Will ESPN’s Purchase of WCBS-880 Impact Fordham’s Michael Kay?

Recently it was announced that long-time all-news radio station WCBS 880-AM will become ESPN 880-AM in the New York Tri-State area. How does this impact the potential success for Fordham University graduate Michael Kay (FCRH-Class of 1982)?

Michael Kay splits time between his New York based radio show, on ESPN, and doing play-by-play for the New York Yankees television broadcasts. He is unquestionably the “main guy” in the booth at Yankee games, but has been lagging behind in the rating rivalry with the other all-sports call-in radio show over on WFAN, in that very lucrative afternoon drive-time slot.

WFAN ended the year the way it started: on top in the ratings. New York’s leading sports station enjoyed wins across all dayparts as well as year-over-year growth in multiple dayparts according to the latest Nielsen Audio numbers (formerly Arbitron).

“The Fan” also grabbed a 3rd place finish in afternoons thanks to Evan Roberts and Tiki Barber. Evan & Tiki captured a 6.8 share with Men 25-54 for the quarter, up six tenths from the summer book. “Over at 98.7-FM ESPN’s New York station, the 4th quarter 2023 produced mixed results.”

Kay is sometimes called a Yankees homer, but that is a lazy narrative. His play-by-play work does hold him back as a talker because that, combined with the restraints of Disney and ESPN, make him lack the outrageousness that, rightly or wrongly, usually separates opinionists these days.

Are Two Heads Better Than One? WFAN Seems To Think So.

On October 7, 1988, at 5:30 pm, WFAN changed frequencies, to replace WNBC at 660 kHz. It had previously broadcast over 1050-AM.?

WFAN began to split between AM and FM on November 1, 2012, with the purchase of WRXP (101.9 FM) from Merlin Media for $75 million. It changed its call sign to WFAN-FM. Thus offering listeners their choice on either 660 AM or 101.9 FM.

880-AM is a 50,000 watt “Clear-Channel” radio station.?

The 1941 North American Radio Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA) set-up 37 Class I-A frequencies. Nearly all U.S. and Canadian I-As operate at 50,000 watts non-directional. Which can be affected more by atmospheric conditions, mountainous terrain, coastal refraction, and electrical storms.880 WCBS New York I-A

What Does The Addition Of This AM Radio Signal Potentially Mean?

The difference between AM and FM radio signals effects sound quality, performance and broadcast range. FM broadcasting offers higher fidelity with more accurate reproduction of the original program. But AM signals can be heard from further away. (See Addendum below for more information.)

What Constitutes The New York Tri-State Radio Market?

The New York radio market includes: Middlesex-Somerset-Union Monmouth County, NJ Morristown Nassau-Suffolk (Long Island) Fairfield SN-Split County, CT Putnam, Rockland and Westchester Counties, NY.?

I live in the Hudson Valley. i can’t pick up Kay’s FM radio station very well. Before you ask, nighttime doesn’t help an FM signal carry further.??

How Can This Change The Dynamic?

Most AM content are All-News formats, call-in shows and sports. It has long been suggested that All-News does well in NYC perhaps because they give midtown traffic updates every 10 minutes. Now ESPN has an AM station in New York. As mentioned above, they have a powerful one.

However, ESPN dropped FM station 98.7 since the 880-AM acquisition. It is now a Top 40 station. Are they forgetting synergy on ESPN? “Kay was disappointed by the news, but radio is in transition.” said Bobby Ciafardini, WFUV Sports Director. “(With) more videos and podcasts and cameras in the studios.”

NEW YORK IS A BASEBALL TOWN

For the past century, New York has been a baseball town. The Fan has been connected with Yankee games on 660-AM for a long time. With this acquisition, ESPN and by extension, The Michael Kay Show are now connected with the New York Mets radio broadcasts, since 880 is also their home station. ”Michael Kay is on the Mets station, but he is the Yankee announcer.” Ciafardini, who also teaches Sports Journalism in Fordham’s Communication & Media Studies department pointed out.

Time will tell of course. But Mr. Kay, and all the local ESPN radio talk shows have been given an enormous tool. Personally, now I can hear him when I drive to the local store.

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Addendum: More on AM vs FM radio

AM, known as Amplitude Modulation, got here first and used their political and financial muscles to keep FM, or Frequency Modulation, off-of-the-dial..?

Note: For some context of how competitive this got, read about the suicide of FM inventory Edwin Howard Armstrong: In late 1933 he was issued other patents for a new radio signaling system which became FM radio. He spent much of his time in court defending himself & suing others over the primacy of his patents. In 1954, after 5 years of legal battles about the FM patent, & after his wife left him in 1953, Armstrong committed suicide.

Eventually FM radio found its place, starting the second half of the 20th Century. The two diverse technologies reshuffled the radio industry. Almost all of the music on radio stations comes from FM stations. While much? of the AM offerings provided consist of All-News formats (until recently WCBS-880) call-in shows and sporting events.?

Will AM radios go away with Electric Cars?

In an electric vehicle, voltage levels are many times higher than those seen in a gas-powered car or truck. Because of this, AM signals become less effective.?

Some electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers are eliminating AM radios from their cars, which government officials fear could put people at risk in an emergency. For example, Tesla ‘s dropping AM radio from its cars.

Why it matters: AM radio is one of the critical ways that federal, state, and local officials communicate with the public during natural disasters and other emergencies. If drivers don't have access, they might miss important safety alerts.

-Kevin Bergin

This article originally appeared on the Fordham University Class of 1980 Facebook site: https://www.facebook.com/groups/537184563628982