Contacts:
Calle Andrus, Communications Manager
216.916.6434 | calle.andrus@ideastream.org
Stacey Vaselaney, SLV Public Relations, LLC
216.905.0908 | slvaselaney@slvpr.com
ideastream Celebrates 20th Anniversary with Rebrand and Renewed Vision to Strengthen the Community; Becomes Ideastream Public Media
- Organization is taking steps to continue to evolve with the changing media landscape and ensure it meets the needs of the community-
CLEVELAND, OHIO – (June 15, 2021) – To mark its twentieth anniversary this year, ideastream, the home of Northeast Ohio’s member-supported public broadcasting stations WVIZ, WCPN and WCLV, has announced its rebrand and name change to Ideastream Public Media. The change represents the integration and alignment of the organization’s broadcast, digital and program assets, community services and educational resources. Moreover, it signals its evolution and symbolizes Ideastream Public Media’s renewed commitment to strengthen the community.
“The original vision of bringing our stations together was that the whole would be greater than the sum of its parts,” said Kevin E. Martin, president and CEO of Ideastream Public Media. “Technologies and media habits have dramatically changed since then. The Ideastream Public Media brand signals our integration strategy to share more information, arts and culture content and educational resources across our platforms and grow our service in Northeast Ohio.”
The Northeast Ohio market is the 19 th largest media market in the U.S. with roughly four million people. Yet, the market has experienced significant declines in the past couple of decades with respect to news and information coverage, as various entities have succumbed to technological and economic forces that have fundamentally disrupted their service and business models. Ideastream Public Media’s sustainable model makes it uniquely positioned to address the community’s needs through dialogue, as well as innovative solutions and investments in local journalism.
Among many partnerships and projects, Ideastream Public Media is currently leading plans to develop a statewide news collaborative to close the growing gaps in local journalism and is collaborating with other Greater Cleveland news outlets as part of the Northeast Ohio Solutions Journalism Collaborative.
A New Brand
“This brand is a reflection of our evolution,” said Todd Mesek, chief marketing officer at Ideastream Public Media. “Our message is one of trust, community and service. Our new name, Ideastream Public Media, is the clearest representation of our united organization.”
“The community is a part of Ideastream Public Media, and we are a part of the community,” continued Mesek. “Through the stories we produce, the conversations we convene and the support we receive, Northeast Ohioans are essential to our work. That’s why we felt it was important to put ‘public’ right in our name.”
The organization engaged with area partners as part of the rebranding process of becoming Ideastream Public Media. Long & Short of It, a branding and marketing agency, led the rebranding journey from marketing research to the brand platform to activation.
The rebrand also includes a new logo that embodies who Ideastream Public Media is — a trusted and dynamic multimedia source convening and aligning Northeast Ohio’s diverse community. The logo was created by Cleveland-based design firm, C&C. C&C specializes in design for brands looking to uniquely contribute to and connect with the world around them. Developing ways to bring a vision and voice to life through design is their mission. The logo mark features four unique vantage points converging in the center to create this symbol of unity. The motion and the energy of the mark speaks to a stream of ideas and a flow of information. The letterforms are welcoming, speak in an objective tone and maximize clarity across platforms. Their curved edges take cues from the rounded mark, emulating a strong relationship as the organization aims to strengthen the community.
Cleveland-based artist Erin Guido and local musicians Justin Gorski and Curtis Leonard were also part of the team that helped bring Ideastream Public Media to life. Guido was commissioned to activate the new brand through multiple forms of creative expression that represent the broad scope of content Ideastream Public Media creates, and the values it evokes. The primary activation from Guido is a sidewalk art installation. This regionwide installation features Guido’s original artwork and is being applied to sidewalks using custom stencils and chalk. The work can be viewed on sidewalks across various neighborhoods in Northeast Ohio this summer. The installation both showcases Ideastream Public Media and engages residents who come across the colorful, inspirational messages included in Guido’s compositions.
Ideastream Public Media’s audio identifications also received an update. The recognizable “bongo” sound that listeners and viewers are familiar with has evolved thanks to the help of Justin Gorski (AKA Big Hoke) and musician/engineer Curtis Leonard. The versatility of Gorski and Leonard allowed the Ideastream Public Media audio team to explore and incorporate several styles of music while keeping Ideastream Public Media’s trademark sound consistent.
For more information about Ideastream Public Media, visit ideastream.org/brand.
Special Programming TONIGHT
“Isabel & Roy” will air on June 15 at 7:30 – 8:00 p.m. followed by “Looking Forward…and Looking Back” at 8:00 – 9:00 p.m.
In tandem with today’s announcement, Ideastream Public Media is airing two shows this evening. “Isabel & Roy” will air from 7:30 – 8:00 p.m. This original Ideastream Public Media production explores Roy Lichtenstein's pre-pop days in Cleveland and the woman who supported him as he developed his signature style. The program has received accolades from Cleveland.com, and tonight’s airing will be followed by a discussion with its two creators – David C. Barnett and Mary Fecteau. Barnett and Fecteau will speak about the making of the documentary and the importance of supporting local journalism.
After “Isabel & Roy” and the subsequent creator discussion, Ideastream Public Media will air “Looking Forward…and Looking Back” from 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. Twenty years ago, two stations – WVIZ and WCPN – came together to form ideastream, followed several years later by WCLV. This revolutionary concept in public media is being taken one step further with the introduction of Ideastream Public Media. Join host Rick Jackson and co-host Margaret Cavalier as they highlight the future of this new structure, while taking a fond look back at WVIZ’s rich history. Enjoy clips from past WVIZ documentaries “Cleveland Memories,” “And Then We Ate” and “Radio Memories.” Viewers will also have an opportunity to become a member of Ideastream Public Media.
About Ideastream Public Media
Ideastream Public Media serves the people of Northeast Ohio as a trusted and dynamic multimedia source for illuminating the world around us. Ideastream Public Media is the home of five public television stations (WVIZ, WVIZ OHIO, WVIZ WORLD, WVIZ CREATE and WVIZ KIDS); WCPN, Northeast Ohio’s NPR news and public affairs radio station; and WCLV, Northeast Ohio’s classical music radio station. Ideastream Public Media produces the award-winning children’s series “NewsDepth” and manages The Ohio Channel and the Ohio Public Radio and Television Statehouse News Bureau on behalf of all Ohio’s public broadcasting stations. Ideastream Public Media is indispensable and highly valued for its unique ability to strengthen our community. For more information about Ideastream Public Media’s rich legacy of innovation and credible content, visit ideastream.org.
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Media may download the Ideastream Public Media press kit by visiting ideastream.org/presskit .