Goodbye WCBS

August 22, 2024

The industry was stunned when Audacy announced they were shuttering WCBS-AM and renting it out to Good Karma for their sports property. There was also a lot of wailing and finger-pointing about how this was another sign of radio’s demise.

I have a different take.

First, I hate that so many talented radio pros are losing their jobs. That is nothing short of a tragedy. It would be nice if Audacy shifted many or all of them to WINS and really beefed up that news operation. We all know that likely won’t happen.

Second, it was about time. The addition of an FM signal to WINS has paid dividends as the station has seen noticeable ratings success. Unfortunately, the ratings for WCBS were not stellar.

Let’s dig a little deeper. Can any market support two full-time news radio stations? The digital age has dramatically fragmented the news business. With few exceptions, the newspaper industry is struggling. Network TV news – like AM radio – is patronized by an aging demographic. One that is not prized by advertisers. The smart phone has changed everything.

In most markets, there are two types of radio news. The short-form information-packed style exhibited by stations like WINS and WTOP. They are loaded with service elements and give you enough information to know that the world is still spinning, or a weather crisis is approaching.

Then there is the NPR model, which features more long-form, in-depth reporting. Since the pandemic, we have seen many of these stations grow their ratings, especially among younger demographics.

Having a second full-time, all-news station is overkill. And expensive.

The bottom line is the bottom line. If Audacy was generating serious revenue with WCBS, this would not have happened, bankruptcy or not. You know they ran the numbers and found out that this move would, at worst, be a break-even situation.

This is also an opportunity for Good Karma. While they certainly will be challenged in their battle with WFAN, they do make their content more available than with what was previously planned.

Is this sad day for radio? Absolutely. To those of us who have, ahem, experience, we see this as the end of an era. It is even sadder for the negative impact it will have on so many lives. Let’s hope Audacy does the right thing and provides an adequate cushion for those who are affected.

As a programmer who sees this business as an art, I’m reminded of the locker room scene from the movie North Dallas Forty:

“…every time I call it a game, you call it a business. And every time I call it a business, you call it a game…”

The business always wins.

-Steve Allan, Programming Research Consultant

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