Time Warp: Former Browns Players on the Hardwood
January 27, 2009WFNY: The Austin Carr Drinking Game
January 27, 2009The people of Columbus begged and pleaded, and the powers-that-be finally listened: sports radio is FINALLY on FM in Columbus! I found this out almost by accident, as I got in my car to commute home yesterday, and heard the traffic guy refer to it as “Sports Radio 97.1 The Fan”. Intrigued, I switched over, and sure enough it was true!
Formerly known as “Sports Radio 1460 The Fan”, WBNS will now be simulcast on both AM (1460) and FM (97.1). This is cool for two reasons:
1. 1460 is the ESPN radio affiliate in Columbus, and is hard to pick up after dark as the signal strength is nothing to write home about. Being on FM now as well will make it easier to hear at any/all hours, which is nice.
2. By extension, this is excellent for Tribe fans, as it will mean that there will now be a Columbus FM affiliate for the Cleveland Indians radio network. 1460 AM has broadcast Tribe games for a few years now, but the “can’t get a strong signal at night” thing was always a hindrance. There are times when I’m coming home from the east side (basically driving all the way across the Columbus metro area) to my home on the northwest side where I have better luck tuning in 1100 WTAM all the way from Cleveland than I do the station that is literally smack dab in downtown Columbus. Having the Tribe on 97.1 will eliminate that problem entirely.
While I don’t quite understand why it took them so long to do this, and also why they basically made no public mention of the switch until I happened to hear the afternoon traffic guy ID with their new frequency, it is definitely a great day for the sports-loving commuters of Columbus!
[Bucknuts.com: The Fan Moves To 97.1 On FM Dial]
23 Comments
Indeed. Live in Granville and I used to lose the signal about 20 minutes into my drive.
My biggest complaint with WBNS is that as an official “radio home of the tribe” they NEVER broadcast the day games (would be nice to listen while at work) and sometimes postpone the evening games in favor of other programming. Makes no sense to me.
Anywhere to hear Joe Tait/Cavs in Columbus? Sometimes I get in WTAM on the transistor at home, but not often, and when the CBJ are on FSN, no Cavs games…
@ deebo
I have found that when the CBJ are on FSN the Cavs games are broadcast on CSPAN2… at least on insight cable.
Cavs are on 1230 AM in Columbus, which as Rock told me this morning is now a full-on Fox Sports Radio affiliate again.
Also, Cavs/CBJ often use channel 24 on Time Warner when both are on at the same time (they also have both the FSOH-HD feed as well as an “FSOHALT-HD” channel, if/when both are on at the same time in HD).
Thanks for all the info fellas.
I will try 1230, but I doubt I can pull that in Granville.
I have Time Warner and will investigate the alt Cavs/CBJ broadcasts but I think I am out of luck since I am on the Time Warner Newark system (don’t remember ever seeing them except on FSN), I will peruse the channels to see.
All this talk of trying to pull in games makes me remember all the antenna jockeying we would do when we were kids trying to get Browns games that were blacked out. I think on a rare occasion we could get them on UHF channel 52 out of Castalia, OH…
Thanks again. Love the site!
i live in myrtle beach, sc and i can pick up 1100am WTAM! its the oppostite though. i can’t get it during the day only at nite…which is awesome for listening to Bob Tate and the CAVS!!! How can i get this AM station so far away??? Nevermind…i’ll just enjoy the hell out if it!
ooops, Joe Tait…not Bob Tate
There is no need to be held hostage by conventional radio anymore. Now that XM and Sirius have combined, satellite radio is well worth the $10-15 a month. You can get every single game from every single sport with perfect cllarity no matter where you are.
@deebo,
Time Warner in Cbus lists channel 24 as like “system” or something, but when both teams are on simultaneously, one gets bumped there. It’s usually the Cavs that do, I think, because of the Jackets’ proximity to the Columbus Metro area.
i bought a shortwave radio so i could get 1100 in the twin cities. it is so nice to fall asleep listening to cleveland sports again. its spotty at times but it cracks me up, i used to have reception issues with 1100 in medina, now im 8oo miles away and i’m good to go. i always thought that ’40 states and half of canada’ was BS.
anyway, love your writing DP…
cleary
another unsolicited testimonial by one of my best HS friends… hehehe
See DP, we’d have never known…
@Ryan: We had to go to Georgia (just north of Atl) last year for a family funeral. We listned to the entire (Cavs) pregame, game and post game on WTAM while on our way. It came in and out at times, but it still worked. It amazes me how strong their signal is.
This is a huge step up. I was listening to Spielman and Herbstreit interview Matt Leinart yesterday and they kept saying “97.1 The Fan.” I can’t believe they actually bumped that crappy Mix 97.1 for sports talk!
Does 1230 actually broadcast the Cavs? Every time I go there hoping to hear Tait I get talk radio.
According to the NBA/Cavaliers:
Cavaliers Radio Network
Akron – WAKR 1590
Ashtabula – WFUN 970
Cambridge – WILE 1270
Canton – WHBC 1480
Cleveland – WTAM 1100
Conneaut / Geneva – WYBL 98.3 FM
Dayton – WONE 980
Delphos/Lima – WLJM 940
Dover/New Phil – WJER 1450
Lorain/Elyria – WEOL 930
Mansfield – WSWR 100.1 FM
Marietta – WMOA 1490
McConnellsville – WJAW 100.9 FM
Norwalk – WLKR 95.3 FM
Sandusky – WLEC 1450
Springfield – WIZE 1340
Wooster – WQKT 104.5 FM
Youngstown – WNIO 1390
Seems to be a pretty big hole in the Columbus market – I guess the thinking is the 1100 signal has it covered (it doesn’t always) or us central Ohioans are willing to pony up for a pay service (XM Sirius or NBA League pass).
I have two questions that maybe someone can answer or give some insight, too. Also, I know for a fact the Cavs are NOT on 1230 in Columbus which seems to have been confirmed by deebo’s last post.
First, will the Indians be on either 1460 or 97.1 when their games coincide with Blue Jackets games? I remember in the 2007 playoffs we couldn’t hear the Tribe on 1460 because of Blue Jackets PRESEASON games… I mean I watch the Jackets and go to some games but I never listen to them on the radio, ESPECIALLY in the preseason over an MLB postseason game? COME ON!!! Hopefully one game will be on FM and one on AM.
Second, can we finally listen to Indians day games on either 1460 or 97.1? I would listen to every day game at work if they had them. Usually I am home and can watch night games on TV…. I cringe every time I flip on 1460 for a Tribe day game and hear “the common man and the Torg” instead… What a joke!!
Kevin,
Good point. Although the move to 97.1 is welcomed, it isn’t going to stop The Fan from playing Blue Jackets games over Indians games. Midday show of the The Common Man and the Torg over Indians games. In the fall, midweek evening interviews with Jim Tressel on which sweater vest he’ll wear on Saturday.
Hopefully you can pick up WTAM like me.
Good news on the switch. 1460 had random “dead spots” all around Columbus proper. Now if they could only talk NFL on Sunday mornings rather than how the Buckeyes punted the day before I’d be set!
Doesn’t NBA.com have a package where you can get all games for a pretty low price?
thank god, i hate how i can never get 1460, and 1100 is really fuzzy a lot too, i don’t get either in my neighborhood, and with the addition of not getting sto i’m completely lost
I thought that CBJ games were broadcast on 101.1 FM. Would they be on both 97.1 and 101?
CBJ games are only on 1460 and 101.1 They will not be on 97.1 which is one of the reasons I am hoping the Tribe gets to be on 97.1….