About 90.3 WCPN ideastream

90.3 WCPN helps Northeast Ohioans connect with their world. The schedule includes news, talk, information and variety programs, complemented by arts and cultural coverage and musical offerings with an emphasis on jazz.

Whether people tune in for award-winning, locally-produced reports on the important news events in Northeast Ohio, or they hear national and international news coverage or talk shows from trusted sources like NPR, Public Radio International, American Public Media or Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, listeners know the news and information programming on 90.3 WCPN will be intelligent and balanced, delivered by diverse voices with a range of perspectives.

From Around Noon, All Things Considered, Car Talk and The Diane Rehm Show, to Talk of the Nation, Marketplace, A Prairie Home Companion, The Sound of Ideas and Weekend Edition, 90.3 WCPN ideastream brings listeners a wide range of the best radio available.

Every weekday, Morning Edition serves up a stimulating blend of international, national and local news reports; economic and political analysis; sports, human interest and arts features. 90.3 WCPN and NPR hosts bring listeners up to speed on breaking news and guide them through in-depth analysis of the important trends and issues affecting the world, the nation and Northeast Ohio.

The Sound of Ideas®, heard weekday mornings, is hosted by Dan Moulthrop and Regina Brett. Focusing on topics and issues of significance to Northeast Ohio, the daily discussions on The Sound of Ideas are led by listener comments and questions, complemented by special guest experts who offer insight and opinion. Highlights of the show have included: job and economic outlooks; alternative energy; education, school funding and youth issues; regionalism; current reform efforts in the adult and juvenile justice systems; and ongoing coverage of local and state politics.

Photo credits: Steve Barrett, Antony Nagelmann, Will Ryan, Brian Velenchenko and NPR.

Through intelligent interviews, energetic live in-studio performances and eclectic special features, Around Noon explores the cultural and entertainment panorama of Northeast Ohio. Listeners are introduced to local, national and international arts luminaries who review, preview or simply highlight the area’s arts and entertainment events.

90.3 WCPN relies on the BBC World Service, a distinguished source of news and information, to help bring the news of the world to Northeast Ohio through their global network of correspondents. In addition to the early morning weekday news reports, this service also includes the live, global, interactive program World Have Your Say, a daily worldwide call-in, which airs weekday afternoons. World Have Your Say has made stops in Cleveland, including in November, 2006 and March, 2007, during which they broadcast live to their worldwide audience.

Audiences throughout Northeast Ohio tune to 90.3 WCPN on weekends to connect with their roots, discover world music, and hear about community events through special nationality programming presented by ideastream. Often produced in the native language, programs (two hours on Saturday and seven hours on Sunday) include British and Irish, German, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Polish, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, and Ukrainian.

About ideastream®

Stimulated by the success of a collaborative project, the planning committees of WVIZ/PBS and 90.3 WCPN met in the fall of 1999 to discuss how the two stations could continue to partner to better serve the community. As discussions evolved, it became clear that the then separate organizations shared a public service mission, had identical business models, and held a common view of the digital future.

In January of 2000, the committees made the following recommendation to their respective Boards: Combine WCPN & WVIZ to form a new non-profit multi-media entity with distinctive, locally-based content in areas of news, education, entertainment, culture and public service to serve the Northeast Ohio community and beyond.

Both Boards agreed, and each appointed members to an implementation team. That team worked diligently over the next nine months to outline a specific plan to merge the organizations into a new non-profit entity. The plan was approved by the two Boards and announced in October of 2000.

On June 30, 2001, the former non-profit organizations, Educational Television Association of Metropolitan Cleveland and Cleveland Public Radio, were dissolved. On July 1, a non-profit organization, ideastream, took life as a new public service multiple media organization with a Board of Trustees comprised of members of the former Boards of the predecessor organizations.

The concept of ideastream is to bring together a variety of educational and public service media programs to leverage creative, technical and financial assets to better serve our communities.

ideastream Mission

To strengthen our communities by providing distinctive, thought-provoking programs and services that enlighten, inspire, educate and entertain.

ideastream Vision

ideastream will be recognized as an indispensable resource critical to the future success of the region and deserving of philanthropic and public support.