Good Karma To Lease 880; WCBS News Programming To End

[davideduardo]

Just like a lot of things, if you don't use it daily you tend to forget how to speak/use/wear it. Couldn't call on my long dead grandparents or great-grandparents to translate for me.

And in that lies the reason why almost all the quarter hour listening to foreign language stations comes from first generation immigrants. The children generally speak the "foreign" language at home, but don't learn it correctly at school.

Nobody in my family has spoken Gaelic for about 180 years or so (but one picked up Spanish when he defected from the American invasionary forces in Mexico... relatives still live there!).

 

[Kent]

If the demos for 880 were too old with a top-tier heritage news station, then how can anyone think they will be any different, better or younger for a sports talk format with no history or brand awareness on the frequency?

If you're Audacy, that's not your problem. You found someone to pay you to be on that signal, and, for the life of the LMA, you’re making money.

Virtually no 30-year old or 40-year old is going to find that AM radio station and start listening to it now, especially when ESPN already trails WFAN by a mile, and even more so since WFAN will still be on FM.

I've been an advocate of getting out of the AM business for a long time. Granted, I don’t have a dog in the fight as I've been out of the industry for 15 years now, but AM has seemed like a losing proposition for a long time to me. Only way I could see it working long term would be if you could get one in a somewhat small market with a good FM translator. If I were in that situation, I wouldn’t even be promoting the AM. The average listener would think the TOH ID was for the FM translator.

I guess bankrupt Audacy gets lucky enough to rent out the signal and collect a juicy do-nothing paycheck but Karmazin's strategy with this is rather baffling.

Pretty much. If Karmazin can make money with it, good for him. Sports has always tended to attract buyers with few listeners. It might turn a profit, but I don’t see him getting rich off of 880.

 

[TheBigA]

If the demos for 880 were too old with a top-tier heritage news station, then how can anyone think they will be any different, better or younger for a sports talk format with no history or brand awareness on the frequency?

The demos were too old because of the programming. Not because it was on AM. Sports appeals to a slightly younger demo, men in their 40s and 50s who know AM radio, and will put up with it if it provides them with content they want. By the same token, the radio station offers video simulcasts that will likely be more engaging for the demo. So this is not a single-pronged presentation. It's more multi-platform than WCBS had been.

 

[Signal Geek]

In a way WCBS-AM had to deal with a situation KFWB Los Angeles had to deal with losing their all news format due to KNX Radio having 50kw to cover the Southland and the then new purchase of KCAL News/now known CBS News Los Angeles.

But at least WCBS and WINS are both 50kw. That wasn't the case in L.A. With just 5kw and a stick in the 'hood east of downtown, KFWB/Los Angeles had a inferior signal to KNX's 50kw. KNX had far superior coverage of the monied coastal neighborhoods.

 

[Theater of My Mind]

The demos were too old because of the programming. Not because it was on AM. Sports appeals to a slightly younger demo, men in their 40s and 50s who know AM radio, and will put up with it if it provides them with content they want.

There have been many, many discussions about this exact theory on all the radio forums including this one. There have also been recent efforts to attract younger audiences to AM talk radio with younger hosts. The consensus and results have always been the same, and I'm sure you've said it yourself -- it ain't gonna happen. Not in 2024.

Apart from a few rare outliers, younger people are not going to listen to AM radio. Period. Especially when it's a station without any heritage on the frequency. And even more especially when there's a better one on FM.

 

[TheBigA]

Apart from a few rare outliers, younger people are not going to listen to AM radio. Period.

Which is why the bulk of what they're doing is on the ESPN app. The AM is there as a convenience, but the real fans will want to use the app.

 

[Theater of My Mind]

Which is why the bulk of what they're doing is on the ESPN app. The AM is there as a convenience, but the real fans will want to use the app.

Pretty expensive convenience.

 

[TheBigA]

Pretty expensive convenience.

Radio advertising sells for more than online advertising. So there's value in having an on-air component. But you were asking about the audience.

 

[Rosends]

Hi all. Long time listener, first time something or other.

I have been listening to CBS on AM and more recently, FMHD for a while now. Longer than some, shorter than others, but long enough for it to have been very influential in my understanding of the selection, packaging and presentation of news. Will I survive listening to WINS? I'm not sure. The stations have very different personalities (not people but approaches).

But here's my question (and if it has been answered, apologies) - will there be any place on the dial where I can hear the CBS national 3 minute top of the hour news? (or 7 minutes depending on the hour).

Appreciated.

 

[CTListener]

Hi all. Long time listener, first time something or other.

I have been listening to CBS on AM and more recently, FMHD for a while now. Longer than some, shorter than others, but long enough for it to have been very influential in my understanding of the selection, packaging and presentation of news. Will I survive listening to WINS?

I certainly hope so. Thoughts and prayers.

 

[TheBigA]

will there be any place on the dial where I can hear the CBS national 3 minute top of the hour news? (or 7 minutes depending on the hour)

It's an affiliation issue being addressed by SkyView Networks. Obviously SkyView wants to retain its NYC affiliation. They have a contract with Audacy New York. WINS has an ABC News Radio affiliation. As I said earlier, WTOP in DC is affiliated with both. So it's possible Audacy will transfer the CBS News affiliation to WINS. But it's doubtful they will air all of the TOH as WCBS did. The main thing an affiliate has to do is run the commercials, not the content. There's a big spot commitment with a news affiliation. They have to figure out how to handle that.

As far as the "different personalities" thing, that was addressed in the 2022 contract. At the time, they said they wanted to retain the separate identities. Now that's not an issue. They know what those personalities are, and they don't want to lose audience, they want to transfer the WCBS audience to WINS. I've seen co-owned stations try to do this, and it doesn't always work. So it'll be a process that we'll watch and discuss.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

Hi all. Long time listener, first time something or other.

I have been listening to CBS on AM and more recently, FMHD for a while now. Longer than some, shorter than others, but long enough for it to have been very influential in my understanding of the selection, packaging and presentation of news. Will I survive listening to WINS? I'm not sure. The stations have very different personalities (not people but approaches).

But here's my question (and if it has been answered, apologies) - will there be any place on the dial where I can hear the CBS national 3 minute top of the hour news? (or 7 minutes depending on the hour).

Appreciated.

https://www.audacy.com/stations/cbsradionews

CBS News Radio | Free Internet Radio | TuneIn

CBS News Radio - US - Listen to free internet radio, news, sports, music, audiobooks, and podcasts. Stream live CNN, FOX News Radio, and MS NOW. Plus 100,000 AM/FM radio stations featuring music, news, and local sports talk.

tunein.com

CBS News Roundup | Listen to Podcasts On Demand Free | TuneIn

CBS News Roundup podcast on demand - The CBS News team wraps up the major headlines you need to know every day on the CBS News Roundup podcast. On weekday mornings Steve Kathan delivers the “World News Roundup” and every evening you can catch up on all the day's news with Jennifer Keiper...

tunein.com

Audacy app or Tunein is the place to hear CBS Radio News Top of the Hour. For OTA I don't know how that's going to change in New York specifically.

 

[RadioFixerCLE]

There have also been recent efforts to attract younger audiences to AM talk radio with younger hosts. The consensus and results have always been the same, and I'm sure you've said it yourself -- it ain't gonna happen. Not in 2024.

Apart from a few rare outliers, younger people are not going to listen to AM radio. Period. Especially when it's a station without any heritage on the frequency. And even more especially when there's a better one on FM.

Younger hosts like Ben Shapiro and Charlie Kirk? These two brainiacs sure aren't attracting anyone.

 

[Barry]

For those that have satellite radio, CBS News Roundup airs hourly on their politics channel, POTUS (#124).

 

[TheBigA]

Younger hosts like Ben Shapiro and Charlie Kirk? These two brainiacs sure aren't attracting anyone.

Not to AM radio. In fact they tend to alienate the boomer audience base. But they have huge podcast audiences.

 

[Weiserguy]

But here's my question (and if it has been answered, apologies) - will there be any place on the dial where I can hear the CBS national 3 minute top of the hour news? (or 7 minutes depending on the hour).

Are you a subscriber to Sirius/XM? Their POTUS channel -- 125 124 on my car radio but your mileage may vary -- carries the CBS hourly newscast, at least the first 3 minutes of it. And if you subscribe in a car, you also likely have access to the app, so it can come with you indoors.

 

[TheBigA]

Sid Rosenberg is what I call a Tireless Self Promoter. He's taking credit for the changes at WCBS:

Sid Rosenberg: ‘I’m The Guy That Put WCBS 880 Out Of Business.’

The decision to end operations at WCBS Newsradio, announced earlier this week, was a surprise for many. But apparently not for 77 WABC morning host Sid Rosenberg, who said during

www.insideradio.com

The last time we saw comparative morning show numbers (2022), WCBS was beating Sid:

NYC’s Top Morning Shows: Elvis Is King, Shannon, Bryant Round Out Top Three.

For millions of listeners in America's largest radio market, it's a good morning every morning. Inside Radio's latest edition of “By The Numbers” spotlights Nielsen's top 25 stations in New

www.insideradio.com

This chart is based on cume, not share. So perhaps that's what he's referring to. It doesn't matter. In his head, he beats everyone.

 

[Bill_W]

Does this move automatically turn WCBS-FM/101.1 into "WCBS", similar to what happened when WNEW/1130 got sold to Bloomberg and the "-FM" suffix disappeared from WNEW-FM? Or would Audacy specifically need to file for a change of calls, assuming they even wanted this to happen?

 

[RadioGuy1864]

Sid Rosenberg is what I call a Tireless Self Promoter. He's taking credit for the changes at WCBS:

Sid Rosenberg: ‘I’m The Guy That Put WCBS 880 Out Of Business.’

The decision to end operations at WCBS Newsradio, announced earlier this week, was a surprise for many. But apparently not for 77 WABC morning host Sid Rosenberg, who said during

www.insideradio.com

The last time we saw comparative morning show numbers (2022), WCBS was beating Sid:

NYC’s Top Morning Shows: Elvis Is King, Shannon, Bryant Round Out Top Three.

For millions of listeners in America's largest radio market, it's a good morning every morning. Inside Radio's latest edition of “By The Numbers” spotlights Nielsen's top 25 stations in New

www.insideradio.com

Wow, talk about chutzpah. Sid takes the cake.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

Sid Rosenberg is what I call a Tireless Self Promoter. He's taking credit for the changes at WCBS:

Sid Rosenberg: ‘I’m The Guy That Put WCBS 880 Out Of Business.’

The decision to end operations at WCBS Newsradio, announced earlier this week, was a surprise for many. But apparently not for 77 WABC morning host Sid Rosenberg, who said during

www.insideradio.com

The last time we saw comparative morning show numbers (2022), WCBS was beating Sid:

NYC’s Top Morning Shows: Elvis Is King, Shannon, Bryant Round Out Top Three.

For millions of listeners in America's largest radio market, it's a good morning every morning. Inside Radio's latest edition of “By The Numbers” spotlights Nielsen's top 25 stations in New

www.insideradio.com

Huh?? It's WINS-AM and WINS-FM that have a bigger audience than the soon to be WHSQ-AM aka soon to be former WCBS-AM. It's Audacy own data that shows that.