WCSB Supporters Sue Cleveland State Over Station Transfer to Ideastream

Overview

• Filed Jan. 12 in Cuyahoga County, the 14-page complaint by Friends of XCSB, former general manager Allison Bomgardner, and WCSB claims violations of free-speech, open-government, and property rights.
• Plaintiffs allege CSU leaders secretly planned the Oct. 3 flash cut that moved WCSB’s terrestrial signal to Ideastream’s Idea Center, ending student broadcasting.
• The suit asserts President Laura Bloomberg involved police to remove students from the studio and that belongings remain inaccessible, including equipment and a large Hungarian record collection.
• According to the complaint, the CSU–Ideastream agreement gives the university ultimate programming authority, internships promised to students have not materialized, and Bloomberg now sits on Ideastream’s board.
• Plaintiffs seek to invalidate the transfer, compel release of records, enforce Ohio open-meetings compliance, regain access to space and signal, and obtain damages; CSU said it had not been served and declined comment.