WBNS-FM

Last updated • 3 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

WBNS-FM
Broadcast area Columbus metropolitan area
Frequency 97.1 MHz (HD Radio)
Branding97.1 The Fan
Programming
Format Sports radio
Subchannels HD2: WBNS 1460 (ESPN Radio Network)
HD3: BetQL Network (Sports Gambling)
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
WBNS, WBNS-TV
History
First air date
June 1959;65 years ago (1959-06)
Call sign meaning
Derived from sister station WBNS
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID 54701
Class B
ERP 20,500  watts
HAAT 238 meters (781  ft)
Transmitter coordinates
39°58′16.0″N83°01′40.0″W / 39.971111°N 83.027778°W / 39.971111; -83.027778
Links
Public license information
Webcast Listen live (via TuneIn)
Website www.971thefan.com

WBNS-FM (97.1 MHz) – branded 97.1 The Fan – is a commercial sports radio station in Columbus, Ohio. It and WBNS (1460 AM) are the only two radio stations currently owned by television company Tegna, Inc. The studios are co-located with WBNS-TV (channel 10) on Twin Rivers Drive, west of Downtown Columbus.

Contents

WBNS-FM is a Class B station. It has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 20,500 watts. It shares a transmitter tower with WBNS-TV, the tallest free-standing structure in Columbus. It is adjacent to the studios on Twin Rivers Drive near Interstate 670. [2] WBNS-FM broadcasts using HD Radio technology.

Programming

WBNS-FM airs local sports talk shows during weekdays and early evenings. It carries the syndicated ESPN Radio Network late nights and weekends. Its sister station, WBNS 1460 AM, runs the ESPN Network most hours.

WBNS-FM is the FM flagship for the Ohio State Sports Network, [3] the Columbus Blue Jackets Radio Network, [4] and the Columbus Crew, and the market affiliate for the Cleveland Browns Radio Network, [5] the NFL on Westwood One Sports and ESPN Radio, the latter in a shared affiliation with WBNS (AM).

History

Previous stations

WBNS-FM transmission tower (right), next to the WBNS-TV tower. WBNS-TV and WBNS-FM transmission towers-2011 07 12 IMG 0867.JPG
WBNS-FM transmission tower (right), next to the WBNS-TV tower.
WBNS-FM's HD Radio Channels on a SPARC Radio with PSD. WBNS HD.png
WBNS-FM's HD Radio Channels on a SPARC Radio with PSD.

WBNS's sister station, WBNS (AM 1460), was established in 1922. It is one of Ohio's oldest stations. In 1929, it was acquired by the Wolfe Family, which also owned the major daily newspaper, The Columbus Dispatch . WBNS began FM broadcasts as early as 1940 with experimental station W8XVH.

In 1941, it became commercial station W45CM, and later WELD. But few people owned FM receivers in those days, so management suspended operations in July 1953. [6] WELD was formally deleted on July 14, 1953. [7]

Beautiful music

WBNS-FM signed on the air in June 1959;65 years ago. It used the same frequency, 97.1 MHz, previously used by co-owned WELD. At first it largely simulcast WBNS 1460 AM.

In 1970, it broke away from the simulcast. It began airing a beautiful music format, playing quarter-hour sweeps of instrumental cover versions of popular songs, Broadway and Hollywood show tunes. In the 1980s, the station began playing more soft adult contemporary vocals, in an effort to appeal to a younger audience.

Oldies and AC

In November 1991 the station moved from easy listening, to oldies, calling itself "Oldies B-97.1". The playlist was made up of Top 40 hits of the 1960s, along with a few songs from the late '50s and early '70s. Almost ten years later, in July 2001, WBNS-FM moved to modern AC as "The New 97.1", with a mix of pop alternative music.

Eventually, the station evolved with a hot AC format as "97.1-More Music, More Variety." In August 2005, the station began using the "Mix" name and became "Mix 97.1-80s, 90s, Now." Meanwhile, co-owned WBNS 1460 AM had good ratings as an all-sports AM station, as more cities were getting FM sports outlets. Management decided to capitalize on its sports franchise.

Sports format

On January 26, 2009, at 2 PM, WBNS-FM began a simulcast of AM sister station WBNS "1460 The Fan." WBNS-FM became "97.1 The Fan." The final song played on Mix 97.1 was "Leave Out All The Rest" by Linkin Park.

On June 11, 2019, The Columbus Dispatch announced it was selling its broadcasting assets, including WBNS-AM-FM-TV, to Tegna Inc., for $535 million in cash. The deal was expected to close in the third quarter of 2019, pending Federal Communications Commission approval. The sale was completed on August 8. [8]

Over time, WBNS-FM became the exclusive home of local Columbus-based sports shows, while WBNS 1460 AM airs the national ESPN Radio Network feed. The AM station is also heard on one of WBNS-FM's HD Radio digital subchannels. In May 2024, the BetQL Network, carrying sports gambling shows, began airing on WBNS-FM-HD3. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBNS-TV</span> TV station in Columbus, Ohio

WBNS-TV is a television station in Columbus, Ohio, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside the company's sole radio properties, WBNS and WBNS-FM (97.1). The stations share studios on Twin Rivers Drive west of Downtown Columbus, where WBNS-TV's transmitter is also located.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WVMX</span> Radio station in Westerville, Ohio

WVMX is a radio station broadcasting a hot adult contemporary format. Licensed to the suburb of Westerville, Ohio, it serves the Columbus metropolitan area. It first began broadcasting in 1991 under the call sign WCEZ. The station is owned Saga Communications through licensee Franklin Communications, Inc., and operates as part of its Columbus Radio Group. Its studios are located in Upper Arlington and the transmitter site is west of Sunbury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCOL-FM</span> Radio station in Columbus, Ohio

WCOL-FM – branded 92.3 WCOL – is a commercial country music radio station licensed to Columbus, Ohio, serving the Columbus metro area. Owned by iHeartMedia, the WCOL-FM studios are located in Downtown Columbus, while its transmitter resides northwest of downtown on the WBNS-TV tower. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WCOL-FM broadcasts over one HD Radio channel, and streams online via iHeartRadio.

WYTS is a commercial black-oriented news radio station licensed to Columbus, Ohio. Owned by iHeartMedia, the station serves the Columbus metro area. Besides a standard analog transmission, the station is available online via iHeartRadio. The WYTS studios are located along in Downtown Columbus, while the station transmitter resides southwest of the city's downtown area.

Sports radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A widespread programming genre that has a narrow audience appeal, sports radio is characterized by an often-boisterous on-air style and extensive debate and analysis by both hosts and callers. Many sports talk stations also carry play-by-play of local sports teams as part of their regular programming

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTHR</span> TV station in Indianapolis

WTHR is a television station in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside low-power, Class A MeTV affiliate WALV-CD. The two stations share studios on North Meridian Street in downtown Indianapolis; WTHR's transmitter is located near Ditch Road and West 96th Street in Carmel.

The Dispatch Broadcast Group was a media company based in Columbus, Ohio. The group was a division of the Dispatch Printing Company, former owner of the Columbus Dispatch, and was owned by the Wolfe family since 1929 until its sale to Tegna Inc. in mid-2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSYX</span> TV station in Columbus, Ohio

WSYX is a television station in Columbus, Ohio, United States, affiliated with ABC, MyNetworkTV and Fox. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, which provides certain services to TBD station WTTE and Chillicothe-licensed CW affiliate WWHO under separate local marketing agreements (LMAs). However, Sinclair effectively owns WTTE as the majority of Cunningham's stock is owned by the family of deceased group founder Julian Smith. The three stations share studios on Dublin Road in Grandview Heights ; WSYX's transmitter is located in the Franklinton section of Columbus.

WXGT is a commercial oldies radio station licensed to serve Columbus, Ohio, serving the Columbus metropolitan area. Owned by ICS Communications, Inc., the WXGT studios are located in beautiful Downtown Lewis Center, Ohio in the Lewis Center Metroplex, while the station transmitter resides in Columbus' Brandywine neighborhood on Morse Road,

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBNS (AM)</span> ESPN Radio affiliate in Columbus, Ohio

WBNS — branded 1460 ESPN Columbus — is a commercial AM radio station in Columbus, Ohio. The station currently broadcasts a sports talk format and carries ESPN Radio programming. It is owned by Tegna Inc., along with WBNS-FM (97.1 MHz.) and WBNS-TV. The three stations' studios and offices are located on Twin Rivers Drive, near Downtown Columbus; WBNS (AM)'s transmitter tower is located in East Columbus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WXYT (AM)</span> Radio station in Michigan, United States

WXYT is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Detroit, Michigan. It airs a betting-oriented sports radio format known as "The Bet Detroit". Most programming comes from the BetQL Network and Infinity Sports Network. During College football season, WXYT airs live play-by-play from the Central Michigan University Chippewas football team. Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station serves Metro Detroit and much of Southeast Michigan. The studios and offices are on American Drive off 11 Mile Road in Southfield.

WYRD, branded as "The Fan Upstate", is a sports-formatted commercial AM radio station, licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to Audacy, Inc. in Greenville, South Carolina, which serves Upstate South Carolina. Studios and transmitter site are located in Greenville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ONN (radio)</span> Television channel

The Ohio News Network (ONN) – also referred to off-air as ONN Radio – was a radio news service in the U.S. state of Ohio. Based at Columbus, Ohio radio station WBNS-FM and owned by Dispatch Broadcast Group, it provided statewide newscasts and sportscasts for more than 90 affiliate stations throughout the day, in addition to some seasonal long-form programming.

WFNN is a sports radio station in Erie, Pennsylvania, owned by iHeartMedia. It is an affiliate of Fox Sports Radio. Its current name is Fox Sports 1330 AM Erie. WFNN's studios are located in the Boston Store building in downtown Erie while its transmitter is located near U.S. Route 19 and Sharp Rd south of Erie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WROC (AM)</span> Radio station in Rochester, New York

WROC, currently branded as 95.7 The Fan, is an AM radio station licensed to Rochester, New York, airing a sports radio format. The format is closely affiliated with Buffalo sister station WGR, and carries content from Infinity Sports Network, the BetQL Network, and local shows, along with play-by-play from teams owned by Pegula Sports and Entertainment. The station's studios are located at High Falls Studios downtown, and its transmitter tower is on Rochester's southside near the I-390/I-590 freeway interchange.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WMRN (AM)</span> Radio station in Ohio, United States

WMRN is a commercial radio station licensed to Marion, Ohio, and featuring a conservative talk radio format. Owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., WMRN's studios and transmitter are co-located on the city's northern end. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WMRN is available online via iHeartRadio.

The Eldorado Gaming Scioto Downs Columbus Blue Jackets Radio Network is an American radio network consisting of 36 radio stations which carry coverage of the Columbus Blue Jackets, a professional hockey team in the National Hockey League.

WQCD is a commercial oldies radio station licensed to serve Delaware, Ohio, locally owned by Brent Casagrande through licensee Delmar Communications, Inc. The station primarily serves the Delaware County region and the northern portion of the Columbus metropolitan area as a full-time simulcast of WXGT in Columbus. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WQCD is relayed over analog Delaware translator W225CM (92.9 FM), and is also available online; as WXGT's FM translator W225CS also broadcasts on the same frequency, WXGT and WQCD brand as "My 92.9". The WQCD/WXGT studios are located in Columbus's Brewery District, while the WQCD transmitter is located in Delaware.

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 and WBNS-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. 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.

WELD was an FM radio station in Columbus, Ohio, that began broadcasting, as W45CM, in 1941. It was the first commercial FM station authorized in the state of Ohio. WELD suspended operations and was deleted in 1953.

References

  1. "Facility Technical Data for WBNS-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. Radio-Locator.com/WBNS-FM
  3. OSU Radio Network - Ohio State Buckeyes.com
  4. Blue Jackets Radio Network - Blue Jackets.com
  5. "97.1 The Fan is the new radio home for the Cleveland Browns". 10tv.com. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  6. "Only 3 FM stations Left Operating Here", Columbus Dispatch, July 19, 1953, page 19.
  7. "For the Record: Existing FM Stations: Stations Deleted", Broadcasting, July 20, 1953, page 118.
  8. "TEGNA Completes Acquisition of Dispatch Broadcast Group’s Leading, Top Ranked Stations in Indianapolis, IN and Columbus, OH", Tegna Inc., August 8, 2019; Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  9. InsideRadio.com "News Bites - BetQL Network" May 15, 2024.