WBNS-FM

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.

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. 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, the Columbus Blue Jackets Radio Network, and the Columbus Crew, and the market affiliate for the Cleveland Browns Radio Network, the NFL on Westwood One Sports and ESPN Radio, the latter in a shared affiliation with WBNS (AM).

Previous stations




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. WELD was formally deleted on July 14, 1953.

Beautiful music
WBNS-FM signed on the air in June 1959. 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.

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.