It has come to the attention of staff at WRUW-FM that our neighboring station, 89.3 FM WCSB, has had their student programming replaced with JazzNeo, a program from the Ideastream Public Media Group. As a station who has supported independent student and community programming for over 50 years, we express frustration at the decision of Cleveland State University to switch from freeform student programming to a 24/7 Jazz alternative.
Radio, to us, is an act of creative expression that students deserve a right to engage in, regardless of their academic path. Although Ideastream has promised CSU students “paid and for-credit internships and other learning opportunities in journalism, television and radio production, marketing, and graphic design”, it is important to note that students are not solely involved in college radio for career experience. We urge CSU to reconsider this deal for the justice of student programmers and freedom to play their chosen content on the air.
To the WCSB programmers,
We understand any turmoil this situation may cause you. Many of our programmers are WCSB alumni and have learned a significant amount about the radio from their time at WCSB. We welcome any and all current programmers to contact us. If you have any interest in programming at WRUW-FM or would like to collaborate with one of our existing shows, please reach out to our Program Director, Jack Salit, at [email protected].