97.1 The Fan streams all-sports talk, live game broadcasts and analysis from Columbus, Ohio, home to Ohio State football, the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Cleveland Browns' local radio coverage. It is free to listen right now, anywhere in the world, no account required.
Seven Decades Before Going All-Sports
WBNS-FM traces back to the Wolfe family, who began experimenting with FM broadcasting in the 1940s before formally acquiring the 97.1 frequency in 1957, according to a history of the station on Wikipedia. The frequency spent decades as a music station, running as modern AC under the New 97.1 branding starting in 2001 before shifting to a hot AC format known as Mix 97.1. The all-sports format that defines the station today only arrived in early 2009, when WBNS-FM relaunched as 97.1 The Fan.
Flagship of Ohio State Football
WBNS has carried Ohio State Buckeyes athletics since 1983, long before the station's current sports branding existed, and 97.1 The Fan continues that role today as flagship of the Ohio State Sports Network. That relationship puts the station at the center of one of college football's most followed programs, carrying Buckeyes games to a statewide and national audience of alumni and fans.
Home Ice and Home Field, Too
Beyond Ohio State, the station has served as the radio home of the Columbus Blue Jackets since the NHL franchise's inaugural season in 2000, giving it a continuous broadcast relationship with the team since its very first puck drop. 97.1 The Fan also carries Columbus-market coverage of the Cleveland Browns, rounding out a lineup that spans college football, professional hockey and NFL football under one call sign.
Part of a Local Media Family
97.1 The Fan shares studios and offices on Twin Rivers Drive with sister stations WBNS and WBNS-TV, keeping its sports coverage tied into a broader Columbus news and media operation under Tegna's ownership. That shared newsroom gives the station's sports talk shows direct access to the same reporting infrastructure covering Columbus day to day.
Listen to 97.1 The Fan Free on Radio Shuffle
97.1 The Fan streams around the clock, and Radio Shuffle carries the feed live with nothing to install and no subscription required. Press play above for Columbus's flagship sports talk and play-by-play station.