77 WABC

U.S. right

Background

WABC at 770 kHz traces its roots to 1921, when Westinghouse Electric launched WJZ in Newark, New Jersey. The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) acquired the station in 1953, using it as its New York flagship and eventually rebranding it 'Musicradio 77.' From the early 1960s through the late 1970s, WABC was the dominant Top 40 station in North America, famous for launching hit records and drawing enormous audiences. As FM radio eroded AM music listenership, the station switched to an all-talk format on May 10, 1982 — an event the industry called 'The Day the Music Died.' It served as the ABC Radio Network's flagship for decades before passing through several corporate owners, including Cumulus Media. In 2020, New York City grocery and real estate billionaire John Catsimatidis purchased the station from Cumulus for approximately $12.5 million and formed Red Apple Media to operate it. Catsimatidis expanded its local lineup, added a syndication arm called Red Apple Audio Networks in 2022, and filled the schedule with prominent conservative voices including Larry Kudlow, Rudy Giuliani, Curtis Sliwa, and Brian Kilmeade. The station now brands itself 'Talkradio 77' and consistently reflects a right-leaning, pro-Trump editorial perspective.

Sources

1. WABC (AM) — Wikipedia
2. Red Apple Media — Wikipedia
3. Iconic NY radio station WABC sold to new owners — PIX11
4. New York City radio station TALKRADIO 77 WABC under new ownership — amNewYork
5. Inside John Catsimatidis' $12M Bet On AM Radio's Future — Inside Radio
6. The Evolution of Musicradio WABC — musicradio77.com
7. 77 WABC Changes Format From Top 40 To Talk — Format Change Archive
8. About — Red Apple Audio Networks

Profile compiled 2026-08-22; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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