Cleveland State University’s top brass crafted a thorough communications plan to announce the handoff of its student-run radio station WCSB to Ideastream Public Media last month.

Yet a draft of that rollout, obtained by Signal through a public records request, shows little indication officials were prepared to handle the intense criticism they ended up receiving in Northeast Ohio and beyond from supporters bemoaning what they say is an abrupt end to a beloved community institution. (Read the documents below.)

Records show a three-page timeline established a nearly minute-by-minute breakdown of the many tasks leaders expected to complete beginning on Oct. 2, one day before trustees at both institutions approved the move. 

That document included the names of influential lawmakers, philanthropists and other people university officials planned to alert about the deal. Another file compiled potential talking points for senior administrators and employees, according to records.

But these documents offered no plan for combating a public response that, since the announcement was made, has included protests both on campus and off, a barrage of negative social media comments, a Cleveland City Council resolution calling on the school to reverse the decision and an attempt to disrupt President Laura Bloomberg’s State of the University address. 

This communications campaign included a joint press release. It framed the deal as the next step in a partnership between two downtown Cleveland institutions. 

In the release, Ideastream said the deal expands its jazz music offerings by putting that programming on the FM radio spot WCSB previously occupied. Cleveland State officials, meanwhile, said the exchange will give its students more internships and other learning opportunities at Ideastream. 

That release did not mention that – as Signal first reported last month – Cleveland State would get additional perks, such as thousands of promotional spots across Ideastream’s TV and radio stations and a seat on Ideastream’s board for the university’s president. 

University officials sought connections to Cleveland’s international communities 

These documents make up a “joint communication plan” outlined in the contract signed by Cleveland State and Ideastream leaders. It’s unknown if any unreleased documents or messages outside of these records contain additional related thoughts or intentions. 

What is clear, though, is that a large part of this communications strategy centered on community outreach. 

Bloomberg was slated to connect with Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame CEO Greg Harris the day before the deal was official, according to records.

The document also noted Global Cleveland President Joe Cimperman would receive a call from Cleveland State trustee Taras (Terry) Szmagala that same day. Cimperman confirmed to Signal that the two did speak. Szmagala was looking for connections to members of the city’s Slovenian, Arabic and German-speaking communities, he said. 

Cimperman said his nonprofit organization, which focuses on welcoming and growing the city’s international population, gets calls like that “a lot.” Though WCSB briefly came up in the conversation, he said he didn’t understand the full scope of what was underway. 

International radio shows were a cornerstone of WCSB’s programming and beloved by the city’s immigrant communities. 

Planning documents indicate two members of Bloomberg’s cabinet were tapped to connect with several program hosts right before the deal became public, including the Cleveland German Radio Show and the Arabic Radio Program. 

Names on Bloomberg’s projected call list range from philanthropist to legendary DJ 

Records show Bloomberg planned to connect with a diverse group of people in addition to Cleveland politicians and members of the Cleveland State community. The list of nearly two dozen names in total included Kid Leo, a legendary disc jockey who worked at Cleveland’s FM rock radio station WMMS decades ago, and local philanthropist Char Fowler.

Ideastream President and CEO Kevin Martin called Fowler and her husband, Chuck, “Northeast Ohio’s First Family of Jazz” in a September news release announcing a $1 million gift from the pair. 

Ideastream’s leadership later denied there was any link between that donation and the WCSB deal, according to reporting from the station’s news department. The family is a longtime donor to Cleveland State, too. (The Fowlers also support Signal Cleveland). 

These documents don’t note whether Bloomberg actually spoke with all, or any, of the people listed in the draft plans.

What Cleveland State officials were prepped to say

The rollout also included a document proposing seven high-level talking points to give to several stakeholders, including employees in the university’s fundraising, alumni and admissions departments. 

The list used many higher education buzzwords while offering few real details. Records show one line advised workers to describe the deal as a way to “enhance relationships with community partners to expand opportunities for prospective and current students/learners.”

Another underlined that the decision “is not a result of current programming or management of WCSB, or university budget.” The university faced a budget deficit projected to hit as high as $40 million last year, though officials say the school is on firmer financial footing now. 

Records show the communications campaign also included a separate draft list of frequently asked questions set to be provided to senior staffers. One question on the list asked what the decision meant for community members. 

“The addition of an FM analog signal for JazzNEO provides cultural enrichment to thousands more listeners, ensures access for those without HD radios, and strengthens the region’s reputation as a hub for music and the arts,” read the proposed answer.  

Cleveland State, Ideastream stand firm on deal 

Cleveland State officials maintain they stand by the deal despite the public pushback. 

And in an article published Oct. 30, Ideastream CEO Martin said the agreement between the two institutions is proceeding as planned. 

“I’ll take my direction from CSU, and I think for them it’s a matter of really whatever they feel needs to happen,” he said in Current, a public media news outlet. “They really believe that there’s a lot of value in expanding a relationship with Ideastream with this particular program and format. I think they’re committed to it. They have not said otherwise.”