To say I had no connection to WCBS 880 might be the understatement of the century. I had listened to New York station Audacy exactly once before joining Barrett Media in 2022.

It was a random summer night when I was 21 years old. I was driving home after dark and scanning for radio stations. After finding nothing on the FM dial, I tuned to the AM frequency in my 1997 Dodge Intrepid. When I hit search, my radio read 880 AM. I knew absolutely nothing about what was coming out of the speakers, except that it was a baseball game. As I continued listening, I became intrigued by the fact that I was listening – in Western Ohio – to the New York Yankees.

There’s something about those nighttime car rides with the sunroof open and the windows rolled down, feeling the wind through the window and finally seeing the worries of the world in the rearview mirror instead of in front of the windshield, that makes radio the intimate medium we all know and love.

But this connection, however small, to WCBS pales in comparison to the role it played in the lives of millions of listeners in the New York metro.

As I listened to the station’s final hour before ESPN New York took over the venerable signal, I sat and listened to the stories the anchors told. I was particularly impressed by the final 15 minutes, hosted by longtime anchor Wayne Cabot. Frankly, I knew who Cabot was. Was before that moment, but I had never heard him on the radio. I quickly realized why he had become a friend to so many during his time at the station.

As the clock ticked toward midnight in the brand’s illustrious history, Cabot said something profound. To be honest, Cabot said many Things that were profound in the final moments of the station’s existence, but one thing in particular stood out. In the station’s final minute – literally – Wayne Cabot took the time to express his gratitude to the people at Audacy New York for allowing the station to have a farewell period.

“Chris Olivero, Ben Mevorach, Ivan Lee, our bosses, stepped up and gave us the authority to say goodbye and do one last show. That’s something very rare,” Cabot admitted. “I thank them for that.”

He’s right.

He is absolutely right.

Radio hosts are frowned upon when they’re unexpectedly let go. In fact, it was the biggest sticking point that Cleveland radio star Jimmy Malone brought up when he attended the nationwide layoffs at iHeartMedia earlier this month: He wished he could have said goodbye.

And that is a regret that WCBS 880, its anchors, reporters or station personnel will ever have to deal with.

I believe Wayne Cabot when he says that Olivero, Mevorach and Lee “lobbied” for the station to have some sort of wake, televised memorial service. That’s an extreme rarity these days. Most radio executives are far too worried that the departing employees might say something that could jeopardize the FCC license – or worse, say something bad about management!

However, I have always believed that when the Titanic sank, you should rely on someone who is professional enough to represent your brand day in and day out during the good times to be professional enough to represent your brand and, more importantly, yourself.

I experienced firsthand the power of the brand and the connection it had with listeners. When the station went off the air on Sunday night, I filmed the final minutes, knowing that Barrett Media was planning to run a story on Monday about the end of the legacy brand. I posted the video of the farewell party just after midnight. My phone notifications kept my wife awake so long that she asked me to put my phone face down on my nightstand because every few seconds it would light up with another like, retweet or quote tweet from an interested party.

In total, the video of the station’s last breath – which I posted on social media more out of a selfish act to put something where I would remember it than out of an attempt to give longtime listeners a glimpse of his final breath – has been viewed more than 225,000 times, has more than 800 likes, and has been retweeted more than 300 times.

This shows how important the brand is in so many people’s lives and why millions were sad when it disappeared.

I couldn’t help but feel the pain of those listeners who had been connected to the station for decades when I heard, “I’m Wayne Cabot and for the last time, this is WCBS New York.”

Can blame be apportioned? Certainly. Should radio consumers who only listen to the news be angry about the situation? Yes. Should the brand’s employees feel resentment toward their corporate bosses for betraying them? Absolutely.

But the reaction is not always must be negative. We always must be outraged. Is there room for that in this story? 100%. But there is also a tiny ray of sunshine breaking through the clouds and reminding us why we love this industry, why we have grown to love stations like WCBS, and why we do what we do every day.

It was a worthy end for a long-established news channel. One that seemed appropriate to the unfortunate situation.

So hats off to Chris Olivero, Ben Mevorach and Ivan Lee. Firstly, for understanding that a station the size of WCBS 880 earned a farewell period, not only for the station staff, but also for the listeners. But also because it gives some incredibly talented radio professionals like Steve Scott, Michael Wallace, Anita Bonita, Wayne Cabot and an incredibly long list of employees who have spent countless years putting their heart and soul into a brand and creating really strong radio the opportunity to say goodbye.

Garrett Searight is a news editor at Barrett Media, and writes biweekly industry features and a weekly column, among other duties. He was previously program director and afternoon co-host at 93.1 The Fan in Lima, OH, and is the radio commentator for Northern Michigan University hockey. He can be reached at [email protected].