WABC radio owner close on deal to broaden station's Long Island reach

WABC, the Manhattan-based radio station that for decades broadcast the late conservative political pundit Rush Limbaugh, may soon reach a wider swath of Suffolk County now that its parent company is trying to purchase a Medford antenna.

Red Apple Media, which owns WABC, is finalizing a deal to acquire an FCC-licensed radio translator in Medford for approximately $400,000 to expand the station's reach across Long Island, Red Apple CEO and talk show personality John Catsimatidis told Newsday.

The seller, Erick Salgado, who operates Brooklyn-based Cántico Nuevo Ministries, a nonprofit that broadcasts Christian Spanish-language programming, also confirmed the pending sale to Newsday.

The Federal Communications Commission accepted an application for the sale of the Medford translator — which broadcasts a signal over 96.5 FM — on Thursday, according to a public notice the commission posted.

The timeline for the programming change was not immediately clear Tuesday evening. Catsimatidis expressed hope that WABC could begin transmitting content direct from Manhattan, as well as some Long Island-specific programming "live maybe in 30 days." Salgado said the deal still requires FCC approval and would likely take a few months.

The FCC did not immediately respond to Newsday’s emailed request for comment.

Red Apple purchased WABC in 2020 and has since simulcast its roster of largely conservative programming to eastern Suffolk through 107.1 FM, the Hampton Bays-based station WLIR, not to be confused with the former Garden City-based WLIR. The Hampton Bays station also airs some Long Island-specific content.

Catsimatidis, who hosts WABC’s "Cats & Cosby" with Rita Cosby on weeknights and "The Cats Roundtable" on Sundays, said the Medford antenna would similarly air the Manhattan station’s content plus "Long Island news" and spotlight "Long Island charities."

The push into Suffolk, Catsimatidis said, was born of his summertime and weekend excursions from Manhattan to a home he owns in the Hamptons.

"I was getting a lousy signal when I bought WABC," Catsimatidis, 77, said. ... "I buy stuff that’s broken and I fix it."

The Hampton Bays signal served him well on the East End, he said, and the Medford deal "increases the territory substantially" into central and western Suffolk.

After the deal is finalized, Cántico Nuevo Ministries’ Suffolk audience can still tune in to WNYG, 1580 AM, Salgado said.

There’s likely an audience for WABC’s conservative programming throughout the county. About one-third of all voters in Suffolk are registered as Republicans or Conservatives, according to New York State Board of Elections data, which was last updated in February.