# Cincinnati Bengals Radio Network

The Cincinnati Bengals Radio Network is an American radio network consisting of 37 radio stations which carry coverage of the Cincinnati Bengals, a professional football team in the NFL. Three Cincinnati radio stations—WCKY (1530 AM), WEBN (102.7 FM), and WLW (700 AM)—serve as the network's flagship stations; WLW also simulcasts over a low-power FM translator. The network also includes 39 affiliates in the U.S. states of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and West Virginia: 27 AM stations, 18 of which extend their signals with one or more low-power FM translators; and 12 full-power FM stations. Dan Hoard is the current play-by-play announcer, while Dave Lapham serves as color commentator. In addition to traditional over-the-air AM and FM broadcasts, the Bengals are available on SiriusXM satellite radio, and online with NFL Audio Pass.

## History

Following the 1996 Bengals season, the team ended its radio partnership with Jacor Broadcasting. Jacor had also been responsible for overseeing a network of 35 stations for the team, which had been fronted by WLW (the flagship station from 1968 to 1981 and from 1993 to 1996). Citing a desire to "control content... outside the parameters of gameday broadcasts", the Bengals opted for a new three-year agreement with Chancellor Media. Cincinnati sports talk WKYN and country station WUBE-FM took over as flagship stations for a new network also run by Chancellor. Soon, however, both Chancellor and Jacor would be acquired by Clear Channel, and in 1999, the team itself signed a six-year contract with the radio giant. The team renewed this agreement with Clear Channel in 2005; Cincinnati stations WSAI (which was WCKY (1360 AM) prior to 2005; WSAI's programming and co-flagship rights were transferred to WCKY (1530 AM) in July 2006) and WOFX-FM continued to share flagship duties for the Bengals Radio Network, which by this time included 23 stations in Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia. Former network flagship WLW served as a co-flagship station when it did not conflict with game broadcasts over the Cincinnati Reds Radio Network, a practice which continues to the present day. As WLW and WCKY are both 50,000-watt clear-channel stations, their combined footprints allow Bengals night games to be heard across almost all of North America.
Rock station WEBN became the network's new FM flagship in 2008, a change resulting from Clear Channel's sale of WOFX-FM to Cumulus Media (the U. S. Department of Justice had required the sale of WOFX-FM and WNNF to approve a leveraged buyout of Clear Channel itself). The team subsequently renewed its agreement with Clear Channel (now iHeartMedia) again in 2011 and 2014.

## Station list

| Callsign | Frequency | Band | City | State | Network status |
| WLW | 700 | AM | Cincinnati | Ohio | Flagship |
| W233BG | 94.5 | FM | Cincinnati | Ohio | WLW relay |
| WCKY | 1530 | AM | Cincinnati | Ohio | Flagship |
| WEBN | 102.7 | FM | Cincinnati | Ohio | Flagship |
| WCMI | 1340 | AM | Ashland | Kentucky | Affiliate |
| W227CI | 93.3 | FM | Ashland | Kentucky | WCMI relay |
| WATH | 970 | AM | Athens | Ohio | Affiliate |
| W247DR | 97.3 | FM | Athens | Ohio | WATH relay |
| WKXO | 1500 | AM | Berea | Kentucky | Affiliate |
| W278CC | 103.5 | FM | Berea | Kentucky | WATH relay |
| WDNS | 93.3 | FM | Bowling Green | Kentucky | Affiliate |
| WCSM-FM | 96.7 | FM | Celina | Ohio | Affiliate |
| WZCB | 105.3 | FM | Columbus | Ohio | Affiliate |
| WTUE | 104.7 | FM | Dayton | Ohio | Affiliate |
| WBVI | 96.7 | FM | Findlay | Ohio | Affiliate |
| WRVC | 930 | AM | Huntington | West Virginia | Affiliate |
| W231BS | 94.1 | FM | Huntington | West Virginia | WRVC relay |
| WKTN | 95.3 | FM | Kenton | Ohio | Affiliate |
| WLOH | 1320 | AM | Lancaster | Ohio | Affiliate |
| W283BO | 104.3 | FM | Lancaster | Ohio | WLOH relay |
| WBVX | 92.1 | FM | Lexington | Kentucky | Affiliate |
| WIMA | 1150 | AM | Lima | Ohio | Affiliate |
| WLGN | 1510 | AM | Logan | Ohio | Affiliate |
| W257EQ | 99.3 | FM | Logan | Ohio | WLOH relay |
| W277CX | 103.3 | FM | Logan | Ohio | WLGN relay |
| WKRD | 790 | AM | Louisville | Kentucky | Affiliate |
| WWXL | 1450 | AM | Manchester | Kentucky | Affiliate |
| WMOA | 1490 | AM | Marietta | Ohio | Affiliate |
| W267CQ | 101.3 | FM | Marietta | Ohio | WMOA relay |
| WDLR | 1270 | AM | Marysville | Ohio | Affiliate |
| W244DV | 96.7 | FM | Marysville | Ohio | WDLR relay |
| WTIG | 990 | AM | Massillon | Ohio | Affiliate |
| WYRO | 98.7 | FM | McArthur | Ohio | Affiliate |
| WMPO | 1390 | AM | Middleport | Ohio | Affiliate |
| W279CE | 103.7 | FM | Middleport | Ohio | WMPO relay |
| W265DJ | 100.9 | FM | Mount Vernon | Ohio | WQIO-HD2 relay |
| WMON | 1340 | AM | Montgomery | West Virginia | Affiliate |
| WCLT | 1430 | AM | Newark | Ohio | Affiliate |
| W254CT | 98.7 | FM | Newark | Ohio | WCLT relay |
| WIOI | 1010 | AM | New Boston | Ohio | Affiliate |
| W294CN | 106.7 | FM | New Boston | Ohio | WIOI relay |
| WKYH | 600 | AM | Paintsville | Kentucky | Affiliate |
| WPTW | 1570 | AM | Piqua | Ohio | Affiliate |
| W251BC | 98.1 | FM | Piqua | Ohio | WPTW relay |
| WMOV | 1360 | AM | Ravenswood | West Virginia | Affiliate |
| W228DJ | 93.5 | FM | Ravenswood | West Virginia | WMOV relay |
| W295DM | 106.9 | FM | Point Pleasant | West Virginia | WMOV relay |
| WTLO | 1480 | AM | Somerset | Kentucky | Affiliate |
| W249DF | 97.7 | FM | Somerset | Kentucky | WTLO relay |
| W275CT | 102.9 | FM | Somerset | Ohio | WLOH relay |
| WJYP | 1300 | AM | St. Albans | West Virginia | Affiliate |
| WCHO-FM | 105.5 | FM | Washington Court House | Ohio | Affiliate |
| WHIZ | 1240 | AM | Zanesville | Ohio | Affiliate |
| W272EE | 102.3 | FM | Zanesville | Ohio | WHIZ relay |
Blue background indicates low-power FM translator.

### Network maps

* CINCINNATIColumbusClevelandHuntingtonDetroitWCKYWEBNWLWWATHWBEXWBVIWXZXWCHO-FMWCLTWCSM-FMWHIZWIMAWIOIWLGNWLOHWMOAWMPOWPTWWDLRWTIGWTUEWYROWKTNclass=notpageimage| Map of network stations in Ohio
* LouisvilleLexingtonCINCINNATIHuntingtonBowling GreenNashvilleWBVXWCMIWDNSWKRDWKYHWTLOWWXLWKXOclass=notpageimage| Map of network stations in Kentucky
* Charleston    HuntingtonPittsburghWJYPWMONWMOVWRVCclass=notpageimage| Network stations in West Virginia