Ideastream

A commitment to expanding, enhancing local news access across Ohio

By Laura Hennigan

Crain’s Content Studio-Cleveland

An innovative multimedia public service organization was launched in 2001 when the boards of WVIZ and WCPN merged their resources to develop Ideastream. The goal of this initiative was to establish a platform for distributing high-quality radio, television and digital content with a focus on the areas that are priorities for Northeast Ohio residents: arts and culture, community affairs, education, science and health.

Two decades later, in 2021, the group celebrated its 20th anniversary and characterized its mission with a new logo and name: Ideastream Public Media.

That same year, the newly rebranded outlet joined forces with WKSU public radio and, in doing so, created one of Ohio’s largest news organizations.

“The benefits of the merger have been immense,” said Mike McIntyre, Ideastream Public Media’s executive editor. “We have combined the two organizations fairly seamlessly and are now able to be on the same page, in order to serve a 22-county area. Together, we’re taking a closer look at the regional landscape and figuring out where we can use our resources to do the best job possible for the people of Cleveland, Akron, Canton and all the areas in between.”

This important partnership has led to more expansive coverage, as local, state and national news has been delivered to nearly 3 million people across Northeast Ohio — through broadcast, digital and on-demand platforms.

Engaging the community in journalism

The collaboration has also resulted in a determined commitment to participate in engaged journalism, which seeks to find new ways of connecting with different communities, including those that are often left out of traditional mainstream news.

“It’s still a new concept,” said Marlene Harris-Taylor, director of Engaged Journalism at Ideastream. “There are several other public media stations around the country who are also starting to explore this space. We are working together to try and figure out the best way to bring the community into the work we are doing and make sure we’re representing all the communities in our cities.” Ideastream is approaching engaged journalism through several different avenues, including special projects that help tell important stories. The organization is currently producing a new podcast that will focus on the disparities of Black women living in Cleveland, while also expanding the impact of their Connecting the Dots Between Race and Health program.

“We wanted to work with partners because we know there is a certain audience Ideastream reaches, and we wanted to reach beyond that traditional audience,” HarrisTaylor said. “We put out a request to the community, told them about the project we were working on and issued a call for ideas. We shared that our goal was to talk about how systemic racism has impacted the health of minority communities for years, and how systems and structures are fortifying that.”

After reviewing all the submissions from the open call, 16 special projects were chosen for funding. Totaling $96,450, these grants were distributed to Northeast Ohio community members and organizations, allowing each to further examine and demonstrate how racism contributes to poor health outcomes.

A new initiative dedicated to helping people tell their own stories, the “Sound of Us,” is headed up by Justin Glanville, Ideastream’s senior producer of community storytelling. “Inside the Bricks: My Changing Neighborhood,” the second season of Glanville’s podcast, explores how gentrification has impacted the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood. Each week, Ideastream hosts community sessions in which residents can talk with Glanville about the podcast and the issues it covers.

Creating a strong local news network

Another important development has been the launch of The Ohio Newsroom, a formal alliance of Ohio’s existing network of public radio newsrooms, in order to create a framework for sustainable news coverage.

“The Ohio Newsroom takes a more formal and ambitious approach to creating content for the entire state,” said Wendy Turner, general manager for Ohio Public Media Services. “One of our top priorities is to develop resources and partnerships in some of the places where there aren’t newsrooms. We’re working to develop relationships with digital and print publications, working with independent contractors and members of the community to help tell stories from all of the regions of Ohio, not just the central places where public radio has newsrooms.”

As the number of local media outlets continues to decline, The Ohio Newsroom is committed to offering residents across the state new ways to find and consume public media offerings and fill in information gaps.

“Ideastream Public Media is really putting a lot of energy into thinking about what it means to be a regional news organization: ... telling stories about communities, but also trying to make sure there is relevance for stories throughout Northeast Ohio, [and] (thinking about) how to make stories that we tell about the region resonate with everyone in that region,” Turner added. “We’re having the same conversation at the statewide level. How does The Ohio Newsroom take topics and stories that have geographic origins somewhere in different parts of Ohio and make them meaningful and relevant to public media listeners and users across the state?”

Ideastream Public Media’s news, information, music, cultural and educational content is available 24 hours a day across a variety of platforms, uniquely serving as an indispensable instrument for strengthening communities.

“Our goal is to be the most trustworthy source of news and information in Northeast Ohio,” said McIntyre. “We’re putting together all of these different assets — web, newscasts, feature spots, a daily call in show and podcasts — to fulfill what people’s information needs are and make sure they get the most up-to-date, accurate news.”