CBS’ attempt at a Government focused Business station in Washington, DC is done after just four months.
“1580 Gov.Biz Radio” WNEW Morningside MD/Washington DC will flip to a 24/7 simulcast of CBS Sports Radio on Monday, January 28. The flip will coincide with the network’s around the clock coverage of Super Bowl XLVII.
WNEW launched the “Gov.Biz” format to be sold in tandem with All-News 99.1 WNEW-FM to help take revenue from Hubbard Radio’s “Federal News Radio” 1500 WFED. The station aired a combination of business news, financial advice, and local government news.
With the change to the national “CBS Sports Radio” programming, WNEW will change call letters to WJFK to match sister “106.7 The Fan” WJFK-FM.
RT @radioinsight: RadioInsight: CBS Ends Shortlived http://t.co/IWTcBCzp Radio In Washington For More Sports – http://t.co/8hRXtxFS
I was thinking just last night about when this would happen- should have posted something to prove it!
The Gov.Biz format was a mess- It was supposed to compete with Federal News Radio, but most of the programming was Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, and Clark Howard. The genius of Federal News Radio is that it is tailor-made to reach decision makers in government and at government contractors. The low ratings are irrelevant because the people who are listening are exactly who FNR’s advertisers want to target. CBS was never going to steal any of FNR’s ad dollars with syndicated fare.
This gives DC a 4th sports outlet, and a 2nd all-syndicated one (along with Red Zebra’s Sportstalk 570).
I noticed that 1580 not only airs the soon-to-be-ending “The Daily Wrap” from WSJ Radio not once… not twice… but THREE times in a row. Good grief.
Quite frankly, why CBS didn’t include 1580 among the charter 24/7 affils for CBS Sports Radio in the first place remains a total mystery.