WFAN-FM WRXP made some gains in the Arbitron ratings with its revived alternative format. The station jumped to a 1.6 share in July, and then to a 2.1 share in August. But Merlin Media was faced with a high debt load from recent purchases and the cost of its failed news format. Additionally, one of Merlin's investors was seeking buyers for the company's stations. Merlin announced on October 8, 2012, that it had agreed to sell WRXP to CBS Radio. With the purchase (estimated at $75 million), CBS said it would convert WRXP to a simulcast of its sports radio station, WFAN. The simulcast began at 11:57 p.m. on November 1, 2012, after Jeff Buckley's "Last Goodbye" brought a close to WRXP's "New Rock" format. A call sign change from WRXP to WFAN-FM took effect the next day, November 2. CBS operated WFAN-FM under a local marketing agreement (LMA) until closing its purchase on December 10, 2012. The LMA officially relieved Merlin Media of its only New York radio property and allowed it to concentrate on its stations in the Chicago and Philadelphia markets. The purchase of 101.9 by CBS put WFAN back on equal footing with ESPN Radio affiliate WEPN, which made its own AM-to-FM move in April 2012 (to the former WRKS). It also improved daytime coverage for WFAN; for years, radio frequency interference had rendered it all but unlistenable in parts of Manhattan. Speculation at the time suggested that the move would also allow CBS to split the WFAN simulcast at a later date and ensure a full-power New York home for its new national sports network, CBS Sports Radio, which began daily programming in January 2013 (and currently airs on WFAN-FM's HD2 subchannel). Such a move would have mirrored CBS-owned sports talk pairings in markets such as Baltimore, where WJZ airs CBS Sports Radio full-time and WJZ-FM airs local sports talk. CBS (and later, Entercom) chose not to break the simulcast, with Cumulus Media's suburban station WFAS (1230) serving as the de facto CBS Sports Radio flagship instead. On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge with Entercom (now Audacy, Inc.). The merger was approved on November 9, 2017, and was consummated on November 17. References External links Format Changes CD101.9 to New York Chill CD101.9 to 101-9 RXP 101-9 RXP Signs Off 101-9 RXP to 101.9 FM New (Stunt Format; Later 101.9 FM