM band. so, much of coastal CT, fairfield county being a possible exception where 1010 wins comes in a little clearer, will be without the NY/NJ/CT news items we’re used to on a daily basis, and there’ll be no national feed from CBS at the top of each hour. lifelong news radio 88 listener – extremely bummed.
In a year when real information is vital we have yet another sports station. I have nothing against sports stations but where will we get concise, non partisan, not judgmental, news without spin??
WHY??
Because Audacy went bankrupt because of their mismanagement, we have to lose an iconic all news station? Really?? Shame on Audacy.
The CBS Broadcast Group should re-purchase WCBS Radio and kick Audacy out. I for one am sick and tired of these corporations choosing profit over public service!