Big moves are shaking up New York’s radio scene — and this one might surprise you. Red Apple Media, the broadcasting company owned by businessman John Catsimatidis, is expanding its reach once again. The company is acquiring the Spanish Christian station 1370 WLID in Patchogue, along with two associated FM translators — 95.7 W239CY in Patchogue (which has a construction permit to shift to 95.9 in Brentwood) and 107.1 W296EK in Brentwood, New York. The seller? Cantico Nuevo Ministry. The purchase price stands at $500,000.
Red Apple Media is already well known for operating Conservative Talk 770 WABC in New York City — a major player in the talk radio market — and for simulcasting the same programming through 107.1 WLIR-FM in Hampton Bays and 1700 WRCR in Haverstraw, New York. This latest acquisition strengthens the company’s portfolio and its influence across Long Island and beyond. Before the official sale is finalized, Red Apple Media will begin managing WLID through a Local Marketing Agreement (LMA), essentially taking operational control ahead of closing.
But here’s where it gets interesting. Part of the agreement requires translator W239CY to leave its current broadcasting tower by Monday, December 1. To address this, Red Apple Media will sign a lease with Cantico Nuevo Ministry, allowing continued use of WLID’s existing tower facilities — which also host another station owned by Cantico Nuevo, 1580 WNYG.
Even after the sale, Cantico Nuevo Ministry is far from leaving the airwaves. The organization continues to run several suburban New York signals, maintaining its Spanish-language Christian network known as “Radio Cantico Nuevo.” Its operations include 1530 WJDM in Mineola, 1580 WNYG in Patchogue, and translator 96.5 W243ES in Medford on Long Island — all of which remain dedicated to spreading religious programming.
This deal raises an intriguing question for radio fans: Is Red Apple Media’s move simply a smart business expansion, or does it signal a deeper shift in Long Island’s cultural and media landscape? Some might see it as a consolidation of local voices under one growing media brand — while others could argue it's a necessary evolution for smaller stations to survive. What do you think? Is this acquisition good for diversity in broadcasting, or a sign of too much corporate control creeping into community radio?
