WFNI
Encyclopedia
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
in Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
owned by Emmis Communications
Emmis Communications
Emmis Communications is a media conglomerate based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company owns radio stations and magazines in the United States, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria.-History:...
. The station operates on the AM radio frequency of 1070 kHz. The studios are located at 40 Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis. Transmitter and antenna are located near Interstate 65 and Indiana SR 334 in Boone County, northwest of Indianapolis.
The 1070 frequency is the former home of WIBC, which had broadcast on that frequency since 1938.
On October 8, 2007, it was announced http://www.theindychannel.com/news/14291931/detail.html that effective December 26, the WIBC call letters and news/talk programming would move to 93.1 FM, and that WIBC's sports programming would remain on 1070 AM, joined by programming from ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
effective January 7, 2008. The new call letters were announced in December http://wibc.com/station/eddie_and_kravitz.aspx.
Station broadcasting information
WFNI broadcasts using 50 kW of directional power during the daytime and 10 kW of directional power at night. Both the daytime and night time directional focus more attention on the southeast direction from the antenna site. The daytime directional also includes a small bubble to the southwest.Programming
WFNI was born as a result of a three frequency, two company station swap. These moves were provoked in part because Emmis had acquired the rights to the Indianapolis ColtsIndianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
for the 2007 season, which left the station with the rights to all major sports teams in Indianapolis. To avoid tedious shuffling of games among its stations and frequent preemption of regular programming, Emmis decided to clear a frequency for a new all-sports station in Indianapolis. The move began on October 8, 2007, when the format and branding of Top 40
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
WNOU ("Radio Now") was sold to Radio One and moved to 100.9 MHz, the former frequency of now defunct smooth jazz
Smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
WYJZ. This was done so that Emmis Communications
Emmis Communications
Emmis Communications is a media conglomerate based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company owns radio stations and magazines in the United States, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria.-History:...
could clear the 93.1 frequency for news/talk WIBC, which had been on 1070 kHz on the AM dial. That move was made on December 26, 2007, with 93.1 airing an all-Christmas music
Christmas music
Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music normally performed or heard around the Christmas season, which tends to begin in the months leading up the actual holiday and end in the weeks shortly thereafter.-Early:...
format as "WEXM" between October 8 and December 25. With the 1070 frequency open, Emmis launched its sports radio
Sports radio
Sports radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A popular format with an almost exclusively male demographic in most areas, sports radio is characterized by an often-boisterous on-air style and extensive debate and analysis by both hosts and...
format on December 26 with a series of classic Indianapolis sporting events, ahead of its official launch date, January 7, 2008.
Prior to WFNI's launch, ESPN Radio talk programming had been heard on WXLW
WXLW
WXLW, "XL 950," is an AM radio station owned by Pilgrim Communications LLC serving the greater Indianapolis, Indiana area. The station operates on the AM radio frequency of 950 kHz. In the fall of 2006, the studios were moved from Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis to a different...
, a lower-power station, from 2002–2007; WNDE
WNDE
WNDE, branded as "SportsRadio 1260 WNDE", is an AM radio station owned by Clear Channel Communications in Indianapolis, Indiana. The station operates on the AM radio frequency of 1260 kHz...
was an ESPN Radio affiliate from 1992 till 1994 and again from 1996 until switching to Fox Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio, abbreviated FSR, is an international radio network consisting of sports talk programming. The network is a service of Premiere Networks...
in 2002. WIBC was an ESPN Radio affiliate from 1994-1996. (From 1992-1996, the network's only long-form programming was GameNight on weekend evenings.)
ESPN Radio's national sports broadcasts (MLB baseball, college football and NBA basketball) are, as of the 2009 baseball season, all heard on WFNI - finally sorting out an unusual rights division among as many as four stations in the market during the 2000s (the NBA had often been heard on WIBC and Sunday Night Baseball on WNDE, regardless of which station had the main network affiliation).
Local sports
WFNI is the AM flagshipFlagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
station of the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
's Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
, simulcasting the games with sister station WLHK
WLHK
WLHK -- "97-1 Hank FM" -- is an FM radio station owned by Emmis Communications in Indianapolis, Indiana. The station operates on the FM radio frequency of 97.1 mHz, FM channel 246. The studios are located on Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis. The transmitters, according to the FCC, are...
-FM. As such, daily updates from Colts play-by-play voice Bob Lamey
Bob Lamey
Bob Lamey is an American sportscaster, currently the radio play-by-play announcer for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League...
are heard in-season, and The Bill Polian
Bill Polian
Bill Polian is the Vice Chairman of the Indianapolis Colts NFL team. He rose to league prominence as the General Manager of the Buffalo Bills, building a team that participated in four straight Super Bowls, losing each time...
Show airs weekly.
In addition, WFNI is the flagship for the WNBA's Indiana Fever
Indiana Fever
The Indiana Fever is a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2000 season began...
and was the flagship for the NBA's Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
from 2007–2010; on June 22, 2010, it was announced the Pacers would move to WIBC. WFNI also airs Indiana University
Indiana Hoosiers
The Indiana Hoosiers are the athletic teams for the Bloomington campus of Indiana University . Athletic teams sponsored by IU Bloomington include cross country, track, baseball, golf, tennis, rowing, volleyball, soccer, football and basketball...
football (WLHK airs that school's basketball games) and the Indiana High School state championship games in football and girls' and boys' basketball.
WFNI is also the flagship of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network , is an in-house radio syndication arrangement which broadcasts the Indianapolis 500, IndyCar, and the Brickyard 400 to radio stations covering most of North America....
, carrying the IRL IndyCar Series
IndyCar Series
The IZOD IndyCar Series is the premier level of American open wheel racing. The current championship, founded by Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George, began in 1996 as a competitor to CART known as the Indy Racing League . Citing CART's increasing reliance on expensive machinery and...
(and its crown jewel event, the Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
), as well as the NASCAR Brickyard 400
Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
The Brickyard 400 is an annual 400-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup points race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. The event, when first held in 1994, marked the first race other than the Indianapolis 500 to be held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway since 1916...
and the Indianapolis motorcycle Grand Prix
Indianapolis motorcycle Grand Prix
The Indianapolis Grand Prix is a motorcycling event held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States as part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. Its first edition took place on September 14, 2008 and was sponsored by Red Bull. The race was held again on August 30,...
.
In June 2010, it was announced that Butler Bulldogs
Butler Bulldogs
All but one of Butler University's 19 intercollegiate teams compete in the Horizon League, along with Cleveland State, Detroit, Green Bay, Loyola, Milwaukee, UIC, Valparaiso, Wright State and Youngstown State...
men's basketball would move from WXNT
WXNT
WXNT is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, the station serves the Indianapolis area. The station is currently owned by Entercom Indianapolis License, LLC and features programing from Fox News Radio, Premiere Radio Networks and...
to WFNI beginning in the 2010-11 season.
Local talk
As of June 2010, WFNI programs three daily local sports talk shows; The Grady and Big Joe Show with Joe StaysniakJoe Staysniak
Joseph Andrew Staysniak is a sports radio talk show host and a former professional American football offensive lineman who played six seasons for the Buffalo Bills, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Indianapolis Colts and the Arizona Cardinals...
and Michael Grady airs at 10 a.m., followed by The Dan Dakich
Dan Dakich
Dan Dakich is an American college basketball coach, most recently serving as the interim head coach at Indiana University, following Kelvin Sampson's resignation due to NCAA recruiting violations...
Show from noon - 3 p.m. and The Ride with JMV (aka John Michael) from 3 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Kravitz and Eddie was the station's inaugural afternoon-drive (3-6 p.m.) talk show, co-hosted by Eddie White and Indianapolis Star sports columnist Bob Kravitz, with producer Grady. Kravitz left the station on March 15, 2010, leaving White as a solo host. An Emmis press release on May 15 announced White would transition to a part-time station contributor; he filled in frequently for Dakich before leaving for good in late 2010 to work for the Indiana Pacers. On May 24, The Ride with JMV took over the afternoon-drive slot. JMV had previously hosted the afternoon-drive slot on rival WNDE from 2004-2009. Grady remained as producer until becoming morning co-host in early 2011.
On October 6, 2008, former Indiana
Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball
The Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing Indiana University . The school competes in the Big Ten Conference in Division I of the NCAA. The Hoosiers play on Branch McCracken Court at the Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana on the IU...
and Bowling Green
Bowling Green Falcons men's basketball
The Bowling Green Falcons men's basketball team is the basketball team that represent Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. The school's team currently competes in the Mid-American Conference. The team last played in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament in 1968...
basketball coach Dan Dakich was added in the 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. timeslot. On April 5 2010, Dakich moved to 12 noon to 3 p.m., making room for former Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
lineman and longtime WIBC personality Joe Staysniak.
Indiana Sports Talk, hosted by Bob Lovell, airs Friday and Saturday nights from August through May and focuses primarily on high school sports scores and results. The program predates WFNI, having been syndicated statewide since 1994 by the Emmis-owned Network Indiana.
WFNI, like 1070-WIBC before it, is the home of Indianapolis Motor Speedway historian Donald Davidson's nightly call-in show, The Talk of Gasoline Alley, throughout the month of May leading up to the Indianapolis 500. The show began in 1970.
Other local programs include Trackside, a weekly two-hour auto racing discussion hosted by The Indianapolis Star
The Indianapolis Star
The Indianapolis Star is a morning daily newspaper that began publishing on June 6, 1903. It has won the Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting twice, in 1975 and 1991. It is currently owned by the Gannett Company.-History:...
's racing reporter Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee, who formerly hosted Sports Talk on WIBC; and Colts Friday, hosted by Lee and Bob Lamey. During the offseason, Colts Friday is replaced by The Heavyweights, a roundtable discussion hosted by Jeffrey Gorman and former Colts Staysniak, Tarik Glenn
Tarik Glenn
Tarik Glenn is a former American football offensive tackle who played for the Indianapolis Colts. Glenn performed as two-way lineman at Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland, California....
and Will Wolford. "Jersey" Johnny Cimasko hosts a pre- or post-game show on Colts gameday Sundays, in addition to a weekend show in the offseason. One on One is a weekend longform interview show hosted by former Star writer Mark Monteith.