Type | Radio network |
---|---|
Country | |
Headquarters | Columbus, Ohio |
Broadcast area | |
Owner | IMG College |
Affiliation(s) | |
Affiliates | 62, including 2 flagships |
Official website | ohiostatebuckeyes |
The Ohio State Sports Network from Learfield is an American radio network consisting of 62 radio stations which carry coverage of Ohio State Buckeyes football and men's basketball. Co-owned WBNS (1460 AM) and WBNS-FM (97.1 FM), both licensed to Columbus, Ohio, serve as the network's 2 flagship stations. The network also includes 60 affiliates in the U.S. states of Ohio and West Virginia: 33 AM stations, 22 of which extend their signals with low-power FM translators; 26 full-power FM stations; and one HD Radio digital subchannel which supplements its signal with a low-power FM translator.[1][2][3] Paul Keels has served as play-by-play announcer for both football and men's basketball since 1998; former Ohio State offensive guard Jim Lachey currently serves as color analyst for football; and former Ohio State point guard Ron Stokes currently serves as color analyst for men's basketball.[4][5][6]
In 2009, Ohio State announced it had sold its athletic program's media rights to IMG College and RadiOhio, Inc. (member of the Dispatch Broadcasting Group and then-owner of longtime network flagships WBNS and WBNS-FM); the "lucrative multiyear deal" was reportedly worth $110 million, and scheduled to last through 2019. At the time of the announcement, athletic director Gene Smith said Ohio State athletics would be in a better position to confront the then-ongoing economic downturn, referencing an unexpected $1.2 million deficit.[7][8]
On December 31, 2018, Learfield Communications, Inc., and IMG College merged and formed a new company, Learfield IMG College.
Besides gameday coverage, network programming includes:
Callsign | Frequency | Band | City | State | Network status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
WBNS | 1460 | AM | Columbus | Ohio | Flagship |
WBNS-FM | 97.1 | FM | Columbus | Ohio | Flagship |
WAKR | 1590 | AM | Akron | Ohio | Affiliate |
W228EL | 93.5 | FM | Akron | Ohio | WAKR relay |
WMTR-FM | 96.1 | FM | Archbold | Ohio | Football Only |
WFUN | 970 | AM | Ashtabula | Ohio | Affiliate |
WREO-FM | 97.1 | FM | Ashtabula | Ohio | Affiliate |
WATH | 970 | AM | Athens | Ohio | Affiliate |
W247DR | 97.3 | FM | Athens | Ohio | WATH relay |
WPKO-FM | 98.3 | FM | Bellefontaine | Ohio | Football Only |
WBCO | 1540 | AM | Bucyrus | Ohio | Affiliate |
W298CC | 107.5 | FM | Bucyrus | Ohio | WBCO relay |
WQEL | 92.7 | FM | Bucyrus | Ohio | Affiliate |
WILE-FM | 97.7 | FM | Cambridge | Ohio | Affiliate |
WHBC | 1480 | AM | Canton | Ohio | Affiliate |
WCSM | 1350 | AM | Celina | Ohio | Affiliate |
W262DC | 100.3 | FM | Celina | Ohio | WCSM relay |
WCSM-FM | 96.7 | FM | Celina | Ohio | Affiliate |
WDJO | 1480 | AM | Cincinnati | Ohio | Affiliate |
W258CI | 99.5 | FM | Cincinnati | Ohio | WDJO relay |
W300CI | 107.9 | FM | Cincinnati | Ohio | WDJO relay |
WKNR | 850 | AM | Cleveland | Ohio | Affiliate |
WTNS-FM | 99.3 | FM | Coshocton | Ohio | Affiliate |
WING | 1410 | AM | Dayton | Ohio | Affiliate |
WGTZ | 92.9 | FM | Dayton | Ohio | Affiliate |
WJER | 1450 | AM | Dover–New Phila. | Ohio | Affiliate |
W265DL | 100.9 | FM | Dover–New Phila. | Ohio | WJER relay |
WEOL | 930 | AM | Elyria–Lorain | Ohio | Affiliate |
W262DM | 100.3 | FM | Elyria–Lorain | Ohio | WEOL relay |
WFIN | 1330 | AM | Findlay | Ohio | Affiliate |
W238CX | 95.5 | FM | Findlay | Ohio | WFIN relay |
WFOB | 1430 | AM | Fostoria | Ohio | Affiliate |
W289CP | 105.7 | FM | Fostoria | Ohio | WFOB relay |
WMAN-FM | 98.3 | FM | Fredericktown | Ohio | Affiliate |
WOHF | 92.1 | FM | Fremont | Ohio | Affiliate |
WRAC | 103.1 | FM | Georgetown | Ohio | Affiliate |
WVNU | 97.5 | FM | Greenfield | Ohio | Affiliate |
WITO | 1230 | AM | Ironton | Ohio | Affiliate |
WYRO | 98.7 | FM | Jackson | Ohio | Affiliate |
WZWB | 1420 | AM | Kenova–Huntington | West Virginia | Affiliate |
WKTN | 95.3 | FM | Kenton | Ohio | Football Only |
WLOH | 1320 | AM | Lancaster | Ohio | Affiliate |
W283BO | 104.5 | FM | Lancaster | Ohio | WLOH relay |
WIMA | 1150 | AM | Lima | Ohio | Affiliate |
W257EQ | 99.3 | FM | Logan | Ohio | WLOH relay |
WMAN | 1400 | AM | Mansfield | Ohio | Affiliate |
WMOA | 1490 | AM | Marietta | Ohio | Affiliate |
W267CQ | 101.3 | FM | Marietta | Ohio | WMOA relay |
WMRN | 1490 | AM | Marion | Ohio | Affiliate |
WDLR | 1270 | AM | Marysville | Ohio | Football Only |
W244DV | 96.7 | FM | Marysville | Ohio | WDLR relay |
WJAW-FM | 100.9 | FM | McConnelsville | Ohio | Affiliate |
WKLM | 95.3 | FM | Millersburg | Ohio | Football Only |
W265DJ | 100.9 | FM | Mount Vernon | Ohio | WQIO-HD2 relay |
WNDH | 103.1 | FM | Napoleon | Ohio | Affiliate |
WXCR | 92.3 | FM | New Martinsville | West Virginia | Affiliate |
WCLT | 1430 | AM | Newark | Ohio | Affiliate |
W254CT | 98.7 | FM | Newark | Ohio | WCLT relay |
WLKR-FM | 95.3 | FM | Norwalk | Ohio | Affiliate |
WKSD | 99.7 | FM | Paulding | Ohio | Affiliate |
WPTW | 1570 | AM | Piqua | Ohio | Affiliate |
W251BC | 98.1 | FM | Piqua | Ohio | WPTW relay |
WNXT | 1260 | AM | Portsmouth | Ohio | Affiliate |
W239CQ | 95.7 | FM | Portsmouth | Ohio | WNXT relay |
WJEH-FM | 93.1 | FM | Racine | Ohio | Affiliate |
WMOV | 1360 | AM | Ravenswood | West Virginia | Affiliate |
W228DJ | 93.5 | FM | Ravenswood | West Virginia | WMOV relay |
W295DM | 106.9 | FM | Point Pleasant | West Virginia | WMOV relay |
WLEC | 1450 | AM | Sandusky | Ohio | Affiliate |
W228EN | 93.5 | FM | Sandusky | Ohio | WLEC relay |
WMVR-FM | 105.5 | FM | Sidney | Ohio | Affiliate |
W275CT | 102.9 | FM | Somerset | Ohio | WLOH relay |
WCDK | 106.3 | FM | Steubenville | Ohio | Football Only |
WQQO-HD2* | 105.5-2 | FM | Sylvania | Ohio | Affiliate |
W264AK | 100.7 | FM | Toledo | Ohio | WQQO-HD2 relay |
WBTC | 1540 | AM | Uhrichsville | Ohio | Affiliate |
W270CI | 101.9 | FM | Uhrichsville | Ohio | WBTC relay |
WYNT | 95.9 | FM | Upper Sandusky | Ohio | Affiliate |
WERT | 1220 | AM | Van Wert | Ohio | Affiliate |
W282CF | 104.3 | FM | Van Wert | Ohio | WERT relay |
WXIZ | 100.9 | FM | Waverly | Ohio | Football Only |
WVLY | 1370 | AM | Wheeling | West Virginia | Affiliate |
W249DU | 97.7 | FM | Wheeling | West Virginia | WVLY relay |
WKVX | 960 | AM | Wooster | Ohio | Affiliate |
WQKT | 104.5 | FM | Wooster | Ohio | Affiliate |
WNIO | 1390 | AM | Youngstown | Ohio | Affiliate |
WHIZ | 1240 | AM | Zanesville | Ohio | Affiliate |
W272EE | 102.3 | FM | Zanesville | Ohio | WHIZ relay |