On Monday, it was announced that WCBS Newsradio 880 will cease operations on Monday, August 26, as Audacy has leased the station to Good Karma Brands for ESPN New York. Longtime anchor Wayne Cabot could not say if he was shocked or surprised by the development.

Cabot was asked by Steve Scott about his feelings about the announcement after Scott said he was “surprised but not shocked” by the news. Cabot – who has been with the station since 1988 – expressed similar sentiments.

“We’ve all seen the headwinds in the radio industry. We all knew what was happening with advertising, with the move to digital. It’s affecting radio, television, newspapers, legacy media. So we can deal with it logically, and yet it’s a punch in the gut,” he admitted. “When I started in the newsroom at WCBS in 1988, I walked in there surrounded by a crowd of celebrities and legends and I was sure I didn’t belong there. I was waiting for them to pat me on the shoulder and say, ‘We made a mistake. You’re fired.’ Well, this morning they finally pat me on the shoulder. It took them 37 years, but now I finally got that pat on the shoulder.”

Despite the bitter disappointment at the end of the legendary New York news brand, Wayne Cabot wanted to focus on the positive aspects of his long tenure at Audacy.

“It’s gratifying to have been part of a legendary radio station — I’d say over the years the best radio station in all of America that touches people on so many levels. Not just as a source of information and reliability, but as camaraderie, warmth and family to anyone who listened, like I did as a kid in the backseat of Dad’s car or in the kitchen,” Cabot said. “And then to work here and have friends is an immense privilege that few people in this industry have ever experienced or will ever experience. For that, I am eternally grateful.”