As the iconic run of legendary WCBS Newsradio 880 in New York City draws to a close after 57 years of service to the Big Apple, the storied outlet presented a live special called “WCBS 880 News: The People, the Moments, and the Events that Shaped Our Lives,” running today (8/22) between 10:00 am and 1:00 pm (still on air at press time). The event will replay this weekend. Familiar voices such as Charles Osgood, Charles Kuralt, Wayne Cabot, Deborah Rodriguez are just some of the hundreds of larger-than-life personalities to call the station home for more than half a century. While live anecdotes and tributes poured in from former on-air anchors and staff, the only news elements that ran during the time were weather and traffic. A party atmosphere blared every time the studio door opened. Wayne Cabot, hosting a portion of the morning, drew attention to this by saying, “And as you can hear from the newsroom, our own colleagues are not listening to us – as usual.” The radio station’s owner, Audacy, will keep the 24/7 all-news format in New York with 1010 WINS. The call letters WCBS will retire and emerge as ESPN New York and WHSQ-AM on August 26.
