WCBS 880 radio ending all-news programming after nearly 60 years
NEW YORK -- WCBS Newsradio 880 is signing off for good, ending almost 60 years of broadcasting news in New York City.
The all-news format and WCBS call letters will be retired when 880 AM shifts to sports radio and relaunches as ESPN New York and WHSQ-AM effective Aug. 26, the radio station's owner Audacy announced.
Audacy also owns 1010 WINS@92.3 FM, which will maintain its all-news format.
New York Mets games will continue to air on 880 AM and stream on the Audacy app, the company said.
WCBS 880's run ends after nearly 60 years
WCBS 880's news team narrated history and chronicled change in the city over the course of more than 50 years. It first went on air as an all-news station in August 1967 -- way before the era of getting headlines on a smartphone.
"I think the legacy of WCBS will be nearly six decades of just trying to tell stories that people need to hear," said veteran WCBS 880 anchor Steve Scott. "There's gonna be a hole in the landscape. We really appreciate the people that used this for the last 57 years."
WCBS 880 was the radio home of journalists Charles Osgood, Ed Bradley, Charles Kuralt, Rich Lamb, Wayne Cabot and Deborah Rodriguez.
"It's a mainstay"
New York State Sen. James Skoufis said 880 AM was often on the dial at home when he was growing up in Queens.
"It's a mainstay for a lot of my constituents and certainly millions of people in the New York City area. It's quite frankly shocking, the news that they're closing up shop," said Skoufis.
Audacy said the decision to end the station's news programming was painful.
"New York has always been proudly unique in supporting two all-news radio brands, but the news business has gone through significant changes," said Chris Oliviero, New York market president with Audacy. "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 WINS@92.3FM, 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."
WCBS 880 will have a look back at the station's storied history on Aug. 22, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., in a special called "WCBS 880 News: The people, the moments, and the events that shaped our lives."