Cleveland Browns Radio Network

Original franchise (1946–1995)

Radio broadcasts for the Cleveland Browns date back to the team's inaugural 1946 season in the All-America Football Conference, with WGAR (1220 AM) as the initial flagship station; WGAR sportscaster Bob Neal and Stan Gee were the team's first announcers.^[1] Bill Mayer took over as Neal's color commentator in 1947 in addition to his duties as WGAR's morning drive host.^[10] WGAR also carried a weekly 15-minute show during the football season by head coach Paul Brown, the Browns' co-founder and namesake.^[11][12] A five-station network was assembled for the 1948 season consisting of WGAR, WATG in Ashland, WBNS in Columbus, WHIO in Dayton, WFRO-FM in Fremont, WJEL in Springfield and WTRF in Bellaire;^[2] stations in Lima, Toledo, Zanesville, Marion and Cincinnati were added the following year.^[13] WLAL in Lakewood, a short-lived FM station owned by Browns owner Arthur B. McBride, was also an affiliate in 1948 and 1949.^[14][15] By 1952, the network spanned 16 stations in Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky and Pennsylvania.^[16]

WGAR served as the flagship until the 1950 season, the team's first with the National Football League, when WERE (1300 AM) took over; Neal also moved to WERE^[17] but was replaced due to his announcing for Cleveland Indians telecasts being sponsored by Pfeiffer Brewing Co., rival to the Brewing Corp. of America which sponsored the Browns network.^[16][18] WTAM carried the games in 1952 and 1953 with Ken Coleman as announcer,^[19] WGAR reclaimed the flagship rights the following year.^[20] Through all but one year of WGAR's second stint as flagship, Bill McColgan handled play-by-play;^[1] while Bill Kelly returned in 1954,^[20] Jim Graner replaced him as color commentator the following year.^[21] Gib Shanley took over as the team's sole announcer 1961 in addition to becoming WGAR's sports director and announcer for Ohio State football.^[22]

The games moved back to WERE in 1962, with the network consisting of over 50 radio stations.^[23] WHK took over as flagship in 1968 when WERE signed up with the Cincinnati Bengals Radio Network (the Bengals were also founded by Paul Brown).^[24] By the 1974 season, the network consisted of WHK and 34 affiliates, including three stations in Pennsylvania; all but five stations broadcast on the AM band.^[25] Shanley was paired with Graner beginning in 1963^[1] and continued in their roles until the start of the 1975 season, when Graner retired after being diagnosed with a brain tumor.^[26] Jim Mueller took over for Graner as color commentator.^[27]

WHK's role as flagship ended when team owner Art Modell tried unsuccessfully to move the broadcast rights onto WJW (850 AM), a station he had owned since 1977 but consistently lost money on.^[28] Robert Gries, a minority owner, sued Modell on charges of anti-competitive practices on December 15, 1983,^[29] while WHK exercised an option to carry the team through the 1984 season^[30] which was also Gib Shanley's last as lead announcer.^[31] Modell's syndicate, Lake Erie Broadcasting signed a multi-year deal with the team on February 18, 1985,^[32] sold WJW and purchased WWWE^[a] and WDOK, transferring the broadcast rights to the latter two stations.^[33]

Doug Dieken, who recently retired after 14 seasons as left tackle for the team,^[34] expressed a desire to become one of the announcers^[31] and joined Mueller and Nev Chandler as color commentator beginning in 1985;^[1][35] Mueller left after the 1986 season.^[36] Lake Erie sold both stations in 1987^[37] but WWWE carried the games until 1991, while WLTF took over as FM flagship in 1990.^[38][b] WHK and WMMS signed a three-year contract in 1991,^[42] prevailing in a bidding war over WKNR (1220 AM)^[c] and WWWE/WLTF.^[43] WKNR subsequently teamed up with WDOK for a two-year contract in 1994 with game coverage produced by a third party on behalf of the team.^[44]

Prior to the 1994 season, Nev Chandler died from colon cancer on August 7,^[45] with Casey Coleman (son of Ken Coleman and a water boy for the team during Ken's tenure as announcer) taking over as lead announcer alongside Dieken.^[46] Coleman's tenure as announcer was complicated by his public support of then-head coach Bill Belichick, whom the fan base disapproved of, along with Chandler's substantial popularity and acclaim.^[47] The 1995 season became overshadowed by the team's announced relocation to Baltimore by Modell mid-season.^[48] WKNR and WDOK continued to carry the games for the remainder of the season, but with public service announcements airing after the majority of advertisers cancelled their sponsorships.^[49] For the team's last two seasons, the Browns radio network had 40 affiliates in 1994^[50] and 49 in 1995.^[51]

During the 1997 and 1998 NFL seasons, WKNR originated Countdown to '99, a weekly hour-long program co-hosted by Dieken and Marc Kestecher over many former Browns radio network affiliates.^[52] WKNR produced the show on behalf of an intellectual property trust established by the NFL during the franchise's interregnum.^[53]

Expansion franchise (1999–present)

Following reactivation of the Cleveland Browns franchise in 1999, flagship rights were awarded to Jacor (with a pending merger into Clear Channel)^[54] with WMJI as the flagship and WTAM simulcasting the majority of games which did not conflict with the station's Indians and Cavaliers commitments.^[55] Jim Donovan was named as the team's lead announcer, joining Dieken and Coleman, who was now the team's sideline reporter. Secondary programming, including a weekly show featuring the Browns head coach, aired exclusively on WTAM.^[56] The flagship rights were transferred to WMMS for the 2002 season in a bid to boost that station's low ratings.^[57]

Coleman, who was also a co-host on WTAM's morning-drive program, remained as sideline reporter until his death on November 28, 2006, after a year-long battle with pancreatic cancer.^[58] The team honored Coleman the previous month by renaming the field house at their Berea, Ohio, indoor practice facility after him.^[59] WTAM sportscaster/team beat reporter Andre Knott^[60] filled in for Coleman during the 2006 season and took over the role on a full-time basis the following season.^[61] The Browns replaced Knott with team employee Jamir Howerton at the start of the 2010 season^[60] and again with Nathan Zegura in 2014.^[62] During the 2011 season, Donovan missed two regular season games following his treatment for leukemia earlier in the year; WTAM sports director Mike Snyder filled in both times.^[63]

On March 28, 2013, the Cleveland Browns announced a new long-term deal with Good Karma Broadcasting (now Good Karma Sports as of August 2026) and CBS Radio, awarding the flagship rights to Good Karma's WKNR (850 AM)^[d] and CBS Radio's WKRK-FM and WNCX.^[64] WKNR had already been airing Cleveland Browns Daily, an hour-long program produced year-round by the team, since July 2011 via a cooperative agreement;^[65] under this contract, the show expanded to two hours as a centerpiece of over 1,000 annual hours of ancillary team-produced programming.^[64] Craig Karmazin, founder of Good Karma, proposed the deal with CBS, likening it to the existing CBS–Turner Sports co-op for NCAA men's basketball tournament coverage and saw the Browns being such a strong community asset that it could be workable.^[66] This arrangement between Good Karma and Entercom (succeeding owners of WKRK-FM and WNCX; now named Audacy, Inc.) was renewed effective with the 2020 season.^[67][68]

During Baker Mayfield's rookie season as Cleveland Browns quarterback, KREF in Norman, Oklahoma, joined the network on October 5, 2018, for the remainder of the 2018 season.^[69] KREF owner Randy Laffoon made the arrangement to provide Oklahoma Sooners fans a chance to follow Mayfield, having previously carried St. Louis Rams games after that team drafted former Sooner quarterback Sam Bradford.^[70] KAKC in Tulsa, Oklahoma, signed a three-year affiliation deal prior to the 2019 season after discovering the Mayfield-led Browns drew higher television ratings that the Dallas Cowboys in Oklahoma City.^[71] Both stations dropped their affiliations after Mayfield's 2022 departure from the team.

Doug Dieken announced his retirement as color commentator at the conclusion of the 2021 season, concluding a 37-year run in broadcasting and 51 years of involvement with the team; the radio broadcast booth at FirstEnergy Stadium was renamed in his honor.^[34][72] Nathan Zegura was subsequently named as Dieken's replacement in the booth, while former NFL player and WKNR afternoon host Je'Rod Cherry was named the team's new sideline reporter.^[3] Donovan went on medical leave following the 2023 season opener to undergo treatment for leukemia, which had relapsed; various broadcasters, including Chris Rose, Andrew Siciliano and Paul Keels served as interim play-by-play announcers in his absence.^[73]

Prior to the start of the 2024 season, Donovan announced his retirement, stating that his cancer "has returned and very aggressively".^[5] Andrew Sciliano was officially named as the team's lead announcer days later; a longtime fan of the Browns, Siciliano said, "I'm honored for the opportunity, but wish the circumstances were different... I know I have big shoes to fill."^[74] On October 26, 2024, Donovan died from chronic lymphocytic leukemia at the age of 68.^[75]

Spanish-language stations

Blue background indicates low-power FM translator.

Network map