Cleveland is a different kind of sports town. It’s the kind of place where a backup offensive lineman gets a standing ovation at a grocery store and a bad draft pick is treated like a personal betrayal of the highest order. For anyone trying to get a 92.3 The Fan listen in today, you aren't just looking for scores. You’re looking for that specific brand of communal venting that only WKRK-FM provides.
It's loud. It’s often irrational. It’s Cleveland.
If you’ve lived here long enough, you know the signal. 92.3 changed the game when it flipped from rock to sports back in 2011, and honestly, the landscape hasn't been the same since. We used to rely on AM signals that would crackle and fade the moment you drove under a bridge or the sun went down. Now, it’s a digital-first powerhouse under the Audacy umbrella. Whether you are stuck in traffic on I-77 or sitting in a cubicle in Beachwood, the way you access Ken Carman or Baskin and Phelps has shifted from "tuning a dial" to managing a suite of digital streams.
The Reality of 92.3 The Fan Listen Options
The most common way people find the station now is through the Audacy app. It’s basically the gatekeeper. While some old-school listeners still swear by the physical FM tuner in their truck—and let’s be real, there is zero latency there—the majority of the audience has migrated to the stream.
This creates a weird dynamic.
Have you ever been at a bar watching the Browns game while listening to the radio broadcast, only to hear the play happen on the radio 30 seconds after you saw it on the screen? That’s the "digital lag" of the modern 92.3 The Fan listen. It’s frustrating. But for most of us, the trade-off is high-definition audio that doesn't disappear when you walk into a basement.
Beyond the app, you have the smart speakers. "Alexa, play 92.3 The Fan." It works about 95% of the time. The other 5%, she tries to play a random Spotify playlist. When it works, it’s the easiest way to keep the morning show running while you’re making coffee and screaming at the TV because the Guardians didn't spend enough on a free-agent outfielder.
Why the Morning Show Still Dominates
Ken Carman and Lima. They are the engine.
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Carman has this way of sounding like your cousin who’s had three beers but somehow still knows more about the salary cap than a GM. It’s a specific skill. When you go for a 92.3 The Fan listen between 6:00 AM and 10:00 AM, you’re getting the pulse of the city. They aren't just reading box scores. They are reacting to the vibe.
I remember when the Browns traded for Deshaun Watson. The phone lines were a disaster area. It wasn't just sports talk; it was a city trying to figure out its own moral compass in real-time. That is where 92.3 wins. They don't sanitize the conversation. They let the callers—the "Fanatics"—actually speak, even when those callers are clearly losing their minds.
Digital vs. Terrestrial: The Audio Quality Trade-off
If you’re an audiophile, the FM signal is still king. There is a richness to the 92.3 MHz frequency that the 128kbps stream just can’t replicate. It’s crisp.
However, we have to talk about the "dead zones." Cleveland’s topography isn't exactly the Himalayas, but the signal can get wonky once you head too far south toward Akron or out east toward Mentor. That is where the 92.3 The Fan listen shifts to the HD Radio subchannels or the stream. If your car has HD Radio, you might find the station on a secondary digital band, which offers that same FM clarity without the static.
The Rise of the Podcast Cut
Not everyone can sit through four hours of Baskin and Phelps. We have jobs. We have lives.
The station knows this. Their "Listen Live" numbers are massive, but their on-demand clip numbers are growing faster. Basically, if Carman goes on a legendary 10-minute rant about the Cavaliers' lack of floor spacing, that clip will be on the website and social media within twenty minutes.
This "snackable" content is how the station survives. It turns a traditional radio station into a 24/7 content farm. You don’t have to be tuned in at 2:15 PM to hear what Dustin Fox thought about the latest depth chart moves. You just check the feed.
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The Personalities That Drive the Dial
It isn't just about the frequency; it’s about the people.
- Ken Carman: The heartbeat of the station. He’s the guy who stays late and gets the city.
- Anthony Lima: The perfect foil. He’s the guy you love to disagree with.
- Dustin Fox: Brings the pro perspective. As a former Buckeye and NFL player, he sees things the rest of us miss.
- Adam the Bull: (Though he's moved on to other ventures like the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show, his legacy still hangs over the station's aggressive, opinionated style).
When you choose a 92.3 The Fan listen, you’re choosing a personality. You might hate one show and love another. That’s okay. The station is designed to be polarizing. If everyone agreed, nobody would call in. If nobody called in, the station would die.
The Technical Side: Streams and Bitrates
Let’s get nerdy for a second. The Audacy stream uses a variable bitrate. If you’re on a shaky 5G connection, the quality drops so the audio doesn’t skip. It’s smart, but it can sound "thin."
If you are at home on Wi-Fi, the 92.3 The Fan listen experience is much better. You’re getting a fuller dynamic range. This matters more than you think during a live game broadcast. You want to hear the roar of the crowd at Progressive Field, not a muffled digital mess that sounds like it’s underwater.
Misconceptions About 92.3 The Fan
A lot of people think 92.3 is just a "Browns station."
That’s a mistake. While the Browns are the 800-pound gorilla in the room, the station’s coverage of the Cavs and Guardians is surprisingly deep. During the 2016 World Series run, they were the only place to be. Even now, with the Cavs being a consistent playoff threat, the basketball talk is sophisticated. They aren't just "football guys" pretending to know what a pick-and-roll is.
Another big misconception? That the callers are staged.
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They aren't. I’ve been in that studio. The producers are filtering through hundreds of calls. They pick the ones that are coherent—or sometimes, the ones that are spectacularly incoherent—to keep the show moving. It’s raw. It’s real. It’s what makes the 92.3 The Fan listen so addictive.
Navigating the Audacy App for the Best Experience
Look, the app isn't perfect. Sometimes it crashes. Sometimes the ads at the start of the stream are annoying. But it has features most people ignore.
- Rewind: You can actually scrub back in the live stream. If you missed the start of an interview, you can slide the bar back. This is a game-changer for a 92.3 The Fan listen.
- Discovery: It suggests other sports talk from across the country, but honestly, why would you listen to Philly sports talk when you can hear about the Browns' third-string linebacker?
- CarPlay/Android Auto: This is the safest way to do it. Don't fumble with your phone while driving on the Shoreway. Use the integrated dash controls.
The Role of Social Media
Twitter (or X, whatever we're calling it today) is the unofficial "second screen" for the station. When you’re doing your 92.3 The Fan listen, you should probably have the station’s feed open. They post polls, live video from the studio, and instant reactions. It makes the whole experience feel like a big, city-wide chat room.
Actionable Steps for the Best Listening Experience
If you want the best possible way to stay connected to Cleveland sports, don't just pick one method. Mix it up.
Optimize your commute. Set 92.3 FM as your primary preset, but keep the Audacy app synced to your car’s Bluetooth. If you hit a signal dead zone, the app can take over.
Use the "Follow" feature. On the Audacy app, follow the specific shows you like. This will ping you when they upload a full show or a specific high-value segment. It saves you from digging through a 4-hour block of audio to find one 10-minute interview.
Check the "Schedule" tab. The station often shifts for live play-by-play. If there’s a midweek Guardians afternoon game, your favorite talk show might be bumped or moved to a digital-only stream. Knowing the schedule prevents that "where is my show?" panic.
Invest in a decent pair of headphones. If you’re listening at work, the nuances of the hosts' arguments are much easier to catch when you aren't using crappy $5 earbuds. The production value on 92.3 is actually quite high; they use top-tier microphones and processing gear.
Cleveland sports are a rollercoaster. The 92.3 The Fan listen is the soundtrack to that ride. Whether we’re winning a championship or—more likely—arguing about why the backup quarterback should be the starter, the station is the place where the conversation happens. Get the app, set your presets, and get ready to get frustrated, excited, and occasionally very loud. That’s just being a fan.