NYC Radio: At Least Two Dozen Staffers to Lose WCBS-AM Jobs

WCBS-AM Staffers Paul Murnane and Wayne Cabot

Audacy shocked New Yorkers and the radio industry Monday with the annoucement that WCBS/880 AM, the all-news radio station New Yorkers have known for decades by the trademark "Traffic and weather together on the 8’s" will sign off Aug. 26, parent company Audacy.

In a twist to an enduring sports talk radio battle, Audacy will license the 880 frequency to ESPN New York, rival to its own WFAN sports radio talk station. ESPN New York carries Knicks and Rangers games. The Mets will continue to be heard on 880 AM.

Newsday reports dozens of staffers, including some of the best-known names on New York radio, will be laid off in the move, according to the union representing them.

“The Writers Guild of America East is devastated that Audacy, the second largest radio company in America, today announced that they are shutting down WCBS Newsradio 880, a trusted news source for New Yorkers since 1924. There were 23 WGA East members laid off by Audacy and we expect the Company to comply with the applicable provisions in our collective bargaining agreement, including guaranteed severance.

“Audacy is the owner of more than 200 radio stations in nearly 50 markets. The closure of WCBS Newsradio 880 is another example of consolidation by a major media conglomerate, which ultimately deprives the public of critical local news stories with different perspectives. Audacy’s decision is even more egregious given that this is a critical election year. This is a giant loss for New York City and the news industry at large.”

Audacy said in a news release that it would now focus its news efforts in the New York City metropolitan area on its other marquee New York station, 1010 WINS, which it called the most-listened to news station in the United States.

Adam Jacobson, editor-in-chief of Radio and Television Business Report, which covers the broadcasting industry, said Audacy, which received court approval for a plan to exit bankruptcy earlier this year, "needed to focus on its resources in a way that was most efficient and fiscally prudent in one of its most important marketplaces ... Having two all-news stations in the same market, under the same ownership in 2024 doesn’t make sense."

Staffing for news gathering can be costly, and news radio faces competition from unregulated digital media, Jacobson said. Also this year, Congress failed to pass a law that would have required automakers to include AM broadcast radio installed as standard equipment in new motor vehicles.