Editing WEPN-FM (section)

=== ESPN Radio (2012–2024) ===
[[File:The logo of ESPN New York, 98.7 FM.png|thumb|upright|Logo as "ESPN New York" (2012-2024)]]
On April 26, 2012, [[the Walt Disney Company]] and Emmis Communications agreed to a 12-year-lease of the 98.7 FM frequency for an undisclosed price. YMF Media (which acquired WBLS' parent [[Inner City Broadcasting Corporation]]) acquired the intellectual property and trademarks of WRKS, primarily the New York City market rights to "Kiss-FM".<ref name=":6" /><ref>{{cite news |last=Sisario |first=Ben |date=April 26, 2012 |title=New York Radio Rivals Kiss-FM and WBLS to Merge |url=http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/26/a-new-york-first-kiss-fm-and-wbls-longtime-radio-rivals-will-merge/ |access-date=May 18, 2012 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> As a result, Kiss signed off on the 30th with a goodbye show featuring all of the remaining airstaff, and went off the air at midnight, with "Brother's Gonna Work It Out" by [[Willie Hutch]] being the last song on Kiss. Immediately after, [[ESPN Radio]] began broadcasting on 98.7 FM under a [[local marketing agreement]] with the Walt Disney Company.<ref name=":6" />  Inner City/YMF also moved WBLS and its AM sister station [[WLIB]] into WRKS's former office/studio space at Emmis' New York broadcast facility.

The 98.7 frequency simulcast [[WEPN (AM)|WEPN]], the ESPN owned-and-operated AM station, until September 7, 2012, when the AM station switched over to [[ESPN Deportes Radio]] full-time.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Terranova |first1=Justin |title=ESPN Radio confirms move to FM |url=https://nypost.com/2012/04/26/espn-radio-confirms-move-to-fm/ |access-date=August 1, 2022 |newspaper=[[New York Post]] |date=April 26, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Hajela |first1=Deepti |title=Format Changes Bring End to NYC Radio Rivalry |url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/wrks-987-fm-radio-lease-espn-sports-talk-radio-rivalry-wbls-1075-over/2096460/ |access-date=August 1, 2022 |publisher=[[WNBC]] |date=April 26, 2012}}</ref> After the closure of ESPN Deportes Radio in 2019, the AM station became a passthrough for overflow programming, including the national ESPN Radio weekday schedule.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last1=Marchand |first1=Andrew |date=September 19, 2023 |title=ESPN New York ditching 98.7 FM signal in 2024 |url=https://nypost.com/2023/09/19/espn-new-york-ditching-98-7-fm-signal-in-2024/ |access-date=September 19, 2023 |newspaper=New York Post |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Marchand |first=Andrew |title=WFAN parent company reaches deal to license 880 AM to ESPN NY |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5695816/2024/08/12/wfan-espn-new-york-880-am/ |access-date=August 12, 2024 |newspaper=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

The station's call sign changed to WEPN-FM on May 14, 2012, to match the AM call sign. YMF Media then transferred the [[WRKS]] call sign to the ESPN Radio affiliate in the [[Jackson, Mississippi]] area.

In December 2021, [[Beaver Dam, Wisconsin]]-based [[Good Karma Brands]]—an operator of ESPN Radio affiliates in other markets—announced that it would acquire operational control of WEPN-FM from Disney/ESPN, with Good Karma assuming the remainder of Disney's lease agreement with Emmis Communications; Emmis maintains ownership of the station's license. In the same transaction, Good Karma purchased full ownership of WEPN (AM) and ESPN Radio-owned stations in [[WMVP|Chicago]] and [[KSPN (AM)|Los Angeles]] from Disney.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hauer|first=Sarah|title=Good Karma Brands is acquiring ESPN radio stations in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago|url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2021/12/14/good-karma-brands-acquiring-espn-stations-new-york-los-angeles-milwaukee/6506446001/|access-date=December 14, 2021|website=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|language=en-US}}</ref>