August 26, 2024. If you live in the Tri-State area, that date probably felt like a gut punch. It was the day 880 AM New York, better known to millions as WCBS, stopped broadcasting news. Just like that. After 57 years of "all news, all the time," the signal faded into a sports betting partnership with ESPN.
It wasn't just a business deal. Honestly, it felt like losing a neighbor. You know the type—the one who always knew exactly what was happening on the George Washington Bridge or whether the subway was actually running. For decades, that rhythmic ticker in the background of the 880 AM broadcast was the heartbeat of the city.
Now? It's gone. Audacy, the parent company, made a move that shocked the industry but, if we're being real, had been brewing for years.
The Day the Ticker Stopped
The transition was abrupt. One minute, you had anchors like Brigitte Quinn and Wayne Cabot delivering the latest on City Hall or a brush fire in Jersey. The next, the station was rebranding as "ESPN New York."
Why? Money. It's always money.
Audacy was drowning in debt—we’re talking billions—and the cost of running a 24/7 live newsroom is astronomical. You need reporters in the field, writers at the desks, and engineers making sure a 50,000-watt blowtorch signal doesn't flicker. Sports betting and syndicated talk are just cheaper. They're basically a turn-key operation compared to the grueling grind of local news.
But 880 AM New York wasn't just any station. It was a Class A clear-channel station. That means on a clear night, you could hear that news ticker in Ohio. You could hear it in the Carolinas. It was a lifeline for truckers and travelers who needed to know what was happening in the world’s most influential city.
A Legacy of "The Big Blue"
Back in the day, WCBS was the gold standard. They weren't just the "other" news station next to 1010 WINS. While WINS was known for the "give us 22 minutes" hard-hitting, fast-paced style, 880 was a bit more expansive. It felt a little more sophisticated, maybe a bit more suburban-friendly.
It’s crazy to think about the history. They were there for the 1977 blackout. They were there on 9/11 when their own transmitter atop the North Tower was destroyed, and they had to scramble to stay on the air. They were the voice of Hurricane Sandy.
When a station like 880 AM New York pivots to sports, a massive chunk of institutional memory just evaporates. You lose the reporters who knew which councilman was lying and which precinct was actually seeing a crime spike. You can’t replace that with a podcast or a Twitter feed.
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The Economics of AM Radio in 2026
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: AM radio is in trouble.
Electric vehicles (EVs) are a big part of the problem. Tesla, Ford, and BMW have all toyed with—or followed through on—removing AM tuners because the electric motors create electromagnetic interference. It sounds like a swarm of angry bees. If people can’t hear 880 AM New York in their cars, the advertisers aren’t going to pay.
Then there’s the demographic shift.
If you’re under 30, do you even know how to tune an AM dial? Probably not. Most people just hit "Play" on a Spotify playlist or a curated news app. The idea of "appointment listening"—waiting for the "traffic and weather on the 8s"—is becoming a relic of a bygone era.
Audacy’s decision was a survival tactic. By leasing the 880 frequency to Good Karma Brands (which operates ESPN New York), they offloaded the massive overhead of a newsroom while keeping the license. It’s a landlord move.
What’s Left of the Dial?
With 880 AM New York gone from the news space, 1010 WINS is essentially the last man standing in the all-news AM world for NYC. Interestingly, Audacy owns both. By killing the news on 880, they actually helped their own bottom line by forcing all those listeners over to 1010 WINS (which is now also on 92.3 FM).
It's a monopoly on your morning commute.
But there’s a catch. WINS and 880 had different vibes. Many listeners are finding that the "new" combined landscape feels a bit thinner. There's less competition, and competition usually breeds better reporting.
Why 880 AM Still Matters (Even as a Sports Station)
Even though it’s now ESPN New York, the technical power of the 880 frequency remains. We’re talking about a signal that radiates from High Island in the Bronx and covers the entire Northeast.
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For sports fans, this is actually a win. ESPN New York had been languishing on 98.7 FM (which they didn’t own) and a weaker AM signal. Moving to 880 means the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers now have a massive, booming home that doesn't drop out when you drive through a tunnel or head out to Long Island.
But for the news junkies? It's a ghost town.
The loss of 880 AM New York's news format is a signal flare for the rest of the country. If a market as huge and news-obsessed as New York can’t support two major AM news stations, what does that mean for Chicago, Los Angeles, or Philly?
The Human Toll
We often talk about "stations" as if they are machines. They aren't. They are people.
When the newsroom at 880 AM New York shut down, dozens of journalists lost their jobs. These weren't just "content creators." They were professionals who had spent thirty years learning the nuances of the city. When a storm hits or a crisis breaks out, these are the people who stay in the studio all night.
You can't automate that. You can't replace that with an AI-generated summary of a press release.
I’ve heard from folks who worked there. The mood was somber, but there was also a sense of pride. They went out with a marathon retrospective, playing old clips of legendary anchors like Lou Adler and Charles Osgood. It was a class act for a station that defined a city.
Is AM Radio Dead?
Honestly, it’s not dead yet, but it’s definitely in the ICU.
There is a bill in Congress called the "AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act." It basically tries to force car manufacturers to keep AM radio in cars for emergency purposes. The argument is that during a national disaster, FM and cellular networks are the first to go down, while AM signals can travel for hundreds of miles.
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If that bill fails, the 880 AM New York frequency might eventually just be another piece of spectrum sold off to the highest bidder.
How to Stay Connected Now
So, if you were a die-hard 880 listener, what do you do now?
- Switch to 1010 WINS. It’s the closest thing left. If you have an FM radio, tune to 92.3. The audio quality is way better, and you still get the "on the 8s" updates.
- Use the Audacy App. They’ve moved a lot of the "brand" of WCBS online. You can find podcasts and live streams, but it’s not quite the same as the live broadcast.
- NPR (WNYC 93.9). If you want deep-dive local news without the frantic pace of all-news radio, WNYC is still the heavy hitter in the city.
- Follow the Journalists. Many of the former 880 AM New York reporters have moved to other outlets or started their own newsletters. Find them on social media. They still have the scoops; they just don't have the 50,000-watt megaphone anymore.
The Future of the 880 Signal
Expect more sports. Expect more gambling talk.
The reality is that sports bettors are a lucrative demographic. They stay tuned in, they engage with the ads, and they have disposable income. For a company like Audacy, which is trying to claw its way back from bankruptcy, the move from news to sports on 880 AM New York was a cold, hard necessity.
It sucks for those of us who grew up with the ticker. It sucks for the elderly residents who relied on the radio as their primary link to the world. But it’s the world we live in now.
Radio is becoming a niche. It’s no longer the "town square." It’s a series of specialized boutiques.
Moving Forward
If you're looking for the spirit of what 880 AM New York used to be, you have to look for it in bits and pieces across the web. The era of a singular, authoritative voice that an entire city listens to at the same time is ending.
The best thing you can do is support local journalism where it still exists. Subscribe to a local paper. Listen to a local nonprofit station. Because once these signals go dark—or change into something unrecognizable—they almost never come back.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Update your car presets: Move your news preset to 1010 AM or 92.3 FM to ensure you still have access to emergency traffic and weather alerts.
- Check your EV settings: If you drive an electric vehicle, check if your software allows for "AM HD" or digital radio options, which can sometimes bypass the interference issues that are killing traditional AM reception.
- Support the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act: Contact your local representative if you believe AM radio is a vital public safety tool that belongs in every dashboard.
- Explore the WCBS FM 101.1 signal: While it’s a music station, it’s the sister station to the old 880 and occasionally carries significant local updates during major emergencies.
The 880 AM we knew is a part of history now. It’s a transition that reflects a changing New York—faster, more digital, and maybe a little less connected to its roots. But the frequency is still there, pulsing through the airwaves, waiting for the next chapter in the city's long, loud story.