NONCOMMERCIAL MARKET PROFILE: CLEVELAND

CLEVELAND NONCOMMERCIAL RADIO DIAL

Nielsen Audio Market Rank: 31

12+ Population: 1,774,000

Ethnic Composition:  Black - 19.86%; Hispanic - 5%

FREQ	CALLS	FORMAT	NOVEMBER 2015 AQH %	NOVEMBER 2015 WEEKLY LISTENERS	ESTIMATED ANNUAL BUDGET
88.3	WBWC	College Rock & Student Programs	Na	Na	$15,000
88.7	WJCU	Triple A & Eclectic Music	Na	Na	$135,000
89.3	WCSB	Freeform Rock & Eclectic Music	Na	Na	$127,000
89.7	WKSU*	NPR News, Classical & Folk	0.5	51,700	$4,560,000
90.3	WCPN	NPR News	2.4	110,500	$11,800,000**
91.1	WRUV	Freeform Rock & Eclectic Music	Na	Na	$65,000
91.5	WKHR	Nostalgia	0.4	48,200	$100,000
103.3	WCRF	Christian Teaching	0.6	68,500	Na
104.9	WCLV	Classical	0.7	67,100	$11,800,000**

* WKSU is in the Akron Metro, a Nielsen Audio Diary market. In Spring 2015 WKSU had an AQH Share of 3.6 and a weekly Cume of 87,500.

** WCPN & WCLV Combined

CLEVELAND NONCOM STATION PROFILES

88.3 WBWC [link] is primarily a student-operated station licensed to Baldwin-Wallace University. WBWC features college radio hits, local news and sports coverage. 

88.7 WJCU is the “de facto” noncom Triple A station in Cleveland. It seems to have a wide (and sometimes confusing) mission. Licensed to John Carroll University, WJCU [link] has one paid employee and relies on students, elected by their peers, to produce programming. In a perfect world they could be a major factor in the market. 

89.3 WCSB [link] is the college rock leader in Cleveland. The station is programmed by Cleveland State University students and community volunteers. WCSB has a deep commitment to “freeform” programming, bordering on anarchy. WCSB is operating far below its potential.

89.7 WKSU [link] broadcasts from Kent 

State University, just outside of the Cleveland metro. WKSU celebrated its 35^th birthday in 2015.  It has an elaborate network of repeater stations and translators and covers a large chunk of Ohio. 

90.3 WCPN [link] is part of the non-profit organization called ideastream. In addition to WCPN, ideastream also operates WVIZ-TV, a PBS station, classical WCLV, several public service cable TV channels, online “distance learning” services and other interactive media.  

91.1 WRUW [link] is another under-performing college rock station licensed to Case Western Reserve University. WRUW also broadcasts Pacifica warhorses such as Democracy Now!  I hope someday one of Cleveland’s college stations will breakout from self-imposed smallness and embrace a larger public service mission. 

91.5 WKHR [link] is a one-of-station that is stuck in the far-distant past. WHKR features music from legendary artists from the 1920’s, 30’s, 40’s, and 50's. It claims to be the only Big Band radio station in Northeast Ohio. WKHR is operated by longtime volunteers and is licensed to the suburban Kenston School District. 

103.3 WCRF [link] is the Cleveland flagship for Chicago-based Moody Bible Institute. Moody is an old-school religious operation and has an annual revenue around $150,000,000. Salem Broadcasting owns the Cleveland Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) market with a big commercial FM station.

104.9 WCLV [link] is a Cleveland gem that has been one of the most influential classical music stations in the nation. WCLV started as a commercial station in 1962 and gained an international reputation as a leading classical music broadcaster and producer and distributor of classical programming. WCLV moved from from 95.5 FM to 104.9 FM and became a noncommercial station in July, 2001, when it merged with ideastream.