Fri 11/7 @ 5:30-8:30PM
The outrage at Cleveland State University’s abrupt cancellation of the nearly 50-year-old campus radio station WCSB-FM 89.3 om October 3 to turn its frequency over to Ideastream for a 24/7 mainstream jazz format called JazzNEO isn’t going away and isn’t likely to anytime soon. The dissembling by CSU president Laura Bloomberg and Ideastream president/CEO Kevin Martin have just angered station staff and supporters even more. The situation is getting national attention. An excellent article explaining the significance of college radio in Cleveland and what happened at WCSB was published last week in the College Radio Foundation’s online publication, written by former WJCU (John Carroll University) DJ Mary Cipriani.
Cleveland Rocks: Past Present Future devoted its monthly musicians’ workshop to the future of college radio, attracting more than 75 people to the Beachland Ballroom on a Monday night, October 20. Speakers included former WCSB (now calling themselves XCSB) general manager Alison Bomgarner, XCSB’s Liam Main, Jasen Sokol from John Carroll Radio station WJCU-FM 88.7 and Rachel Hunt from Case Western Reserve radio station WRUW FM 91. The quartet provided an in-depth explanation for how college radio helps build a strong music scene, as Bomgarner shared what some of XCSB’s next moves might be.
Now every Friday in November from 5:30-8:30pm, the Happy Dog will be hosting “Save College Radio” with different XCSB DJs playing a variety of music. It’s a reminder that college radio is an essential part of the music ecosystem that draws audiences to clubs like the Happy Dog. It’s free and all are welcome to come down to the club for dinner (the Happy Dog has a wide menu of hot dogs, including vegan selections), some drinks and show support for music that isn’t mainstream. There’s no admission charge.