WFAN parent company reaches deal to license 880 AM to ESPN NY

In a move akin to the New York Yankees and Mets completing a trade, the parent companies of WFAN and ESPN New York have swung a deal that gives ESPN New York a stronger signal, while ending the nearly six-decade-long run of the all-news format WCBS-AM 880, Audacy and Good Karma Brands announced Monday.

WFAN’s parent, Audacy, is licensing its 880 AM signal to ESPN New York starting this fall in a local marketing agreement. The two sides have feuded for years, dating back to WFAN’s “Mike & the Mad Dog” and ESPN New York’s “The Michael Kay Show” remarking about each other’s programs on and off the air.

Executives who run ESPN New York, which is currently on WEPN-FM 98.7, have long said they would not renew the lease for that signal, which concludes at the end of August. The plan was to focus on digital deliverance. Good Karma Brands owns WEPN-AM 1050, but 880 AM is a much stronger signal.

The financial parameters of the arrangement between Audacy and Good Karma are not yet known. The arrangement will go into effect on Aug. 26. The leasing arrangement is for three years, according to sources briefed on the agreement.

The length of the deal indicates ESPN will stay committed to local programming on the station as 880 AM will be the home to Kay’s show, as well as the morning program “DiPietro & Rothenberg” and “Bart & Hahn” mid-days. The station’s call letters, pending FCC approval, will switch from WCBS to WHSQ-AM.

The Mets’ broadcast, which is owned by Audacy, will continue on 880 AM. Audacy will retain all the rights to the games.

Meanwhile, 880 AM has been an iconic brand for decades in New York, with news coverage that began in 1967. Audacy also has the similarly programmed WINS-AM 1010, making the dual concept untenable for the long term in the current media environment.

The number of job losses is not yet fully known, but it is expected to impact news anchors, producers and other personnel.

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