On Wednesday, 77 WABC Radio announced that it earned eight Excellence in Broadcasting Awards from the New York State Broadcasters Association (NYSBA).

Since acquiring the station, John Catsimatidis has introduced numerous enhancements and made significant investments in digital technology.

“I am proud of our talent and all station personnel that has worked hard to make 77WABC the station it once was,” Catsimatidis said. “Our talent and staff are leaders in their field; our on-air personalities include the biggest names in New York. We’re just getting started. There is always more to come from the iconic 77WABC.”

The New York State Broadcasters Association (NYSBA) recognized 77WABC with eight Excellence in Broadcasting awards in various categories:

Chad Lopez, Red Apple Media President, showed appreciation for the recognition given to the station. He highlighted the hard work and commitment demonstrated by the WABC Radio team, both on and off the air.

“Everyone at WABC Radio, both on-air and off, is passionate about what we’re doing and gives 100% every day. I am honored to work with John Catsimatidis and lead this team through his vision, restoring our heritage call letters to their iconic glory and bringing radio back to what it used to be and should be,” he said.

“John and Chad have made tremendous strides across all facets of radio, on-air, on-site, and online, plus video!” added Dave Donovan, Executive Director of NYSBA. We’re proud of all our member stations for making New York Radio the best in the country.”

The shocking, while not surprising, announcement that CNN CEO Chris Licht would leave the company Wednesday morning is the talk of the news media world. 1210 WPHT morning man Nick Kayal believes Licht’s departure signals a death knell for CNN.

“It confirms a lot of things for me, personally. I think CNN is done. I think they are dead. They are never getting out of third place, or last place, if that’s how you want to look at it,” the Kayal and Company host said Wednesday morning.

“Looking up at MSNBC, who does their type of news coverage at a much more consumed level than CNN, and certainly looking up at Fox News, the leader in cable news…he makes it a year and a month and Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN’s parent company, says ‘You know what? We’ve seen enough’.”

Kayal said the situation at CNN was untenable with some employees still being loyal to former CEO Jeff Zucker, but said one situation in particular led to Licht’s downfall.

“There always seems to be some drama there,” said Kayal. “I started thinking about this last night, and now with his departure, here’s the thing: if you’re the boss — especially at these networks — you should not be part of the talking head show fodder…I’ve always felt like if you were one of these guys, and I can only do it from a talk radio — sports or news — perspective, nobody wants to know who you are. By and large, if you are about creating the brand, the content, the image, the personas, you do that behind the scenes and you really do that behind the scenes and don’t be someone your opposing rivals can talk about.”

Kayal argued that Licht stepped into a “crummy” situation, and was likely destined to fail.

KFI-AM 640 has launched a podcast series exploring the rise of antisemitism in America.

HATE: Modern Antisemitism is produced by Steve Gregory and Jacob Gonzalez. Guests include American Jewish Committee CEO Ted Deutch, Rabbi Abraham Cooper, and American Jewish University curator Dr. Michael Berenbaum.

Other guests include a Jewish school principal, an Asian-American artist who paints murals honoring silent heroes of the Holocaust, and a District Attorney.

“I, along with others, recently watched in horror as anti-Semitic protesters were seen making Nazi salutes to passersby on the 405 freeway,” KFI-AM 640 Program Director Robin Bertolucci said.

“As broadcasters, it is our duty to educate and inform our listeners and this podcast brings attention to the unseemly underbelly of Antisemitism which is sadly alive and well online and in our communities.”

The podcast description says the limited series will examine “where Antisemitism originated and why it continues to grow.”

HATE: Modern Antisemitism is available on the iHeartRadio app.