Ohio State Sports Network

The Ohio State Learfield IMG Sports Network is an American radio network consisting of 68 radio stations which carry coverage of Ohio State Buckeyes football and men's basketball. WBNS/Columbus (1460 AM) and sister station WBNS-FM/Columbus (97.1 FM) serve as the network's 2 flagship stations. The network also includes 66 affiliates in the U.S. states of Ohio and West Virginia: 38 AM stations, 24 of which extend their signals with low-power FM translators; and 26 full-power FM stations.[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]

Ohio State Learfield IMG Sports Network
TypeRadio network
Country
HeadquartersColumbus, Ohio
Broadcast area
Ohio
West Virginia (limited)
OwnerIMG College
Affiliation(s)Ohio State Buckeyes
Tegna, Inc.
Affiliates68, including 2 flagships
Official website
Ohio State IMG Sports Network

History

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.

Programming

Besides gameday coverage, network programming includes:

  • Buckeye Roundtable, a two-hour weekly discussion on Buckeyes football, airs Monday evenings.[9]
  • The Ryan Day Call-In Show, a weekly season-long update with the football head coach, airs Thursdays at 12pm noon .[10]

Station list

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 n/a (WAKR relay)
WMTR-FM 96.1 FM Archbold Ohio Football Only
WFUN 970 AM Ashtabula Ohio Affiliate
WATH 970 AM Athens Ohio Affiliate
W246CE 97.1 FM Athens Ohio n/a (WATH relay)
WPKO-FM 98.3 FM Bellefontaine Ohio Football Only
WQEL 92.7 FM Bucyrus Ohio Affiliate
WBCO 1540 AM Bucyrus Ohio Affiliate
WILE-FM 97.7 FM Cambridge Ohio Affiliate
WHBC 1480 AM Canton Ohio Affiliate
WCSM 1350 AM Celina Ohio Affiliate
WCSM-FM 96.7 FM Celina Ohio Affiliate
WDJO 1480 AM Cincinnati Ohio Affiliate
W258CI 99.5 FM Cincinnati Ohio n/a (WDJO relay)
W300CI 107.9 FM Cincinnati Ohio n/a (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 n/a (WJER relay)
WEOL 930 AM Elyria Ohio Affiliate
WFIN 1330 AM Findlay Ohio Affiliate
W238CX 95.5 FM Findlay Ohio n/a (WFIN relay)
WMAN-FM 98.3 FM Fredericktown Ohio Affiliate
WFOB 1430 AM Fostoria Ohio Affiliate
W289CP 105.7 FM Fostoria Ohio n/a (WFOB relay)
WOHF 92.1 FM Fremont Ohio Affiliate
WRAC 103.1 FM Georgetown Ohio Affiliate
WVNU 97.5 FM Greenfield Ohio Affiliate
WIRO 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 n/a (WLOH relay)
WIMA 1150 AM Lima Ohio Affiliate
W257EQ 99.3 FM Logan Ohio n/a (WLOH relay)
WMAN 1400 AM Mansfield Ohio Affiliate
WMOA 1490 AM Marietta Ohio Affiliate
W267CQ 101.3 FM Marietta Ohio n/a (WMOA relay)
WMRN 1490 AM Marion Ohio Affiliate
WQTT 1270 AM Marysville Ohio Football Only
W244DV 96.7 FM Marysville Ohio n/a (WQTT relay)
WJAW-FM 100.9 FM McConnelsville Ohio Affiliate
WKLM 95.3 FM Millersburg Ohio Football Only
WMVO 1300 AM Mount Vernon Ohio Affiliate
W265DJ 100.9 FM Mount Vernon Ohio n/a (WMVO relay)
WNDH 103.1 FM Napoleon Ohio Affiliate
WCLT 1430 AM Newark Ohio Affiliate
W254CT 98.7 FM Newark Ohio n/a (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 n/a (WPTW relay)
WNXT 1260 AM Portsmouth Ohio Affiliate
W239CQ 95.7 FM Portsmouth Ohio n/a (WNXT relay)
WMOV 1360 AM Ravenswood West Virginia Affiliate
W228DJ 93.5 FM Ravenswood West Virginia n/a (WMOV relay)
W294AF 106.7 FM Ripley West Virginia n/a (WMOV relay)
WLEC 1450 AM Sandusky Ohio Affiliate
W228EN 93.5 FM Sandusky Ohio n/a (WLEC relay)
WMVR-FM 105.5 FM Sidney Ohio Affiliate
W275CT 102.9 FM Somerset Ohio n/a (WLOH relay)
WCDK 106.3 FM Steubenville Ohio Football Only
WTOD 106.5 FM Toledo Ohio Affiliate
WBTC 1540 AM Uhrichsville Ohio Affiliate
W270CI 101.9 FM Uhrichsville Ohio n/a (WBTC relay)
WYNT 95.9 FM Upper Sandusky Ohio Affiliate
WERT 1220 AM Van Wert Ohio Affiliate
W282CF 104.3 FM Van Wert Ohio n/a (WERT relay)
WXIZ 100.9 FM Waverly Ohio Football Only
WKVX 960 AM Wooster Ohio Affiliate
WVLY-AM 1370 AM Wheeling West Virginia Affiliate
W249DU 97.7 FM Wheeling West Virginia n/a (WVLY relay)
WQKT 104.5 FM Wooster Ohio Affiliate
WBBG 106.1 FM Youngstown Ohio Football Only
WNIO 1390 AM Youngstown Ohio Affiliate
WHIZ 1240 AM Zanesville Ohio Affiliate
W272EE 102.3 FM Zanesville Ohio n/a (WHIZ relay)
Gray background indicates low-power translator

Network map(s)

References

  1. Ohio State Buckeyes football (September 13, 2014). "Gameday Program - Kent State: Ohio State Sports Radio Network" (PDF). OhioStateBuckeyes.com. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 22, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2014. All Ohio State football games are broadcast by the Ohio State IMG Sports Network with WBNS Radio serving as the flagship station...
  2. Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball (2014). "2014-15 Men's Basketball Team Guide: Media Information" (PDF). OhioStateBuckeyes.com. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 22, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2014. All Ohio State men's basketball games are broadcast by the Ohio State IMG Sports Network.
  3. Finnan, Bob (September 24, 2013). "Cleveland Indians announcer Tom Hamilton recovering from knee surgery, will return Friday". MorningJournal.com. The Morning Journal. Archived from the original on October 25, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014. WKNR-850 AM and KNR2-1540 AM have signed a multiyear agreement with the Ohio State IMG Radio Network. ... '... we are very happy ESPN Cleveland will continue as the home for Buckeyes' football and basketball,' Ohio State IMG Sports Marketing general manager Ray DeWeese said in a statement.
  4. Kiesewetter, John (December 8, 2009). "Paul Keels Joins Reds TV Team". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Cincinnati.com. Archived from the original on December 14, 2009. Retrieved October 24, 2014. Fans may recognize him as the play by play voice for Ohio State football and basketball on WBNS Radio in Columbus, where he has been since 1998.
  5. Livingston, Bill (November 29, 2013). "Ohio State's Ryan Shazier displays the fierce qualities of college football's greatest rivalry, plus stunning speed". The Plain Dealer via Cleveland.com. Plain Dealer Publishing Co. and Northeast Ohio Media Group. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2014. Said Jim Lachey, the Ohio State radio network analyst...
  6. Blade staff (April 4, 2010). "10 questions with Ron Stokes". ToledoBlade.com. The Toledo Blade. Archived from the original on October 22, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2014. ... and for the last 13 seasons the Canton native has been the expert analyst on the radio broadcasts of Ohio State basketball working with play-by-play announcer Paul Keels.
  7. Price, Rita (March 30, 2009). "College athletics: OSU getting richest multimedia contract". The Columbus Dispatch via Dispatch.com. The Dispatch Printing Co. Archived from the original on October 25, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014. The Buckeyes' athletics program is the nation's biggest, and so is its deal: IMG College and RadiOhio will pay OSU $110 million over the next 10 years in the largest multimedia-rights guarantee in collegiate sports. ... RadiOhio is a member of the Dispatch Broadcast Group, which includes the Ohio State Radio Sports Network, WBNS-AM and WBNS-FM...
  8. Pramik, Mike (March 31, 2009). "OSU athletics deal is future-focused; Marketing pact won't fix this year's shortfall, officials say". The Columbus Dispatch. Dispatch Printing Co. p. 10C - Business. Once money starts flowing from the university's $110 million deal with IMG College and RadiOhio, the athletic department will be better positioned to weather the economic downturn, OSU athletics director Gene Smith said. ... 'At the time we started the process five months ago, we were not in the position to know we'd have the $1.2 million (deficit),' Smith said.
  9. "Readers say Price was player of the week". Chillicothe Gazette. ChillicotheGazette.com. September 19, 2014. Archived from the original on October 25, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014. Hosley was honored Monday by the Ohio State Radio Network and WBNS-FM (97.1) during the Buckeye Roundtable show in Chillicothe.
  10. Gerdeman, Tony (October 16, 2014). "Updates from the Oct. 16 Urban Meyer Call-In Show". TheOZone.net. O-Zone Communications, Inc. Archived from the original on October 25, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014. Urban Meyer sat down for his weekly one-hour call-in show on the Ohio State IMG Sports Network Thursday.
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