Broadcast Coverage Maps

FM Stations - Detail         FM Stations - Printable

AM Stations - Detail         AM Stations - Printable

FM Stations
WAPS	#	91.3	Akron		WOSB	N	91.1	Marion
WOUB		91.3	Athens		WOSP	N	91.5	Portsmouth
WOUC		9.1	Cambridge		W208AT		89.5	Coshocton
WOUH	N	91.9	Chillicothe		WDPR	#	88.1	Dayton
WOUL		89.1	Ironton					(West Carrollton)
WOUZ	N	90.1	Zanesville		WDPG	N	89.9	Greenville
WAIF		88.3	Cincinnati		WKSU		89.7	Kent
WGUC		90.9	Cincinnati		WKRJ	N	91.5	New Philadelphia
WVXU		91.7	Cincinnati		WKSV	N	89.1	Thompson
WVXC		89.3	Chillicothe		WKRW	N	89.3	Wooster
WVXR		89.3	Richmond, IN		WMUB		88.5	Oxford
			(St. Paris, OH)		WGTE		91.3	Toledo
WVXW	N	89.5	West Union		WGBE	N	90.9	Bryan
WCPN		90.3	Cleveland		WGDE	N	91.9	Defiance
WCBE		90.5	Columbus		WGLE		90.7	Lima
W294AC	N	106.7	Newark		WCSU		88.9	Wilberforce
WOSU		89.7	Columbus		WYSO		91.3	Yellow Springs
WOSE	N	91.1	Coshocton		WYSU		88.5	Youngstown
WOSV	N	91.7	Mansfield		W211AL	N	90.1	Ashtabula
AM Stations
WOUB		1340	Athens		WOSU		820	Columbus

General Comments

Public radio in Ohio is provided by ten educational institutions and five community licensees. Public broadcasting coverage in Ohio is coordinated by legislative mandate through the Ohio Educational Telecommunications Network Commission, which also distributes state funds for the expansion of state-qualified public broadcasting services.  Several broadcasters provide regional services: WGTE serves northwest Ohio, WKSU serves northeast Ohio outside of Cleveland, WOSU serves the central and southern parts of the state, WOUB serves southeast Ohio, and WVXU serves Cincinnati and south central Ohio.  The licensees of WCPN, WOUB, WOSU and WGTE also operate public television stations.  Cincinnati and Columbus are served by multiple FM stations, but Cleveland has only one public radio station.

FM Service

Thirty-three public FM stations in Ohio provide service to the state.  The number of public FM radio stations in Ohio has almost doubled -- from 17 to 33 -- since the 1989 PTFP study.  The number of translators has increased from one to three.  During this time, the percentage of Ohioans receiving an FM public radio signal has increased from 88.2% to 97.7%, and the number of unserved residents in the state has dropped from 1,270,000 in 1989 to 262,714 currently.

Thirteen stations have been constructed in areas identified in the 1989 study as uncovered.  All are repeater transmitters that extend coverage from six Ohio radio broadcasters that were operating in 1989.  Two stations that did not meet criteria for inclusion in the 1989 study but now meet the criteria are indicated on the station list by the # symbol.

AM Service

Two AM stations provide public radio service in Ohio: WOSU(AM) 820 kHz Columbus operating at 5 kW daytime and 790 watts at night and WOUB(AM) 1340 kHz Athens operating at 500 watts daytime and 1 kW at night.  Prior to the FM construction listed above, WOSU provided the only public radio coverage to many of areas of the state.  WOUB covers Athens county and portions of neighboring counties in southeast Ohio.

Service from Adjacent States

One Ohio station, WVXR, a repeater of WVXU Cincinnati, is licensed to Richmond, Indiana.  WVXR’s transmitter is located in St. Paris, Ohio. Ohio residents near the state's borders receive public radio signals from stations in Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.                                                     

Unserved Areas

Region A

The most significant area -- with 74,169 residents -- without service is in Huron, Erie and Crawford counties in north central Ohio.  These counties lie between the contours of the public stations in Toledo and Cleveland.  The southern portion of this region receives from WOSU.  WKSU is constructing a repeater station (WNRK) near Norwalk in Huron County to operate on 90.7 MHz.  The new station will provide the first public radio service to more than 66,000 residents. 

Region B
Knox and Licking counties northeast of Columbus have nearly 36,000 unserved residents.  The area's proximity to a channel 6 TV station in Columbus may limit options for receiving public radio service residents of this region receive from WOSU.

Region C

Nearly 17,000 residents of Carroll County in eastern Ohio do not receive a public radio signal. The county is situated between the coverage contours of WYSU, WKRJ and WOUC.  The population is dispersed throughout this rural county of small towns and farms.

Region D

As in Region B, channel 6 issues may limit service southwest of Columbus in Fayette, Clinton and Highland counties where about 16,880 residents are unserved.  Residents of this region receive from WOSU.

Region E

A fifth area that lacks public radio service is found in Washington, Monroe and Noble counties along the Ohio River in southeast Ohio.  The area, which includes portions of Wayne National Forest, is on the Appalachian Plateau and is some of the most rugged terrain in the state.  Though a large area uncovered geographic area within Ohio, 80% of the residents of these three counties do receive a public radio signal.  The terrain and the dispersed population are factors in providing coverage to the remaining 19,000 unserved residents of these counties.