Sports of all levels have continued to gain attraction in Columbus. Live coverage ensures that sports remain easy to follow, making them a popular way to enjoy free time for all interested.
The Fan 97.1 (WBNS-FM), Columbus’ number one 24/7 live sports radio and podcast, is a large contributor to local sports coverage. The “Morning Juice,” the 6-9 a.m. weekday podcast, invites listeners to rise and shine with The Fan as they get their sports updates during daily commutes to school or work. Senior and avid listener Connor Henry gave his input.
“Every morning on the way to school is when I usually listen to them,” Henry said. “I like when on Mondays, they usually go through all the college football games and talk about them. They usually have a segment on Ohio State specifically, and just kind of critique the game.”
Henry gets valuable college football information from The Fan, some of which can’t be found anywhere else.
“The most valuable part is that they’re able to talk to Ryan Day and coaches from Ohio State, so you get to hear kind of insider stuff that you wouldn’t hear from the news articles,” Henry said.
Ohio State football is a vital issue for The Fan to discuss during the fall. Pregame predictions, live radio coverage and especially postgame analyses are all components. Morning Juice host Brandon “Beamer” Beam gave his input.
“The busiest time of the year is fall,” Beamer said. “The OSU games are huge. It’s obviously big. We carry those on weekends.”
Beamer hosts the show with Former OSU and NFL player Bobby Carpenter, which is produced by Mark Howell.
When asked about the specific busiest times or the most tuned-in listeners, Beamer spoke about college football postgame repercussions, especially of Ohio State’s first loss to the University of Oregon.
“Reacting to the Oregon game, like everyone was… we were all losing our minds over that one,” Beamer said.
Beamer is on the radio three hours a day, Monday through Friday, leaving him a notable amount of news to cover, besides OSU football.
“Everything keeps us busy,” Beamer said. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s fun. It’s fun to do. You feel like you don’t ever really take a break because you like the content. The machine never stops, so it’s always about what’s next.”
While keeping busy, The Fan must also stay relevant to their target audience: Columbus citizens. Beamer explained how first on the agenda is exactly what’s going on in the city.
“I think, especially here doing a show in Columbus, at least for Bobby and I on our show, it’s about what’s local, right? There’s a lot of Ohio State football talk. There’s a lot of Crew talk,” he said.
After the priority sports are covered, The Fan and Beamer cover sports teams from all around Ohio that their listeners are fans of.
“Then we move outward to like the Cavs or the Guardians, Reds, Browns, Bengals,” Beamer said.
Finally, the national stories are highlighted.
“Then if there’s still time left, that’s when we usually do the national stuff. But usually I’m looking at, like, what goes on here in Columbus, and then we usually go from there.”
Having a variety of thought processes and perspectives is important throughout the day. Beamer explains how the different podcasts construct a good collection of entertainment and informative sports elements.
“I think the people we have here are really good. If you listen to our show, you’re going to get something different than you get with Bo’s show at nine. And you’re going to get something different from Bo’s show at nine than you would at Rothman and Matty’s show from noon to three. And then three o’clock guys, you don’t know what you can get out of those guys,” Beamer said. “We all get along with each other, and I think each show has a different bit of flair for whatever you’re looking for. I feel like there’s always different viewpoints per show.”
Although sports information is the focus of The Fan, keeping the audience tuned in and entertained is important. Henry specifically enjoys the comedic side of the radio show.
“It’s not very serious, it’s a super goofy podcast. I think that it’s fun to listen to in the mornings when you don’t wanna listen to music,” Henry said. “And they talk about a lot of other stuff than sports too, especially food.”
The fight for the best local sports radio show will continue with 97.1 The Fan. Beamer spoke about the overall goal they aim to achieve when asked what’s next.
“Honestly, the number one sports station in the country. And I think that’s our goal here. I know that we do our best to try to deliver the most entertaining and informative shows that we can, but I think locally, we do a pretty good job. And I think nationally, we want to be viewed as one of the best sports products that there is in any local market, and I think we’re on our way to that,” Beamer said.
