Cleveland City Council unanimously passes resolution to give WCSB radio station back to students – The Cauldron
On Monday, Oct. 20, the Cleveland City Council unanimously passed an emergency resolution to fully restore WCSB, the long-time student and community-run radio station, to Cleveland State University students.
This vote followed community backlash over CSU’s new partnership with Ideastream Public Media, which handed WCSB over to Ideastream and left students feeling blindsided.
The resolution supports students and station staff in regaining access to the 89.3 FM radio frequency and urges Cleveland State “to fully restore WCSB radio to its students,” according to its language.
“Radio helps people find their voice,” said Councilmember and former college DJ Kris Harsh. “I obviously didn’t go into communications, but I did end up in politics, writing my voice quite often. So college radio gives everybody that opportunity, regardless of their major.”
Copies of the resolution will be sent to CSU President Laura Bloomberg, Ph.D., Ideastream Public Media President Kevin Martin and the Board of Trustees of both CSU and Ideastream.
The resolution was declared an emergency measure and will take effect upon its approval by Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb.
In an email to the campus community on Oct. 3, Bloomberg described the partnership as an opportunity to “continue to serve the audiences of Northeast Ohio” while providing “paid experiential learning opportunities in the region’s largest independent public media organization.”
However, WCSB student leaders said they were not informed of the decision until minutes before the public announcement, resulting in a silent protest on Oct. 7, where dozens of students and community members gathered in CSU’s courtyard.
Protests for WCSB also took place during Bloomberg’s 2025 State of the University address on Tuesday, Oct. 21, both in the audience and in the CSU courtyard.