Ideastream

Last updated

Ideastream
Ideastream Public Media
Industry Mass media
Genre Public radio and television broadcasting
Predecessor
  • Educational Television Association of Metropolitan Cleveland
  • Cleveland Public Radio
Founded Cleveland, Ohio (2001 (2001))
Founder
  • Jerrold Wareham
  • Kit Jensen [1]
Headquarters
Cleveland, Ohio
,
US
Key people
  • Kevin E. Martin
  • (president/CEO)
  • Jenny Northern
  • (general manager)
  • Todd Mesek
  • (chief marketing officer) [2]
Website ideastream.org

Ideastream (marketed as Ideastream Public Media) is the main public broadcaster in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, serving both Greater Cleveland and much of Northeast Ohio. Its headquarters, newsroom, and radio and television studios are located at the Idea Center in Playhouse Square in Downtown Cleveland. [3] It operates WKSU (89.7 FM ), the region's main radio news service aligned with NPR, and owns classical music/jazz outlet WCLV (90.3FM) and Cleveland PBS member station WVIZ (channel 25). [4]

Contents

Ideastream was formed in July 2001 through a merger of equals between WVIZ and then-NPR member WCPN (since supplanted by WCLV), which up to that point operated separately as Educational Television Association of Metropolitan Cleveland and Cleveland Public Radio, respectively. Talks of a cooperative agreement between the two entities began in 1999, but was first proposed in 1993, when co-founder Jerrold Wareham was named as WVIZ's general manager. [1] WCLV, then operating as a Lorain-licensed station at 104.9FM, was donated to the group in 2011. [5] Since 2021, Ideastream has operated WKSU and its repeater network on behalf of owner Kent State University, [6] and has been Cleveland and Akron's sole NPR station of record since March 28, 2022. [7] Kevin E. Martin has been the organization's president/CEO since January 9, 2017, [8] succeeding Jerrold Wareham. [9] Jenny Northern, a staffer with WCLV since 2001, was elevated to station manager in 2014 [10] and became general manager for all stations in 2020. [11]

All stations in the group jointly rebranded as Ideastream Public Media on June 15, 2021, to celebrate the entity's 20th anniversary. [2]

Radio

WKSU

WKSU Ideastream.png

WKSU was founded by Kent State University in 1950; Ideastream has operated the station since October 1, 2021, via a public service operating agreement with the university. Originally broadcasting solely to the campus population as a non-commercial educational station, WKSU has been an NPR news and information affiliate since 1973, and is the originating radio station for the City Club of Cleveland's Friday Forum. [12] Licensed to Kent, Ohio, WKSU's signal is rebroadcast full-time over a network of five full-power repeaters and two low-power translators. With a combined 22-county coverage area and potential audience of 3.6 million people, WKSU and its repeater network boast the largest collective footprint for an FM radio station in Ohio. [13] Since 2022, it has also served Lorain County and the western portion of Greater Cleveland via Lorain-licensed WCPN (104.9FM). [14]

The station and its full-power repeater network carry a roster of four HD Radio subchannels: a simulcast of WKSU's analog transmission, folk music via FolkAlley.com , a simulcast of WCLV and an alternate lineup of news and talk programs. [15] [16]

WCLV

WCLV Ideastream.png

The region's only full-time classical music and jazz outlet, WCLV was founded on November 1, 1962, as a commercial radio station at 95.5FM. [17] A complex asset and intellectual property swap on July 3, 2001, re-established WCLV on 104.9FM as part of a long-term plan initiated by founding owners Robert Conrad and Rich Marschner to preserve the format from being subsumed by ownership consolidation in the radio industry. [18] [19] With station operations moved to the Idea Center in 2010, [20] WCLV was donated to Ideastream in 2011 [5] and converted to non-commercial status in 2013. [21] [22] WCLV has been the originating station for Cleveland Orchestra radio broadcasts since 1965 and for Weekend Radio since 1982. [23]

WCLV's current 90.3FM frequency was previously home to WCPN, one of Ideastream's two founding partners and, from 1984 to 2022, competed with WKSU as the region's other NPR member. [24] It is also the successor station to WBOE, which the Cleveland Board of Education operated from 1938 to 1978, [25] one of the first formally licensed non-commercial educational radio stations on the FM dial and one of the first FM stations in Ohio. [26]

Television

WVIZ Ideastream.png

Ideastream's television service, WVIZ, was founded on February 7, 1965, as the 100th public television station in the United States. [27] WVIZ at launch boasted the first female general manager of a major-market television station in the United States. Betty Cope, who played an active role in the station's formation and original focus towards educational television programming for school districts and telecourses for area colleges; [28] WVIZ gradually adopted the conventional PBS Kids and PBS lineups starting in the early 1990s. Through WVIZ, Ideastream jointly operates and manages The Ohio Channel (which is carried on a WVIZ subchannel) and the Ohio Public Radio and Television Statehouse News Bureau. [2] [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kent State University</span> University in Kent, Ohio, United States

Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio located in Ashtabula, Burton, East Liverpool, Jackson Township, New Philadelphia, Salem, and Warren, along with additional regional and international facilities in Cleveland, Independence, and Twinsburg, Ohio; New York City; and Florence, Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WUAB</span> CW affiliate in Lorain, Ohio

WUAB is a television station licensed to Lorain, Ohio, United States, serving the Cleveland area as an affiliate of The CW. It is owned by Gray Television alongside low-power Telemundo affiliate WTCL-LD and Shaker Heights–licensed CBS affiliate WOIO, the latter station whose full-power spectrum WUAB transmits over via a channel sharing agreement. WUAB, WOIO and WTCL-LD share studios on the ground floor of the Reserve Square building in Downtown Cleveland, with WUAB and WOIO sharing transmitter facilities at the West Creek Reservation in Parma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Playhouse Square</span> United States historic place

Playhouse Square is a theater district in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is the largest performing arts center in the US outside of New York City. Constructed in a span of 19 months in the early 1920s, the theaters became a major entertainment hub for the city for much of the 20th century. However, by the late 1960s, the district had fallen into decline and its theaters had closed down. In the 1970s, the district was revived through a grassroots effort that helped usher in a new era of downtown revitalization. For this reason, the revival of Playhouse Square is often locally referred to as being "one of the top ten successes in Cleveland history."

WVIZ is a PBS member television station in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is owned by Ideastream Public Media alongside classical music station WCLV and co-managed with Kent State University–owned WKSU, the NPR member for both Cleveland and Akron. The three stations share studio facilities at the Idea Center on Playhouse Square in Downtown Cleveland; WVIZ's transmitter is located in suburban Parma, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WHK (AM)</span> Talk radio station in Cleveland, Ohio

WHK is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, carrying a talk format known as "AM 1420 The Answer". Owned by the Salem Media Group, the station serves both Greater Cleveland and the Northeast Ohio region as an affiliate for the Salem Radio Network. WHK's studios are currently located in the Cleveland suburb of Independence while the transmitter site resides in neighboring Seven Hills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTAM</span> Clear-channel news/talk radio station in Cleveland

WTAM is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, and carries a news/talk/sports format commonly known as "Newsradio WTAM 1100". Owned by iHeartMedia, WTAM serves Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio, and is a clear-channel station with extended nighttime range. WTAM is also Northeast Ohio's primary entry point station in the Emergency Alert System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WKNR</span> Sports radio station in Cleveland, Ohio

WKNR – branded as 850 ESPN Cleveland – is a commercial sports radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, serving Greater Cleveland. Owned by Good Karma Brands, WKNR is the Cleveland affiliate for ESPN Radio and the AM flagship station for the Cleveland Browns Radio Network; the Cleveland affiliate for the Ohio State Sports Network, and the radio home of Je'Rod Cherry and Tony Grossi. The WKNR studios are currently located in the East Bank of The Flats in Downtown Cleveland, while the station transmitter resides in the Cleveland suburb of North Royalton. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WKNR is available online.

WCPN is a non-commercial educational radio station licensed to Lorain, Ohio, featuring a public radio format as a repeater of Kent–licensed WKSU. Owned by Ideastream Public Media, the station serves the western portion of Greater Cleveland and parts of surrounding Northeast Ohio. By virtue of WKSU, studios are located at Playhouse Square in Downtown Cleveland, while WCPN's transmitter resides in the Cleveland suburb of Avon. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WCPN broadcasts over four HD Radio channels and streams online.

WCLV is a non-commercial educational radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, carrying a combined fine art/classical music and jazz format. Owned by Ideastream Public Media, the station serves both Greater Cleveland and Northeast Ohio as the home station for the Cleveland Orchestra and an affiliate of the BBC World Service.

WGAR-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, and features a country music format. Owned by iHeartMedia, the station serves Greater Cleveland and surrounding Northeast Ohio as the local affiliate for The Bobby Bones Show. WGAR-FM's studios are located at the Six Six Eight Building in downtown Cleveland's Gateway District and the transmitter is in nearby Parma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WFHM-FM</span> Contemporary Christian music radio station in Cleveland

WFHM-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, known as "95.5 The Fish" and featuring a contemporary Christian format. Owned by the Salem Media Group, the station serves Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio. WFHM-FM's studios are located in the Cleveland suburb of Independence and the station transmitter resides in Warrensville Heights. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WFHM-FM is available online.

WKSU is a non-commercial educational radio station licensed to serve Kent, Ohio, featuring a public radio format. Owned by Kent State University and operated by Ideastream Public Media, WKSU's primary signal encompasses the Akron metro area, Greater Cleveland and much of Northeast Ohio as the regional affiliate for National Public Radio (NPR), American Public Media, Public Radio Exchange and the BBC World Service. The station's reach is extended into the Canton, Mansfield, Lorain, Ashtabula, Sandusky, New Philadelphia and Wooster areas via a network of five full-power repeaters, two low-power translators, and one on-channel booster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WHKW</span> Christian radio station in Cleveland, Ohio

WHKW is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, and is known as "AM 1220 The Word" featuring a Christian format. Owned by Salem Media Group, the station serves both Greater Cleveland and the Northeast Ohio region. WHKW's studios are located in the Cleveland suburb of Independence while the transmitter site is in neighboring Broadview Heights.

WWGK was a commercial daytime-only radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, that broadcast on 1540AM from 1947 until 2022. Last owned by Good Karma Brands, it featured ESPN Radio programming at the time of closure, co-owned with ESPN affiliate WKNR. The transmitter tower for WWGK was located on Euclid Avenue at East 81st Street in Cleveland's Fairfax neighborhood.

Harry Boomer is a broadcast journalist, reporter and newscaster for radio and television. He currently is the senior reporter for CBS affiliate WOIO and CW affiliate WUAB, both located in Cleveland, Ohio.

The year 2001 in radio involved some significant events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City Club of Cleveland</span>

The City Club of Cleveland is a non-partisan debate forum in Cleveland, Ohio. Founded in 1912, the club's home is the City Club Building, formerly the Citizens Building, on Euclid Avenue in Downtown Cleveland. Known as "America's Citadel of Free Speech," it is one of the oldest continuous independent free speech forums in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regina Brett</span> American journalist

Regina Brett is an American author, inspirational speaker, podcaster and newspaper columnist currently writing for The Cleveland Jewish News. Her columns are syndicated through Jewish News Service. Brett launched the podcast Little Detours with Regina Brett in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cleveland Browns Radio Network</span> Regional play-by-play radio network

The University Hospitals Cleveland Browns Radio Network is an American radio network composed of 24 radio stations which carry English-language coverage of the Cleveland Browns, a professional football team in the National Football League (NFL). Jim Donovan is the lead announcer along with Nathan Zegura and sideline analyst/reporter Je'Rod Cherry.

References

  1. 1 2 Washington, Julie (November 29, 2009). "Ideastream partners WVIZ Channel 25 and WCPN 90.3 enjoy benefits of merger". The Plain Dealer. Cleveland, Ohio. Archived from the original on July 4, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 Andrus, Calle; Vaselaney, Stacey (June 15, 2021). "ideastream Celebrates 20th Anniversary with Rebrand and Renewed Vision to Strengthen the Community; Becomes Ideastream Public Media" (Press release). Cleveland, Ohio: Ideastream. Archived from the original on June 27, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  3. ↑ Fybush, Scott (July 11, 2014). "Site of the Week 7/11/2014: Cleveland's Ideastream". Fybush.com. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022– via RadioBB.
  4. 1 2 "Stations and Services". Ideastream Public Media. December 19, 2016. Archived from the original on December 16, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  5. 1 2 "Classical music station WCLV-FM to join Ideastream". Crain's Cleveland Business. Cleveland, Ohio. May 4, 2011. Archived from the original on May 8, 2011. Retrieved December 3, 2011.
  6. ↑ Morona, Joey (September 15, 2021). "WKSU, WCPN deal approved by Kent State, combined NPR station to operate at 89.7 FM starting in 2022". cleveland.com. Cleveland, Ohio: The Plain Dealer. Archived from the original on September 17, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  7. ↑ Venta, Lance (February 25, 2022). "Ideastream Sets Cleveland Public Radio Frequency Change Date". RadioInsight. Archived from the original on February 25, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2022– via RadioBB.
  8. ↑ Connors, Joanna (November 23, 2016). "Ideastream names new CEO: Kevin Martin comes from KQED San Francisco". cleveland.com. Cleveland, Ohio: The Plain Dealer. Archived from the original on July 6, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Ideastream chief Jerry Wareham plans to retire". cleveland.com. Cleveland, Ohio: The Plain Dealer. June 10, 2016. Archived from the original on July 6, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  10. ↑ Dawidziak, Mark (July 31, 2014). "Ideastream names new content management team". cleveland.com. Cleveland, Ohio: The Plain Dealer. Archived from the original on July 6, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Jenny Northern named first GM for all three ideastream stations" . Crain's Cleveland Business. Cleveland, Ohio. February 11, 2020. Archived from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  12. ↑ Venta, Lance (September 15, 2021). "Ideastream To Begin Operating WKSU; Swap Frequencies Of WCPN & WCLV Cleveland". RadioInsight. Archived from the original on September 16, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2021– via RadioBB.
  13. ↑ "Ideastream Public Media & WKSU: Frequently Asked Questions". Ideastream Public Media. ideastream. September 14, 2021. Archived from the original on December 17, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  14. ↑ Morona, Joey (September 15, 2021). "WKSU, WCPN deal approved by Kent State, combined NPR station to operate at 89.7 FM starting in 2022". The Plain Dealer. Cleveland, Ohio. Archived from the original on September 17, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  15. ↑ HD Radio Guide for Cleveland Archived September 27, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  16. ↑ HD Radio Guide for Akron, Ohio Archived September 22, 2018, at the Wayback Machine
  17. ↑ Gerber, Jacqueline (November 1, 2022). "WCLV Observes 60 Years on the Air Nov. 1". WCLV. Cleveland, Ohio. Archived from the original on November 30, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  18. ↑ Rosenberg, Donald; Feran, Tom (November 2, 2000). "Arts group will take ownership of WCLV" . The Plain Dealer. Cleveland, Ohio. p. 1A. Archived from the original on March 29, 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2021– via NewsBank.
  19. ↑ Quinn, Jim (June 18, 2001). "Seven area radio stations will play musical chairs". Akron Beacon Journal. Akron, Ohio. pp. A1, A5. Archived from the original on August 15, 2021. Retrieved August 14, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ Washington, Julie (February 19, 2011). "WCLV FM/104.9 Fits Right in at Idea Center in Cleveland". The Plain Dealer. Cleveland, Ohio. Archived from the original on February 20, 2011. Retrieved March 22, 2011.
  21. ↑ Lewis, Zachary (September 25, 2012). "Cleveland's WCLV FM/104.9 planning switch to non-commercial format". The Plain Dealer. Cleveland, Ohio. Archived from the original on September 29, 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2012.
  22. ↑ Venta, Lance (September 25, 2012). "WCLV Cleveland To Go Non-Commercial". RadioInsight. Archived from the original on March 29, 2022. Retrieved March 28, 2022– via RadioBB.
  23. ↑ Spencer, Carrie (September 2, 2001). "Radio station saves classics, supports the arts". The Tribune. Coshocton, Ohio. Associated Press. p. 2C. Archived from the original on March 29, 2022. Retrieved March 28, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  24. ↑ Dawidziak, Mark (July 13, 1984). "Public radio in Cleveland: News and all that jazz". Akron Beacon Journal. Akron, Ohio. p. B10. Archived from the original on August 17, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
  25. ↑ FCC History Cards for WBOE
  26. ↑ "Education by FM" (PDF). Broadcasting. Vol. 20, no. 5. February 10, 1941. p. 49. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 8, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2022– via World Radio History.
  27. ↑ Dawidziak, Mark (September 16, 2013). "Betty Cope, founding president of WVIZ Channel 25, dies at 87". cleveland.com. Cleveland, Ohio: The Plain Dealer. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  28. ↑ Lapin, Andrew (September 20, 2013). "Betty Cope, WVIZ founding g.m., dies at 87". Current . Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.