Cleveland State University is handing over the reins of its beloved student-run radio station to Ideastream Public Media.
Ideastream will now control the programming of WCSB, while Cleveland State will keep the station’s license with the Federal Communications Commission.
The handoff happened quickly. WCSB went off the air soon after the organizations sent out a joint press release announcing the news Oct. 3. The station is now known as “JazzNEO,” expanding Ideastream’s jazz music offerings to more people in the region with this new FM radio presence, per the release.
Some students, alumni and community members were quick to complain, especially about the abruptness of the timeline. Current WCSB workers shared on social media that they were given little advance notice about the deal.
That’s because both Ideastream and Cleveland State were operating under non-disclosure agreements as talks ramped up over the past few months, Cleveland State President Laura Bloomberg told Signal in an interview Friday.
She said that a high level of confidentiality was required because the conversations dealt with the university’s FCC license. Both sides knew the eventual handoff would be a quick “flash cut” once it was finalized since it involved live radio airways, she said.
Still, Bloomberg said she understands that “this feels like a substantial loss,” especially as the station is set to celebrate its 50th anniversary this year. She delivered the news to WCSB’s student leaders herself via Zoom and said she offered them a follow-up meeting to talk again next week.
“This doesn’t have to be the end,” she said of her message to them. “It’s the end of 89.3 FM WCSB for the students, but it is not the end of them being able to share their stories and have an outlet for the kind of programming that they want to support.”
Cleveland State said more opportunities, not money, fueled the deal
Ideastream will take over the financial responsibility for programming from Cleveland State, with no other payments being exchanged between the two entities, university officials told Signal.
Both institutions have weathered financial difficulties. Last year, Cleveland State faced a budget gap once projected to hit as high as $40 million. Ideastream and other public media stations nationwide, meanwhile, are dealing with federal funding cuts.
Bloomberg said this deal wasn’t about money, adding that it is essentially “cost neutral” for the university.
“This was not made for budgetary or financial reasons,” she said. “This is not a cut for CSU. This is an opportunity to grow our engagement.”
Instead, from Cleveland State’s side, Bloomberg said the partnership offers a chance to expand students’ access to “true professional growth opportunities.” The deal will offer more paid and for-credit learning opportunities for students at Ideastream’s Playhouse Square facilities.
“The opportunity [for students] to work with professionals in their fields, with state-of-the-art technology, engaging in state-of-the-art broadcasting experiences, that excited me,” she said.
It’s the latest move tying the two downtown Cleveland institutions. They partner in “a long line of formal and informal partnerships,” Friday’s joint press release from Ideastream and Cleveland State said. That includes housing the university’s School of Film and Media Arts in Ideastream’s Playhouse Square headquarters.
