Ideastream Partnership

October 3, 2025

Dear campus community,

Earlier today at their respective meetings, the CSU Board of Trustees and the Executive Committee of the Ideastream Public Media Board of Trustees approved a promising new partnership.  Ideastream will now oversee programming of our public radio station, WCSB. In addition to continuing to serve the audiences of Northeast Ohio, Ideastream will provide CSU students with paid experiential learning opportunities in the region’s largest independent public media organization. 

For more than 20 years, Ideastream has been a vital news organization and a strong advocate for information access in Northeast Ohio. Their headquarters, the Idea Center, is next door to our main campus and is also home to our School of Film & Media Arts. Across its several public radio stations, Ideastream broadcasts regional and national news; educational programming; and jazz, folk and classical music. 

One of our strategic priorities has been to reimagine community partnerships in order to create more hands-on learning experiences for our students. Through this partnership, Ideastream and CSU will develop paid and for-credit learning opportunities — including a wide selection of internships in journalism, television and radio production, marketing and graphic design — at a convenient and accessible location from our campus. At the Idea Center, students will be able to engage with local industry professionals and gain a deeper understanding of their commitment to community service and cultural enrichment. 

With Ideastream programming, WCSB is now Northeast Ohio’s new FM jazz radio station, JazzNEO.  Programming originating from CSU officially ended this morning, and already, the public listenership and Ideastream’s 44,000 members are receiving the broadcast on 89.3 FM and ideastream.org. The station will retain its call letters, and CSU will continue to maintain the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) license for the station.

We thank the dedicated team of students and volunteers who have programmed and hosted shows on WCSB in recent years. Furthermore, we are grateful for the faculty, staff, alumni and community members who have been involved since the station began nearly 50 years ago in 1976. 

Now, together with Ideastream, we will expand access to quality public broadcasting for our students and the listenership of Northeast Ohio.

Sincerely,

Laura Bloomberg, PhD
President