WCBS Celebrates 50 With Tony

WCBS-AM (News Radio 880)/New York recently celebrated its 50th anniversary with a packed event at New York’s PlayStation Theater. Known for its legacy of great storytelling, the iconic all-news station brought together many of its current hosts with well-known NY personalities, including Paul Shaffer (who performed his signature 1979 anthem, “It’s Raining Men”), former Mets manager Bobby Valentine, George Martin, Adam Graves, Ray Kelly and many others, each of whom shared a personal story, often about their connection to New York and News Radio 880.

The evening closed with a special Q&A with the legendary Tony Bennett, moderated by Anthony Mason of CBS News. Bennett recalled how he was asked by Bob Hope to join him on the road; however, Hope told Bennett something needed to be done about his name first. As Bennett recounted, “He asked, ‘What’s your name?’ I said ‘Anthony Dominick Benedetto.’ He said, ‘well that’s a little too long — let’s economize that and call you ‘Tony Bennett.'”