Type Radio network Owner IMG College Parent organization IMG College | Country United States Headquarters Columbus | |
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Broadcast area Ohio
West Virginia (limited) Affiliation Ohio State Buckeyes
RadiOhio, Inc. Affiliates 68 (including 2 flagships) | ||
The Ohio State 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: 40 AM stations, 3 of which extend their signals with low-power FM translators; and 26 full-power FM stations. 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.
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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 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.
Programming
Besides gameday coverage, network programming includes: Buckeye Roundtable, a weekly discussion on Buckeyes football; The Urban Meyer Call-In Show, a weekly season-long update with the football head coach; and The Thad Matta Call-In Show, a weekly season-long update with the men's basketball head coach.