CLEVELAND — The Cleveland City Council is taking a stand against the new partnership between Cleveland State University and Ideastream Public Media.
During Monday night's meeting, the city council passed an emergency resolution supporting students and station members working to regain access to WCSB.
The resolution is urging Cleveland State University to fully restore WCSB radio to its students.
The resolution states that "On October 3, 2025, which was ironically World College Radio Day, Ideastream public media and CSU leadership engaged in a hostile takeover of the signal 89.3 FM. Students were informally and without notice locked out of the radio station and escorted from the building by police. This council unequivocally supports the students and community members who continue to organize to reclaim their station and the culture of student-run WCSB."
Earlier this month, CSU announced that the student-run alternative radio station, WCSB, was being shut down, and a News 5 camera was there as police escorted students out of the station.
Cleveland city councilman Kris Harsh says he felt compelled to show his support because he was a college radio DJ, and it’s important to preserve Cleveland’s culture.
“WCSB has been around for 50 years, and that's generational. There are multiple decades of people who grew up listening to this radio station, it means a lot to them, it means a lot to me and it means a lot to the people down here at city hall,” said Harsh.
Cleveland State University says Ideastream approached the school several months ago about taking over the radio station for jazz programming.
In exchange, the school would strengthen its relationship for student opportunities for hands-on experience at Ideastream.
But over the last few weeks, students have argued that there has been a lack of transparency in the transfer and believe the college radio station added something special to the community.
Alison Bomgardner, the former general manager for WCSB, says they are grateful for the Cleveland community and city council stepping up to defend the students.
“It is really inspiring to see how the Cleveland community and especially the political representatives of Cleveland are really stepping up to the plate on this important issue, particularly about representing diverse voices in the Cleveland community,” said Bomgardner.
City council is now asking CSU President Laura Bloomberg and Ideastream to come to city hall and discuss the agreement, hoping to put students back on the air.
“I don't think that Dr. Laura Bloomberg and Kevin Martin understood how deep WCSB reached into the community when they made this decision without consulting with anyone. They've upended thousands of people's lives, people who kept their radio dial tuned to 89.3 FM for years. Who tuned in one day to find that their favorite shows weren't on and are upset about it,” said Harsh.
CSU students and the community will protest this afternoon against the transfer of WCSB to Ideastream. The rally will start at 3:00 p.m. in the quad during the State of the University Address.
“We're really demonstrating that our community's voice is still there, and it's louder than ever. It's something where we just must keep going, we must keep pushing because ultimately that's how we reach productive conclusions. Especially in these situations where we were left out of the decision-making process,” said Bomgardner.
After our report aired, Cleveland State sent News 5 this statement.
We are aware of the resolution passed by City Council last night. While we appreciate their engagement, we stand by our decision. We believe in the benefit of this partnership and remain committed to supporting the students who have been involved with the radio station even as we seek to serve all our students in a rapidly evolving higher education landscape.
