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John Petkovic

Cleveland State University president Laura Bloomberg dismissed critics after shuttering and handing WCSB over to Ideastream.

She mocked station volunteers and listeners who gathered on the school’s campus to protest what they called a hostile takeover of a cultural jewel that had served the community for half a century.

Now, Bloomberg will have to answer them – in court.

Brian Bardwell, a First Amendment Cleveland attorney with Speech Law, has filed a complaint in the Court of Common Pleas Cuyahoga County against Bloomberg, CSU and its Board of Trustees.

The 13-page complaint, filed with the Court on Saturday evening, initiates a lawsuit against the three defendants.

It accuses all three of “a conspiracy to interfere with civil rights” by engaging in “secret deliberations and discussions to sandbag WCSB with a plan to shut it down, take over the signal and transfer it to another broadcaster.”

It contends that Bloomberg colluded with the university and its board to silence “their complaints about university operations, and their protests against university policy.”

It portrays a pattern of behavior in which the defendants “acted willfully, egregiously, maliciously, in bad faith, and in a wanton or reckless manner” against the students.

The complaint was filed on behalf of three plaintiffs:

The complaint is the first volley in a lawsuit process that seeks:

In September, Bardwell won a high-profile free-speech case that led to the state loosening loosen restrictions on personalized license plates after U.S. District Judge Dan Aaron Polster ruled that such restrictions are unconstitutional.

Free speech is at the core of the complaint against the university and Bloomberg, who is named in the complaint personally and professionally.

It outlines a deteriorating relationship between CSU and the students running WCSB that includes “an inability to access WCSB’s funds, which were being held by the University’s Center for Campus Engagement.”

It accuses CSU of a “lack of transparency about administrative decision to manage the Center; and University plans to redistribute student-leadership scholarships promised to and budgeted for WCSB.”

While DJs at the station worked as volunteers, its executive staff received school stipends.

Neither those expenses nor expenses incurred by students on “supplies, tools, equipment, and music” were being paid back by the university via a fund built up by station fundraisers.

According to the complaint, the disintegrating relationship was followed by ‘secret deliberations’ between CSU and Ideastream that led to the transferring of the station’s signal – 89.3 FM – to the PBS-NPR affiliate.

Ideasteam was not named as a defendant in the complaint. It might be, depending on discovery, Bardwell told 216 Scoop.

Bloomberg did not respond to a request for comment as of publication.

In a December interview with The Cleveland Stater, Bloomberg admitted she wasn’t surprised by the response from students to handover of WCSB to Ideastream.

The response from the community is another thing, however.

A large number of people who spoke out had never listened to it,” said Bloomberg. “I would say, ‘Well, what's your favorite program? What are you going to miss the most?’ and they'll say, ‘Well, I never listened to it. I didn't even know there was a radio station, but I'm mad now.’ That surprised me.”

WCSB became one of the city’s biggest -- and unlikely -- stories of 2025.

It’s the story of the little student-run radio station that could. The community loved it – not just for its music and personalities, but also for its heart and passion.

It quickly escalated into a story about the powerful vs. the powerless that resonated far and wide, even with those that casually listened to WCSB.

The loss of a cultural jewel sparked a boycott, protests and the unanimous condemnation of Cleveland City Council. It received national attention.

Bloomberg earned a base salary for 2024-2025 of $464,100. She received a 3% raise and 25% performance bonus for a of “significant accomplishments” – even as she cut athletic and academic programs to offset losses.

Founded in 1976, the station operated as a creative outlet and training ground for students, with around 98 weekly shows produced by a dedicated team of volunteers and staff.

This independent spirit came to an abrupt end on October 3, 2025, when CSU announced a partnership with Ideastream Public Media, effectively handing over programming control to the nonprofit organization.

Under the agreement, WCSB's signal was immediately "flash cut" to Ideastream's JazzNEO format, a 24/7 jazz station, marking the end of student-led content on the FM airwaves.

Students and community members described it a "conspiracy" that unfolded in secrecy, culminating in a pivotal four-hour executive session by CSU's Board of Trustees on August 7, 2025.

During this closed-door meeting, attended by CSU officials, Ideastream President Kevin Martin, and a consultant, the WCSB deal was reportedly discussed at length.

University leaders justified the session by invoking exemptions under Ohio's Sunshine Law for personnel matters, trade secrets protected by the NDA, and real estate disposition—despite no actual property transfer occurring, as only operational control shifted.

 Critics, including public meetings law expert David Marburger, labeled these justifications as "subterfuge," arguing that the session's true purpose was to build consensus on the handover without public scrutiny.

The complaint against Bloomberg and the University contends that “immediately after the meeting adjourned, Bloomberg summoned Ms. Bomgardner into a meeting on Zoom.”

“Bloomberg joined the meeting and promptly announced that the University had sold its students out and taken away their forum for speech and expression,” states the complaint. “Bomgardner began to object, but Bloomberg cut her off and ended the meeting, saying she had no time for questions.”

The complaint asserts that Bomgardner “soon discovered the University had also found a way to shut down the WCSB website, which she had paid for herself, forcing WCSB members to go out of pocket to set up an entirely new website”

After the meeting, Bloomberg made a broader announcement to students that it was shutting down WCSB.

“When one member of WCSB’s executive staff objected and criticized the decision, Dr. Bloomberg ejected her from the meeting,” contends the complaint.

“Soon after, Dr. Bloomberg called the police on her students, who had not committed any crime or violated any campus rules. On her orders, campus police forced the students out of their space, banned them from returning, and threatened them with arrest if they did not comply.”

In the aftermath of the shuttering of WCSB, students and volunteers submitted requests for public records to the University, asking for access to records reflecting its agreement with Ideastream and the transfer of the broadcast license.

According to the complaint, “The University has refused to provide access to those records. Students have also sought access to public records from Ideastream, but Ideastream has refused them access.

“As a direct and proximate result of Defendants’ actions, Plaintiffs have suffered and continue to suffer economic and non-economic damages for which Defendants are liable. Defendants acted willfully, egregiously, maliciously, in bad faith, and in a wanton or reckless manner.”

In the wake of the October shutdown, Bomgardner and other members of WSCB have formed Friends of XCSB Steering Committee.

It is working on a two-tier approach: legal action while seeking alternate ways to bring the station back to the airwaves.

Over the last two months, the committee has searched for a space for a studio when it can begin streaming programs and content.

“We want to start streaming 12 hours of new content by March 1,” says Keith Newman, a DJ and member of the steering committee. “And we hope to have a studio and go 24 hours a day by May 10 – our 50^th anniversary.”

‘XCSB,’ as it is now called, has also partnered with Reading Room Cle, a bookstore that is acting as a fiscal sponsor to make it easier to qualify for a 501(c)(3) tax exemption. 

“It enables us to start accepting donations,” says Newman, “which a big step toward getting the station back on the air.”

“It’s a tragedy that WCSB has been snagged away from DJ, listeners and the and community,” adds Newman. “But it has empowered our membership to get involved in things they never imagined they would.”

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