WCBS 880 to end all-news format, ESPN to take over airwaves

NEW YORK (PIX11) — WCBS 880, the AM radio station in New York City, is ending its all-news format after nearly 60 years of broadcasting.

The station’s owner is licensing its 880 AM signal to ESPN. WCBS’s parent company cited “headwinds facing local journalism” as the reason for the change.

The Writers Guild of America condemned the move, saying it deprives the public of local news stories with different perspectives. The switch to an all-sports format happens on Aug. 26.

The change leaves 1010 WINS as the only all-news radio station in the nation’s largest media market.

Jonathan Rizk is a digital journalist who has covered local news in New York City and Washington, D.C. He has been with PIX11 since August 2022. See more of his work here, and follow him on X and Facebook @OfficialRizk . Get in touch at jonathan.rizk@pix11.com .

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