WCBS to cease operation as NYC all-news staple: ESPN New York moving to 880 AM, will resume Mets broadcasts

WCBS 880 AM will end its 57-year run as an all-news radio staple in New York City, its parent company Audacy announced on Monday, and will be rebranded as ESPN New York radio beginning on Aug. 26.

One of two major all-news stations alongside 1010 WINS, WCBS has also been the radio home of the New York Mets since 2019. Games will continue to be broadcast on 880 AM “for the years ahead,” according to a release from Audacy.

“New York has always been proudly unique in supporting two all-news radio brands, but the news business has gone through significant changes,” a statement from Audacy’s New York market president, Chris Oliviero, read. “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 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.”

1010 WINS, which is also owned by Audacy, now becomes the sole all-news radio station for New York City. 

WCBS will broadcast a live commemorative special on Aug. 22 from 10 a.m. ET to 1 p.m. to highlight some of its greatest moments and achievements since its inception in Aug. 1967.

ESPN New York, owned by Good Karma brands, will cease its broadcast on 98.7 FM on Aug. 23 before relaunching on 880 AM three days later. Headlined by the Michael Kay Show during the afternoon drive, it is also the radio home of all New York Knicks and New York Rangers games. In February, the station lost its rights to broadcast New York Jets games as the team moved its calls to Q104.3 FM. 

For more like this WCBS 880 AM update, visit AMNY.com