By Rob Dumke
AKRON, OHIO — Travel 20 minutes to the northeast of this Ohio city, and you’ll reach Kent State University.
It’s the home of a Class B FM that offers “Public Radio News for Northeast Ohio,” primarily to Akron and Canton and also to the Cleveland market due north of campus.
That programming isn’t likely to change anytime soon. But, the ownership could be, following the initiation of a “public service operating agreement” at the end of the month.
Kent State’s Board of Trustees reportedly will vote next week to merge WKSU-FM 89.7 in Kent, Ohio with Cleveland-based noncomm operator Ideastream Public Media.
Ideastream is the parent company of NPR Member station WCPN-FM 90.3 in Cleveland, also a Class B but with a very limited signal in the Akron-Canton area. It is also the operator of Class A Classical WCLV-FM 104.9 in Lorain, Ohio, and PBS Member station WVIZ-TV in Cleveland.
News of the potential merger was first reported in The Portager.
Ahead of any potential FCC filing, a “public service operating agreement” would take effect on October 1. And, there could be no immediate transfer of control, as Kent State University says it would retain the FCC license as the operation and personnel associated with WKSU would be moved to Cleveland.
Cost considerations of operating an NPR affiliated station are rumored to be behind the move; officials are being tight-lipped about that angle. WKSU has had a long-standing relationship with NPR.
Kent State University spokesperson Eric Mansfield told The Portager, “The University has identified potential opportunities for Ideastream and WKSU, and we are continuing to review those possibilities. Both entities recognize the need to refortify public service reporting in Northeast Ohio, and we continue to discuss ways to leverage these two strong public media organizations for the benefit of listeners in the region.”
The next KSU Board of Trustees meeting is set for Wednesday (9/15).
