About Ideastream Public Media

Our Vision

Ideastream Public Media is indispensable and highly valued for its unique ability to enrich our community.

Our Mission

Ideastream Public Media is a trustworthy and dynamic multimedia source for illuminating the world around us.

Core Values and Guiding Principles

• Diversity, Equity, and Belonging: We seek and incorporate the myriad diverse perspectives and lived experiences of our users, staff, board, and communities into all aspects of our work.
• Collaboration: We can accomplish more by working effectively together internally and with our strategic partners to best meet the needs and interests of the communities we serve.
• Excellence: With a commitment to continuous improvement, we aspire for the highest standards in everything we do.
• Agility: We innovate solutions and iterate adaptive approaches to successfully evolve amidst our ever changing internal and external environments.
• Stewardship: We provide strong oversight by managing the information and resources shared by our users, staff and supporters with the utmost integrity and responsibility.

Learn more about Ideastream Public Media in the above video, created by Ideastream Public Media’s 2023 Summer Interns: Kennedy Gotham, Malcolm Bamba, Grace Beatty, Taina Rivera, Aya Cathy, and Kayla Red.

Ideastream Public Media is the home of Northeast Ohio’s public radio stations, WKSU and WCLV, and television station, WVIZ, giving you national content from NPR and PBS. The organization is comprised of four main departments: News and Information, Arts and Entertainment, Classical and Jazz, and Education.

History

In 2001, the boards of WVIZ and WCPN consolidated all resources in ideastream, a new multimedia public service organization that applies the power of media to education and public service. The purpose of consolidation was to leverage assets to achieve greater cost-effective community service using all forms of media.

In 2002, ideastream launched a model partnership with the Playhouse Square Foundation to build a regional resource for the arts, technology and education. Following a combined capital campaign completed in 2005, the Idea Center became the headquarters of ideastream, a home for Playhouse Square Community Engagement and Education and a community gathering place. In 2006, ideastream completed its physical consolidation of all staff and production facilities and moved into the Idea Center. WCLV subsequently moved to the Idea Center in 2010 and became a part of ideastream in 2013.

In 2021, ideastream became Ideastream Public Media, signaling the organizations continued evolution and symbolized Ideastream Public Media’s stations and services coming together as a unified organization to strengthen the community. Later that year, Ideastream Public Media and WKSU public radio entered into a public service operating agreement to create one of Northeast Ohio’s largest news organizations. This partnership created an expanded and sustainable regional news service delivering local, statewide and national news, using a combination of broadcast, digital and on-demand platforms to reach audiences throughout Northeast Ohio. The union of WCLV and WKSU led to WKSU becoming the region’s primary NPR news and information station and WCLV expanding classical music to reach 1 million more potential listeners.

Building upon decades of award-winning journalism from two of the region’s leaders in news and information, to create one of Northeast Ohio’s largest news organizations. This partnership creates an expanded and sustainable regional news service that delivers local, statewide and national news, using a combination of broadcast, digital and on-demand platforms to increase the audience for Ideastream Public Media’s news and information programming from 2.4 to 3.6 million people in 22 counties throughout Northeast Ohio.

Today, Ideastream Public Media is the home of five public television stations (WVIZ, WVIZ OHIO, WVIZ WORLD, WVIZ CREATE and WVIZ KIDS); WKSU, Northeast Ohio’s NPR news and information radio station; WCLV, Northeast Ohio’s classical music radio station; and JazzNEO, the region’s only full-time HD jazz station and streaming service. Ideastream Public Media produces the award-winning children’s series “NewsDepth” and manages The Ohio Channel and the Ohio Public Radio and Television Statehouse News Bureau on behalf of all Ohio’s public broadcasting stations.

You can access Ideastream Public Media and its stations in many ways – from traditional radio and TV to a variety of digital platforms. Find your best method for enjoying the wide range of products Ideastream Public Media has to offer here.

Current Programs and Services

Ideastream Public Media is recognized locally and nationally as an innovative model for public media and distinguishes itself from other media organizations through a deep and abiding commitment to community partnerships, civic engagement and innovative use of media. Ideastream Public Media acquires, creates and distributes high-quality radio, television and digital content that focuses on areas that have been identified as priorities by Northeast Ohio residents: arts and culture; community affairs; education; health and science; and the State of Ohio.

Ideastream Public Media also continues to be recognized as a model of excellence for the integration of program content across media platforms. Currently, WVIZ presents educational, cultural and informational programs 24 hours a day. WKSU offers 24 hours of news, information and music programming each day. WCLV delivers timeless classical music while JazzNEO offers the best in jazz music 24/7. Ideastream Public Media’s radio and television content is also available anytime, anywhere across a variety of digital streaming platforms, including the free Ideastream Public Media app. For more information on how to access each station, click here.

Moreover, Ideastream Public Media is considered the state’s largest classroom, delivering more than 65 hours of PBS KIDS programming weekly on WVIZ, as well as managing a learning consortium of nine area school districts. Each school year, Ideastream Public Media provides enhanced learning opportunities to thousands of local students. In addition, thousands of Ohio educators rely on Ideastream Public Media for professional development opportunities and training sessions on the uses of the latest classroom technologies.

On behalf of Ohio’s public broadcasting stations, Ideastream Public Media manages The Ohio Channel and the Ohio Public Radio and Television Statehouse News Bureau in Columbus. These entities present statewide coverage of issues that impact Ohio and offer perspectives on subjects that affect the lives of all Ohioans.

In 2022 The Corporation for Public Broadcasting awarded a grant to Ideastream Public Media to collaborate with Cincinnati Public Radio, WOSU Public Radio and all Ohio NPR stations to form a radio and digital statewide news and information service. To address the local news crisis, these organizations have partnered to launch The Ohio Newsroom

Who We Serve

Ideastream Public Media serves Northeast Ohioans by listening, understanding and fostering dialogues across the region. As Northeast Ohio’s largest independent, publicly supported media organization, it provides free programs and services to 3.6 million people in 22 counties across radio, TV and digital platforms. Our increased focus on digital content delivery insures we are meeting the communities where they are, and when they need us. Ideastream is recognized locally and nationally as an innovative model for public media, distinguishing itself from other media entities through a deep and abiding dedication to community partnerships, civic engagement and innovative use of media.