In 1922, C.A. Entrekin of the Entrekin Electric Company began WCAH radio from the living room in his home in Columbus, Ohio. In the early 1930’s, the Wolfe Family purchased WCAH and later changed the call letters to WBNS (Wolfe Banks News & Shoes).
“It is so exciting to be celebrating 100 years of broadcasting tradition and excellence on ESPN Columbus,” said Todd Markiewicz, VP/Station Manager. “The Wolfe Family provided a century of tradition and service to our community and our entire team is proud to carry on that legacy. 100 years of doing anything well is impressive. Through our broadcasting, we’ve become part of the fabric of our community with a front row seat to its rich history. These historic call letters have not only stood the test of time, but have gained momentum and grown into a local, regional, and national sports marketing leader.”
After being a full-service news and talk station for many years, WBNS transitioned to an all sports format in 1994. In early 2009, the format of WBNS-FM and Mix 971 officially became 97.1 The Fan bringing the all-sports format to the FM dial.
WBNS-Radio is the longtime radio flagship home of the Ohio State Buckeyes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Columbus Crew and Columbus’ home of the Cleveland Browns.
You can view the station history/tribute page Here.
