WCBS Newsradio 880

What WCBS Newsradio 880 does

WCBS Newsradio 880 is a New York City-based AM radio station operating on the 880 kHz frequency, founded in 1924 and serving the New York metropolitan market with an all-news, traffic, and weather format. The station functions as a local broadcast outlet within the broader CBS / Paramount Global media portfolio, leveraging shared newsgathering, editorial, and production resources from the parent organization's news division. Its primary distribution channels are the over-the-air AM signal and the wcbs880.com digital property, with content additionally surfaced through the Paramount+ streaming platform and cbs.com, extending reach beyond traditional radio listeners into on-demand and live-stream digital audiences.

The station's underlying product is a continuous, locally anchored news and information service targeting New York commuters and metro-area news consumers, with programming built around short-form headline updates, traffic reports, weather, and breaking news coverage. Technical operations rely on standard broadcast radio infrastructure augmented by digital publishing and streaming distribution tied to the CBS / Paramount technology stack.

Monetization is not explicitly detailed in the available source material, but follows the standard major-market commercial radio model: local and regional advertising sales against the NYC audience, supplemented by network compensation from CBS / Paramount and incremental revenue from digital extensions (site, streaming, and cross-platform inventory). Customer segments span mass-market commuters and information-seeking listeners on the audience side, and local/regional advertisers plus national network buyers on the revenue side. The station is classified as private, operates within a parent corporate group, and employs 11-50 staff.

Name

WCBS Newsradio 880

Website

https://wcbs880.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1924

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WCBS Newsradio 880 is a New York-based all-news AM radio station on 880 kHz, founded in 1924 and part of the CBS/Paramount Global portfolio. It serves the New York metro audience with news, traffic, and weather programming distributed via AM broadcast and digital streaming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

News/Talk Radio Networks (MPABABAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

News Talk Radio & Current Affairs Stations (MPABAIAI)

Keywords

• News radio broadcasting
• AM radio station
• Traffic and weather reports
• Talk radio programming
• Local news coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Core offering

WCBS Newsradio 880 is an AM radio station broadcasting an all-news format serving the New York City metropolitan market. Its programming covers breaking news, traffic, weather, sports, and talk content, delivered primarily over its 880 AM frequency and supported by an online presence. The station was founded in 1924 and operates with 11-50 employees as a private local broadcaster.

Product overview

CBS TV Network is a comprehensive broadcast television platform that provides primetime, daytime, late night, and classic television programming. The network operates multiple streaming channels including CBS, CBS News 24/7, CBS Sports HQ, 48 Hours, Judge Judy, Hot Bench, CBS Sports Golazo Network, Inside Edition, 60 Minutes, ET, UEFA Champions League, and Car Chase.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WCBS Newsradio 880 AM Broadcast Continuous AM all-news radio programming covering breaking news, traffic, weather, sports, and talk content for listeners in the New York City metropolitan area.

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Others

• Audacy: Audacy is the parent operator of WCBS Newsradio 880 and the wider CBS Radio station portfolio; it is the corporate parent rather than a peer, but its station-level performance and strategic priorities directly determine the trajectory of WCBS Newsradio 880.

Direct peers

• WABC (770 WABC): WABC is a heritage New York talk/news-talk AM station that competes with WCBS Newsradio 880 for news-oriented talk audiences and political/advertising share in the NYC market.
• KYW Newsradio (1060 AM): KYW Newsradio is the Philadelphia all-news radio counterpart to WCBS Newsradio 880, operating an identical all-news format at a major East Coast AM station under the Audacy/CBS Radio lineage.
• WTOP (103.5 FM): WTOP is the Washington, D.C. all-news station and one of the highest-billing news radio stations in the U.S., a direct format peer to WCBS Newsradio 880 and a useful benchmark for news-radio monetization.
• WINS (1010 WINS): 1010 WINS is the dominant all-news radio station in New York City and the closest direct competitor to WCBS Newsradio 880, operating under the same all-news format in the same market with overlapping drive-time audience and advertiser base.
• WBBM Newsradio (780 AM): WBBM Newsradio is the Chicago all-news AM station that mirrors WCBS Newsradio 880's format and CBS heritage, serving as a direct functional peer in another top U.S. metro.
• WOR (710 WOR): WOR is a major NYC talk radio station on the AM dial that competes directly with WCBS Newsradio 880 for talk-format listeners, syndicated news/talk programming, and local news advertising.
• WBZ NewsRadio (1030 AM): WBZ NewsRadio is the Boston all-news AM station, a direct format and distribution peer to WCBS Newsradio 880 in another major Northeast U.S. market.
• KNX Newsradio (97.1 FM / 1070 AM): KNX Newsradio is the Los Angeles all-news radio station, the West Coast functional peer to WCBS Newsradio 880, operating an equivalent format in the #2 U.S. media market.

Broad incumbents

• iHeartMedia: iHeartMedia is the largest U.S. radio broadcaster and operates competing news/talk stations nationwide; it represents the broader incumbent peer against which WCBS Newsradio 880's parent Audacy competes for ad spend and distribution.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights3 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wcbs880
• Facebookfacebook.com/wcbs880

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WCBS Newsradio 880