The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum / Hear The Last 10 Minutes Of WCBS-AM New York As It Signs Off Forever

**Posted by RadioActive** August 26, 2024 12:15 am

It was 10 minutes before midnight on August 25, 2024 when a radio dynasty officially ended forever. WCBS-AM, which had been on the air since 1924 and all news for 57 years, ended with its final broadcast. This is the last 10 minutes of NewsRadio 88, as it makes one last headline - its own demise.

Sadly, the sign-on to what is now All Sports WHSQ was far from smooth. There was no I.D. for the new station and it joined the ESPN feed already in progress, right in the middle of a sentence.

You can hear it here.

WCBS/880 AM signs off: 'Our news desert is getting bigger and drier'

**Posted by turkeytop** August 26, 2024 12:34 am

After WCBS signed off, there was about 30 seconds of dead air before the new one started.

**Posted by RadioActive** August 26, 2024 12:38 am

Yes and not even an I.D. with the new call letters.

But what came before that was pretty good. The two hour "WCBS Through The Years" special was amazing, I thought, considering they used tape and recordings stretching all the way back to the early 1930s.

Last edited by RadioActive (August 26, 2024 12:39 am)

**Posted by ED1** August 26, 2024 1:13 am

Actually, if you were listening on 880 AM, there was an ID for WHSQ/WCBS HD-2. It's on this recording.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQcU4yWeTSM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZISqjTg374

Last edited by ED1 (August 26, 2024 1:20 am)

**Posted by RadioActive** August 26, 2024 7:36 am

Thanks for adding that. If you were listening online, as I was, you heard about 40-50 secs. of silence, followed by ESPN joined in progress (something The Fan 590 here frequently does out of late night baseball.) I wonder why the feed didn't pick that up?

**Posted by turkeytop** August 26, 2024 7:37 pm

My most enduring memory of WCBS goes back to Feb 26 1993, the date of the first terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre. It was a week day but, for reasons I can't recall, I was at home that day.

It was one of those days we sometimes get in the winter, when the MW band is active all day. I was listening to WCBS around mid-day when the news of the attack first broke. I listened to their coverage of the story for the rest of the day.

Last edited by turkeytop (August 26, 2024 7:40 pm)

**Posted by BowmanvilleBob** August 27, 2024 9:43 am

Just one more old-timer from WCBS sharing his memories. Long-time morning news anchor Wayne Cabot talks about his days at Newsradio 88 and how it covered New York City through both the best and worst of times.

**Posted by mace** August 27, 2024 10:29 am

turkeytop wrote:
My most enduring memory of WCBS goes back to Feb 26 1993, the date of the first terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre. It was a week day but, for reasons I can't recall, I was at home that day.

It was one of those days we sometimes get in the winter, when the MW band is active all day. I was listening to WCBS around mid-day when the news of the attack first broke. I listened to their coverage of the story for the rest of the day.

I remember experiencing one of those days back in the winter of 1977 while living in Hamilton. Not all of the usual suspects were there but those that were still had a listenable signal. It was the first and only time I heard WNYC which at the time was a daytimer on 830, I think. I also wrote to WBZ about their daytime reception. The engineer responded that their groundwave signal sometime reaches as far as Central New York State.

**Posted by RadioActive** August 27, 2024 5:32 pm

The real story behind the end of WCBS-AM as a news station.

It started with a new agreement with the unions and taking WINS-AM to FM, sealing 880's fate.

The Story Behind The End Of WCBS-AM

**Posted by RadioAaron** August 27, 2024 6:41 pm

RadioActive wrote:
The real story behind the end of WCBS-AM as a news station.

It started with a new agreement with the unions and taking WINS-AM to FM, sealing 880's fate.

The Story Behind The End Of WCBS-AM

That article is worth a read for its main point too. In the case of WCBS becoming ESPN or the Boston rock station becoming business news, we'd traditionally ask "do they think that will do better?," usually referring to ratings. And in both instances: no, they don't.

As station values sink, big signals will be used in ways beyond the traditional "get ratings and therefore profit" model.

You'll also see new, smaller owners who seem to be aiming for the traditional model and you'll assume they must know what they're doing, have done research, and have a plan. And often: no, they don't.

Last edited by RadioAaron (August 27, 2024 6:44 pm)

**Posted by mace** August 28, 2024 7:09 am

So now ESPN880 will compete with WFAN which adopted the sports format in July 1987 and has had an FM simulcast since 2008.

**Posted by RadioAaron** August 28, 2024 10:15 am

mace wrote:
So now ESPN880 will compete with WFAN which adopted the sports format in July 1987 and has had an FM simulcast since 2008.

Sort of. Good Karma doesn't participate in ratings or solicit local sales. It's a brand extension for ESPN.

**Posted by RadioActive** September 4, 2024 2:02 pm

Wayne Cabot, the man who voiced the final moments of WCBS as an All News station, reveals he actually pre-taped the sign off, because he wasn't sure he could make it through it live on air. Turns out his final speech was originally half an hour, until they cut it down to just 15 minutes.

“I decided the smart thing would be to record it, because I didn’t think I’d be able to get through it live,” he admitted. “And in fact, when I put it down on tape the first time, I had a difficult time at the end. I got a little bit choked up. But I didn’t want to end it with me being all weepy and dramatic, so I made sure I got it right..."

“I really wasn’t sure how to frame it, what to say, what not to say, so I decided to just vamp onto my software and hear how it came out and not write anything,” he shared. “So I did that, and then cleaned it up a little bit and tried to speak from the heart.”

The original version of the sign-off lasted a half hour, before it was shortened to the final 15 minutes of WCBS 880’s existence. He said the fact that he was forced to shorten it was the right decision, but by doing so meant he left some people that deserved to be mentioned. “That pained me,” he stated.

Wayne Cabot Relished the Opportunity to Be Final Voice on WCBS 880

**Posted by RadioActive** September 25, 2024 1:53 pm

A podcaster has put together a three hour tribute to WCBS-AM, featuring eight of the now departed 880 newscasters and reporters reminiscing about their years at the station.

The host is a bit long winded, taking forever to actually get to the guests, but they have a lot of memories of their years on air in the Big Apple.

You can see it here.