Pittsburgh Steelers / Cleveland Browns Radio Network Changes

I see for the first time in over a decade, it appears that the Steelers Radio Network is not be airing in Columbus - WYTS is no longer listed as an affiliate and did not air the game last week. I wonder if another station will pick up the games.

While the Browns are still on WTOH in Columbus, their network has really shrunk - very few affiliates period. Other than Columbus, they have no affiliates in Central Ohio, Dayton, or SE Ohio.

As far as I can tell, this season is one of the smallest the Browns Radio Network has been going back to the 1950's and maybe ever. With Dayton not having a station on the Browns' network, that also shuts out the Cincinnati market as well. There has been quite a bit of discussion on all of this on the Cincinnati thread of the Ohio forum. Not having an over-the-air radio station that can be received definitely cuts out on the mobile audience who would otherwise tune in on a car or portable radio.

iHeart has definitely been cutting back the sports presence on WYTS. They only air Reds night games and apparently now have cut the Steelers, period. I had not been aware of the latter myself.
As long as iHeart refuses to air sports on 610 and has only one sports station in the local cluster, they will be crunched for space. Moving games between their properties does not seem to be an option they consider.
Reds games aren't a huge loss with WLW having such a strong signal here and WQTT from Marysville also carrying almost every game, but it's more the principle of their presence being cut back in the largest market of Reds territory outside Cincinnati itself.

I think WTVN 610-AM would be a perfect station to carry the Browns' games. Not only would it easily be heard in central Ohio during the daylight hours, but also carry into southwest & southeast Ohio during that period. I'm not sure why the management would oppose sports there. I don't find any other kind of programming that would draw the interest that sports would on a Sunday afternoon.

I agree but let's remember, that would mean iHeart doing any business with the Browns and that is something to which they seem adamantly opposed. I cannot imagine anything airing on 610 now on the weekends draws any real ratings.
610 was our Bengals affiliate for decades until iHeart decided they'd rather have talk all day, all weekend. They even moved OSU pre- and post-game to 105.7 The Zone, although I am sure at least some of that was to pump up the latter's ratings. I believe Bengals games were moved to WYTS around 2011, and then to 105.7 two or three years ago.

I believe WONE 980-AM Radio in Dayton is also an IHeart station. Supposedly, they stopped being a part of the Browns' Network a few years back over some slight or disagreement with the team. Now - with WHIO Radio pulling away - it has resulted in no radio coverage of Browns' games in southwestern Ohio. Really sad.

Cincinnati Kid: Have you tried listening to the Browns games via their website? Not saying that replaces traditional radio (it does not) but the big reason I ask is because a friend in Toledo, where last week's game was not shown, could not pull up the broadcast against the Raiders on the team website. As such, I am wondering if that listening is somehow restricted to markets where the game is being televised for some reason. That would be the case in Dayton today.

I have done that. You are correct that it does not replace traditional radio. Strange that your friend in Toledo could not get the game with the Raiders on the website as I heard it here on the website and it was also televised on Cincinnati TV. Sunday's game with the Ravens was not on TV here, but it was on the website.

Quite a few NFL radio play by play changes for this season for Columbus and central Ohio: The Pittsburgh Steelers are back on 98.9 WTOH-FM - The Answer. This is after the Steelers had no local affiliate for the previous few years. The Cleveland Browns are now on 97.1 WBNS-FM - The Fan. The Cincinnati Bengals are on low power 105.3 FM.

Scanning the dial the last few weeks I have noticed for the first time and I can remember, the Cincinnati Bengals are not airing on Columbus radio at all. I guess this will improve for Bengals fans a little bit once the Reds season ends as WLW Cincinnati usually airs the remaining schedule. This is the first season I can remember no Cincinnati teams (Reds or Bengals) on radio in central Ohio. Browns coverage seems good on 97.1 and Steelers on 98.9.

cbussteeler said:

Scanning the dial the last few weeks I have noticed for the first time and I can remember, the Cincinnati Bengals are not airing on Columbus radio at all. I guess this will improve for Bengals fans a little bit once the Reds season ends as WLW Cincinnati usually airs the remaining schedule. This is the first season I can remember no Cincinnati teams (Reds or Bengals) on radio in central Ohio. Browns coverage seems good on 97.1 and Steelers on 98.9.

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The good news is that, in 2021 it doesn't really matter if one can listen to their favorite sports teams on a local affiliate or not. Most anyone with an internet connection or smartphone should be able to find a station or site carrying the teams or games they're interested in.

I think around the time 105.7 switched to the current alternative format they dropped the Bengals. I don’t really pay attention to the Bengals, but I thought I remember hearing them on low power 105.3 last season. The Bengals website still lists 105.3 as an affiliate, but the times I scanned the dial during the first two games this season there was no football on 105.3. And with 700 AM being the primary for Reds MLB games, that left no Bengals radio coverage in central Ohio. I never remember a point in time previously where the Bengals had no affiliate in Columbus. I agree about finding options online is the easy way around this.

You are correct on all those counts, Steeler. Like you, I can't remember a time that neither the Reds nor Bengals did not have a home on Columbus radio. Even the Indians are on a low-powered station in 95.9.
The strong presence of WLW certainly will help with Bengals games the rest of the way. I was able to stream the game on 700's iHeart stream the other night out taking a walk, but I have a tough time believing no Columbus station can carry them. 610 could air the Bengals and did for decades.

WTVN has pay for play programming on Sunday afternoons that’s probably more profitable than spot sales in games.

Sunday's Bengals game did air on 105.3. Maybe the first one of the year to do so.

schmave said:

Sunday's Bengals game did air on 105.3. Maybe the first one of the year to do so.

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More accurately, the Bengals are on WZCB HD2, which in turn enables them to broadcast it on the HD2 analog translator on 105.3 W287CP. They could not broadcast it on the translator alone, legally. The WZCB signal has much better coverage than the 99 watt translator, but of course restricted to those with HD Radio capability. The Bengals network does a really poor job of listing online who there affiliates are. Do a search and much of the info is obsolete, including for Columbus. I suspect I was the only listener to the HD2 broadcast today, given how poorly they publicize it.

Where I am in Pickerington, I just listened to WLW yesterday while doing other things around the house. In the car, I listened to 105.3 because some interference within the car badly affects WLW, but in the future I'll probably listen to 105.7 HD2 with a better signal. 105.3 cuts out badly in spots out here, although I was able to pick up the game on 104.5 out of Lancaster where 105.3 struggled.
As another personal aside, the Bengals are better at marketing in this town than they used to be, but it's fairly pathetic how they've even further ceded to the Browns around here. I don't see that changing until the Brown family is gone, and I don't see that changing for a while.