Last week, Audacy New York announced it would create an FM simulcast for all-news 1010 WINS on 92.3 FM. Audacy New York Market President Chris Oliviero discussed the change with Inside Radio, and said the media landscape “is changing under our feet”, noting that the move to an FM simulcast was necessary to protect both 1010 WINS and 880 WCBS.
Many had pondered why the company would choose to give an FM simulcast to 1010 WINS and not 880 WCBS, and Oliviero said it was a simple decision.
“From a facility standpoint, WINS would benefit from the update greater,” Oliviero said.
880 WCBS and 1010 WINS both have 50,000 watts of power on the AM dial. However, 1010 WINS is a directional Class B signal, while 880 WCBS is a Class A non-directional signal. WYNL, the call letters of the 92.3 FM frequency, has 6,000 watts of power.
In the latest Nielsen ratings, WINS had a 3.0 share in persons 6+, while WCBS saw a 2.9 share. ALT 92.3, the station restructured in the move, had a 1.2 share during the September ratings period.
