Ohio State Sports Network

The Ohio State Sports Network from Learfield
Type	Radio network
Country	United States
Headquarters	Columbus, Ohio
Broadcast area	Ohio; West Virginia;
Owner	IMG College
Affiliation(s)	Ohio State Buckeyes; Tegna, Inc.;
Affiliates	62, including 2 flagships
Official website	ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sportsnetwork/

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]

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	WAKR relay
WMTR-FM	96.1	FM	Archbold	Ohio	Football Only
WREO-FM	97.1	FM	Ashtabula	Ohio	Affiliate
WATH	970	AM	Athens	Ohio	Affiliate
W247DR	97.3	FM	Athens	Ohio	WATH relay
WLYV	1290	AM	Bellaire	Ohio	Affiliate
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
W237FL	95.3	FM	Cincinnati	Ohio	WDJO relay
W258CI	99.5	FM	Cincinnati	Ohio	WDJO relay
W300CI	107.9	FM	Cincinnati	Ohio	WDJO relay
W270DW	101.9	FM	Circleville	Ohio	WLOH 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
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
WQIO-HD2*	93.7-2	FM	Mount Vernon	Ohio	Affiliate
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
W261DH	100.1	FM	Wheeling	West Virginia	WLYV relay
WNIO	1390	AM	Youngstown	Ohio	Affiliate
WHIZ	1240	AM	Zanesville	Ohio	Affiliate
W272EE	102.3	FM	Zanesville	Ohio	WHIZ relay

Asterisk (*) indicates HD Radio broadcast.
Blue background indicates low-power FM translator.

Network map(s)

Ohio State Sports Network stations. Click on each marker to reveal details.
- Flagship stations
- Affiliates (including translators)
- Football-only affiliates

References

^ 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.
^ 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.
^ Finnan, Bob (September 24, 2013). "Cleveland Indians announcer Tom Hamilton recovering from knee surgery, will return Friday". The Morning Journal. Lorain, Ohio. Archived from the original on October 25, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
^ Kiesewetter, John (December 8, 2009). "Paul Keels Joins Reds TV Team". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. Archived from the original on December 14, 2009. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
^ 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. Cleveland, Ohio. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
^ Blade staff (April 4, 2010). "10 questions with Ron Stokes". The Toledo Blade. Toledo, Ohio. Archived from the original on October 22, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
^ Price, Rita (March 30, 2009). "College athletics: OSU getting richest multimedia contract". The Columbus Dispatch. Columbus, Ohio. Archived from the original on October 25, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
^ 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. Columbus, Ohio. 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.
^ "Readers say Price was player of the week". Chillicothe Gazette. Chillicothe, Ohio. September 19, 2014. Archived from the original on October 25, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
^ 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.

External links

[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.

[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.

[3] Finnan, Bob (September 24, 2013). "Cleveland Indians announcer Tom Hamilton recovering from knee surgery, will return Friday". The Morning Journal. Lorain, Ohio. Archived from the original on October 25, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014.

[4] Kiesewetter, John (December 8, 2009). "Paul Keels Joins Reds TV Team". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. Archived from the original on December 14, 2009. Retrieved October 24, 2014.

[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. Cleveland, Ohio. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2014.

[6] Blade staff (April 4, 2010). "10 questions with Ron Stokes". The Toledo Blade. Toledo, Ohio. Archived from the original on October 22, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2014.

[7] Price, Rita (March 30, 2009). "College athletics: OSU getting richest multimedia contract". The Columbus Dispatch. Columbus, Ohio. Archived from the original on October 25, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014.

[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. Columbus, Ohio. 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. Chillicothe, Ohio. September 19, 2014. Archived from the original on October 25, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014.

[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.

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v t e Ohio State Buckeyes football
Venues	Recreation Park (1890–1897) Ohio Field (1898–1921) Ohio Stadium (1922–present) Woody Hayes Athletic Center (practice)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Clemson Illinois: Battle for Illibuck Michigan (The Ten Year War) Penn State
Culture & lore	History Block O Brutus Buckeye "Across the Field" "Buckeye Battle Cry" "Carmen Ohio" "Hang On Sloopy" Marching band Neutron Man The Ten Year War Snow Bowl (1950) 1969 Michigan game 1973 Michigan game The Kick Holy Buckeye 2005 Texas game 2006 Michigan game 2016 Penn State game
Media	WBNS-TV WBNS WBNS-FM Ohio State Sports Network
People	Head coaches All-Century Team NFL draftees Statistical leaders Retired numbers
Seasons	1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold

v t e Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball
Venues	The Armory (1897–1918) Fairgrounds Coliseum (1918–1956) St. John Arena (1956–1998) Value City Arena (1998–present)
Rivalries	Michigan
Culture & lore	Brutus Buckeye Buckeye Nuthouse WBNS WBNS-FM Ohio State Sports Network
People	Head coaches NBA players Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1897–98 1898–99 1899–1900 1900–01 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
NCAA national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics