A Columbus sports talk radio station was temporarily evacuated, and its content shifted to network programming after a suspicious package was found there on Thursday afternoon.
“Hi all, we are currently running network programming due to a situation at our building that has caused us to temporarily evacuate,” the station’s official X account wrote in a since-deleted post. “We plan to return to local programming as soon as possible today.”
According to Citizen.com, authorities responded to the station for “an unconfirmed report of a powdery substance found inside a package” just after 1:15 p.m. on Thursday. Per subsequent updates, FBI, HAZMAT, firefighters and EMS all responded to the scene.
While the building was evacuated, the ESPN affiliate ran national programming until resuming local programming just after 3 p.m. The station’s afternoon drive show, Common Man & T-Bone, broadcast the first half-hour of its show from a self-described “closet” before moving back into the studio for the remainder of the show.
Thanks for everyone’s patience this afternoon, we are back up, and running!
Even though @ManAndBone971 are back in the studio, we’re going to call them The Bunker Boyz for the rest of the day.
Tune into The Fan, 97.1 FM, streaming on The Fan App, & YouTube @WBNSradio pic.twitter.com/kRFzdWSDum— 97.1 The Fan (@971thefan) February 13, 2025
At this point, there aren’t many additional details regarding the circumstances that led to Thursday’s evacuation and the temporary switch to the national programming. But the good news is everybody appears safe, while Columbus listeners can return to their Buckeyes and Blue Jackets talk.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.