The Radio Survivor podcast is a weekly show that explores the future of community media, with a focus on community radio, college radio, low-power FM and public access TV, along with podcasting and internet radio. Hosts Paul Riismandel, Eric Klein and Jennifer Waits highlight the best and most innovative audio programming and keep you updated on the news that affects our ability to make, create, hear and see great community media.
Podcast #346 – The Fight for College Radio at Cleveland State Station WCSB
On October 3, 2025, while World College Radio Day was being celebrated all over the globe, Cleveland State University’s nearly 50-year old student-run college radio station WCSB 89.3 FM was shut down by administrators. Staff and volunteers were escorted out of the station by police and programming was soon replaced by JazzNEO, a music service produced by public radio group Ideastream.
In the ensuing weeks, WCSB participants and supporters have been protesting this move and have organized under the name XCSB. To discuss what happened to the Cleveland State college radio station and what lies ahead for XCSB, two former WCSB student leaders join us on Radio Survivor. Liam Main was the business manager of WCSB and Alison Bomgardner was the most recent General Manager of the station.
Show Notes:
* WCSB Student Leaders and Supporters Fight Against Takeover of Cleveland State University’s Student-Run Station (https://www.radiosurvivor.com/2025/10/wcsb-student-leaders-and-supporters-fight-against-takeover-of-cleveland-state-universitys-student-run-college-radio-station/) (Radio Survivor)
* XCSB website (https://xcsb.org/)
* Last capture of WCSB-FM website (https://web.archive.org/web/20250927032541/https://www.wcsb.org/), when it was student-run station (Wayback Machine)
* Global College Radio Community Unites for XCSB Special Broadcast (https://www.collegeradio.org/global-college-radio-community-unites-for-xcsb-special-broadcast/) (College Radio Foundation)
* Ideastream Public Media (https://www.ideastream.org/) website
* JazzNEO (https://www.ideastream.org/jazz) web page
* College Broadcasters Inc. (https://askcbi.org/) website
* KUSF DJs and Fans Gear up to Fight Proposed Radio Station Sale (https://www.radiosurvivor.com/2011/01/kusf-djs-and-fans-gear-up-to-fight-proposed-college-radio-station-sale-while-ownership-details-for-classical-public-radio-emerge/) (Radio Survivor, January 2011)
Show Credits:
* This episode was produced by Jennifer Waits
* Hosted by Jennifer Waits and Eric Klein
* Edited by Eric Klein
24 Sept 2025
Podcast #345 – Catching up with Community Radio at the Grassroots Radio Conference and NCRC
Jennifer Waits reports back from the Grassroots Radio Conference, held in Spokane Washington from September 11 to September 14, 2025. We recap FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez’s keynote address, in which she spoke forcefully about recent actions by the FCC that threaten freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Gomez talked about the importance of community radio, as a place that inherently provides a diversity of view points.
Also on the show, we hear a bit about the National Campus and Community Radio Conference, which was held in Nanaimo, BC, Canada in June 2025. Plus, Jennifer digs into the latest “best college radio stations” list from Princeton Review.
Show Notes:
* Grassroots Radio Conference 2025 (https://grc2025.com/), hosted by KYRS in Spokane, Washington
* KYRS, Thin Air Community Radio (https://kyrs.org/)
* FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez (https://www.fcc.gov/about/leadership/anna-gomez)
* Gomez Sounds Alarm on Press Freedoms at Grassroots Radio Conference (https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/business-and-law/gomez-sounds-alarm-on-press-freedoms-at-grassroots-radio-conference) (Radio World)
* Podcast #267 – Live from the Grassroots Radio Conference: Community Radio and Protests (https://www.radiosurvivor.com/2020/10/podcast-267-live-from-the-grassroots-radio-conference-community-radio-and-protests/) (October 2020 virtual GRC)
* Podcast #162 – The Future of Community Radio, Live from Grassroots Radio Conference (https://www.radiosurvivor.com/2018/10/podcast-162-the-future-of-community-radio-live-from-grassroots-radio-conference/) (October 2018 in Portland, Oregon)
* National Campus and Community Radio Association (NCRA) Conference (https://ncrc.ncra.ca/) in Nanaimo, BC, Canada
* Counterculture: 20 Years of CIVL Radio in the Fraser Valley (Countercuhttps://www.civl.ca/counterculture-20-years-of-civl-radio-in-the-fraser-valley/) documentary
* 35000 Watts documentary (https://www.35000watts.com/) about college radio
* Campus and community radio stations that Jennifer visited in Canada (tour reports (https://www.radiosurvivor.com/radio-station-tours/) forthcoming): Radio Sidney (https://www.radiosidney.ca/), CFUV-FM (https://cfuv.uvic.ca/) (University of Victoria), CHLY-FM (https://www.chly.ca/) (Victoria Island University), Vancouver Co-Op Radio CFRO-FM (https://coopradio.org/), CiVL-FM (https://www.civl.ca/) (University of the Fraser Valley), CJSF-FM (https://www.cjsf.ca/) (Simon Fraser University), CiTR-FM (https://www.citr.ca/) (University of British Columbia)
* Nadwuar the Human Serviette (https://nardwuar.com/)
14 May 2025
Podcast #343 – Music in Orbit: Satellite Radio in the Streaming Space Age
While the work of radio stations using terrestrial transmitters is a typical discussion topic on Radio Survivor, for this episode we find ourselves examining music and talk beamed down from satellites orbiting the earth. Satellite radio as we know it began in the 1990s, with its major players launching satellite radio services in the early 2000s. Brian Fauteux, Associate Professor of Popular Music and Media Studies at University of Alberta joins us on the show to discuss the fascinating history and relevance of satellite radio to both radio culture and the music industry. Brian is the author of the new book, “Music in Orbit: Satellite Radio in the Streaming Space Age,” released in 2025.
Show Notes:
* Music in Orbit: Satellite Radio in the Streaming Space Age (https://www.ucpress.edu/books/music-in-orbit/paper) (UC Press)
* Brian Fauteux (https://www.brianfauteux.com/)
* SiriusXM (https://www.siriusxm.com/)
* HBCU channel (https://www.siriusxm.com/channels/hbcu) on SiriusXM
* Aquarium Drunkard (https://aquariumdrunkard.com/)
* Sirius XMU (https://www.siriusxm.com/channels/siriusxmu)
* Behind the Scenes of XMU’s “Student Exchange Program” (https://spinningindie.blogspot.com/2008/10/behind-scenes-of-xmus-student-exchange.html) (SpinningIndie)
* Matthew Lasar on “Radio 2.0” (https://www.radiosurvivor.com/2016/03/radio-2-0-uploading-first-broadcast-medium/) (Radio Survivor)
* Radio 2.0: Uploading the First Broadcast Medium (https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/radio-20-9781440832437/) by Matthew Lasar
* Flashback Radio Survivor articles (https://www.radiosurvivor.com/author/brian-fauteux/) by Brian Fauteux circa 2014-2016! (Radio Survivor)
Show Credits:
* This episode was produced by Jennifer Waits
* Hosted by Jennifer Waits and Eric Klein
* Edited by Eric Klein
Inside a recent episode
Podcast #178 – Irish Pirate Radio Archive
Published 30 Jan 2019 · Transcript excerpt
[…] Then you had something similar to what we call local radio in Ireland today where you have county wide stations that were middle of the road playing an acceptable diet of music for everybody, not, you know, scaring the horses, pretty safe and pretty predictable, but providing a good local service all the same. And then finally, you had what were called the super pirates, which were really audacious and brazen businessmen. And they invariably were men broadcasting high pirate signals into the UK across the border into Northern Ireland and really scaring the authorities. Those were the ones more than anybody who got rated and were shut down from time to time because they were a very serious threat to RTE, the state broadcaster. […]
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