On Oct. 3, 2025, Cleveland State University (CSU) transferred control of its almost 50-year-old community-run FM radio station, WCSB 89.3, to Ideastream Public Media, a nonprofit that operates public radio and TV stations in Northeast Ohio. This purchase displaced 100 volunteers who had long been involved with the tradition of public radio broadcasting. The new program replaced the previously diverse schedule with a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week light jazz format. Although no money was exchanged, CSU gained 1000 free ad spots—which are set to run through radio stations WCSB and WCLV and TV station WVIZ—and secured a seat on Ideastream’s Board of Trustees to oversee the organization’s operations and long-term goals.
WCSB station members and supporters were informed of the decision in a Zoom meeting, with a nearly simultaneous campus-wide email announcement. CSU administration claimed that the transfer would provide internships, learning opportunities and career experience for students. The staff was then given less than 24 hours to vacate the station.
After the transfer, former WCSB staff and volunteers reorganized under the name of XCSB to continue engaging with the Cleveland community. In early January, they partnered with The Reading Room Cleveland, in hopes of accepting tax-deductible contributions while they work to become a certified 501(c)(3).
Then, on Jan. 12, WCSB, supporters of XCSB and Allison Bomgardner, the former general manager of WCSB, filed suit against CSU in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. While XCSB as an organization is not a formal party in the lawsuit, its supporters are listed as plaintiffs alongside WCSB and Bomgardner. The suit claimed that CSU bypassed public records laws, violated the Ohio Open Meetings Act and First Amendment rights. The plaintiffs seek a jury trial to invalidate the Ideastream agreement, return control of WCSB to the former station members and recover the funds lost through this process.
Speech Law Center plaintiff Brian Bardwell is representing the radio station as the lead counsel in this case. While well-experienced in First Amendment cases, Bardwell admits that this case is a first for him. Unlike other employee v. company or citizen v. government cases, university powers to curtail free speech rights under legal loopholes are much more limited.
“Companies often have at-will employment, which allows them to fire employees at any time for any reason,” Bardwell said, clarifying the unique position the university holds.
Under the First Amendment, all citizens in the United States are entitled to the right to voice their opinions, barring special circumstances such as “shouting fire in a theatre.” However, an oft-repeated mantra across national free-speech issues seems to be freedom of speech, but not freedom from consequences. In response to this, Bardwell said, “Freedom of speech is not freedom at all. That violates the very meaning of the word.”
As the case proceeded, CSU President Laura Bloomberg reaffirmed her decision to shut down the student-run radio station and transfer their license to Ideastream Public Media. Though Bloomberg faced student protests on campus, social media responses and frustration from students, she held firm when responding to The Cleveland Stater.
“My answer is not going to be satisfactory,” she said. “No, I wouldn’t have done it differently. Although I was surprised by some of the pushback, I wouldn’t do it differently unless we weren’t going to do it at all. I stand by the decision.”
When asked about what students could do themselves to prevent similar free speech right violations, Bardwell said, “Become a mass that cannot be ignored. Gather people until they’re forced to respond to you.”
Bardwell continued to provide informative dialogue on other steps students could take, such as contacting the Foundation for Individual Rights and Education (FIRE) and keeping themselves informed of their unalienable rights.
Case Western Reserve University’s own student-run radio station, WRUW, has expressed solidarity with the supporters and station members of XCSB, publishing a statement on Instagram after hearing the news.
“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. We urge CSU to reconsider this deal for the justice of student programmers and freedom to play their chosen content on the air.”
XCSB and its community are working together to raise funds to get the station back up and running. The group plans to begin streaming on March 1 and open its new studio on May 10. On May 16, the station will celebrate ‘CSB’s 50th Anniversary. XCSB encourages DJs with previous experience and enthusiastic community members to join their volunteer staff and continue playing their favorite music on the air.