NorthEast Radio Watch 5/25/2026: New Era in Radio News

In this week’s issue… CBS ends, Worldwide launches, affiliates regroup – Beasley cuts hit WROR – Remembering Batting, Lehmann – Giovanni retires (again) – CHU’s time ticks away

By SCOTT FYBUSH

Programming note: There’s a lot going on this week and next – not just the holiday weekend that just ended, but also a college graduation for our eldest and a 30th wedding anniversary, so there won’t be a regular NERW on June 1 unless there’s major breaking news. We’ll be back June 8, and in the meantime Lance has you covered with all the industry’s news over at RadioInsight.

*Has there ever been a week when more people were talking about CBS, albeit in less complimentary ways?

It was probably little more than a seasonal coincidence that two of the company’s most controversial cancellations took effect less than 24 hours apart – on Thursday night, Stephen Colbert’s final “Late Show” from the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York (and no, we don’t know the fate of that landmark facility), and then on Friday night, the last newscasts from CBS Radio News a few long blocks to the west on 57th Street.

While Colbert’s finale drew a parade of zillion-watt celebrities including Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen, the last gasps of the 99-year-old radio network were more modest, if just as heartfelt.

As the hours ticked down to the final newscasts at 11 and 11:31 PM, CBS Radio staffers past and present gathered at Studio 42 in the Broadcast Center to toast their long and proud legacy – and yes, you’d probably immediately recognize the voices of half of the people in that lovely photo by longtime CBS editor (and uber-talented photographer) Charlie Kaye.

Whatever you might think of the fate of network radio news in 2026, it’s undeniable that the end of the CBS legacy leaves dozens of incredibly talented and devoted newspeople out of work at a time when there aren’t many great jobs available in the business.

Some, like space reporter and fill-in anchor Peter King (at right, in a photo by colleague Gail Lee), were already semi-retired, but plenty others are available, and that’s working to the benefit of at least one of the upstarts entering the radio news space.

While many former CBS radio affiliates have signed on with ABC, including most notably the former CBS Radio O&Os that had become Audacy properties (think WTIC in Hartford, WPHT in Philadelphia, KDKA in Pittsburgh), John Catsimatidis’ Red Apple Media made a loud splash with its launch at midnight Saturday of its new Worldwide News service.

In addition to hiring veteran newsman Lee Harris (WINS, WGN, NewsNation) as its VP of news, Worldwide picked up at least four prominent CBS Radio names, bringing Michael Wallace, Cooper Lawrence, Matt Pieper and Bill Rehkopf on board as part of its launch crew.

So far, Worldwide has publicly announced only a handful of affiliates: in addition to flagship WABC (770) in New York, the network is being heard on WADK (1540) in Newport, Rhode Island in the region.

(We’re working to assemble a comprehensive list of what former CBS affiliates have gone where – if you can tell us what your station is doing for news now, please drop us a line!)