WCSB (FM)

For other uses, see WCSB (disambiguation).

WCSB (89.3 FM) is a non-commercial educational radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, United States, featuring a jazz format known as "JazzNEO". Owned by Cleveland State University (CSU) and operated by Ideastream Public Media, WCSB serves much of Greater Cleveland and Northeast Ohio as an affiliate of NPR, Public Radio Exchange and the WFMT Jazz Network. WCSB's studios are located at the Idea Center in Downtown Cleveland, while the transmitter resides atop Rhodes Tower on the CSU campus. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WCSB is available online and simulcast on the second HD subchannel of WCLV (90.3 FM).

WCSB

Cleveland, Ohio United States
Broadcast area	Greater Cleveland
Frequency	89.3 MHz
Branding	jazzNEO
Programming
Format	Jazz
Affiliations	NPR PRX WFMT Jazz Network
Ownership
Owner	Cleveland State University
Operator	Ideastream
Sister stations	WCLV WCPN WKSU WVIZ
History
First air date	May 10, 1976 (1976-05-10)
Call sign meaning	"Cleveland State Broadcasting"
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	65553
Class	A
ERP	630 watts
HAAT	62 meters (203 ft)
Transmitter coordinates	41°30′12.00″N 81°40′30.00″W
Repeater(s)	90.3-HD2 WCLV (Cleveland)
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Website	ideastream.org/jazz

History

WCSB began broadcasting on May 10, 1976, with programming from Cleveland State University students, faculty, and staff members.^[2] In addition, members of the Northeast Ohio community not affiliated with the university hosted programs on WCSB.

On Oct. 3, 2025, Cleveland State University and Ideastream Public Media announced a partnership regarding programming for WCSB. Ideastream now provides 24/7 programming on 89.3 FM as JazzNEO, and the station no longer airs student-run or nationality programming.^[3][4] The station has retained its call letters, and CSU continues to maintain the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) license for the station.^[5]

Programming

As Ideastream’s JazzNEO, WCSB provides 24/7 jazz programming.

As a student-programmed station at Cleveland State University until 2025, WCSB aired a wide variety of music, including blues, folk, psychedelic rock, noise, indie rock, experimental, ambient, jazz fusion, electronic jazz, free jazz as well as traditional jazz, hardcore punk, punk, outlaw country, reggae, soca, salsa, emo, synthpop, darkwave, new wave, minimal wave, electronica, IDM, K-pop, heavy metal, death metal and grindcore, hip hop, turntablism and soul. The station also aired late night talk radio, as well as news, information and music oriented toward many of the ethnic groups represented in Greater Cleveland: Latin, Hispanic, German, Hungarian, Polish, East Asian, Arabic, and Slovenian. Programming, information and music with a focus on Northeast Ohio was heavily featured. Weekly public affairs programs focused on a range of topics, from drug prohibition to space exploration.^[6]

Station Events

At Cleveland State University, WCSB held annual parties and concerts around Halloween. The Halloween Masquerade Ball began in 2009 to show appreciation to the station's listeners and their undying support as a free event offered to the local community. Until 2016, this event was held at the Cleveland Public Theater in the Gordon Square district of Cleveland.

Other events included Radiothon, an annual week-long fundraising event in November, and an annual record fair in the summer.