Ideastream Public Media Launches “After Jackson” Podcast and Announces Mayoral Candidate Debates With the City Club of Cleveland to Inform Voters

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Calle Andrus, Communications Manager
216.916.6434 | calle.andrus@ideastream.org

Ideastream Public Media Launches “After Jackson” Podcast and Announces Mayoral Candidate Debates With the City Club of Cleveland to Inform Voters

CLEVELAND, Ohio (July 14, 2021) — The election on November 2, 2021, will be the first time in 16 years that Clevelanders choose a new mayor. Knowing where the candidates stand on the issues, and what they plan to do for the city, is essential to making an informed vote. Ideastream Public Media, the home of Northeast Ohio’s member-supported public broadcasting stations WVIZ, WCPN and WCLV, is committed to providing Clevelanders important information about their options through a new podcast and two candidate debates.

A New Podcast: “After Jackson: Cleveland’s Next Mayor”
The podcast, “After Jackson: Cleveland’s Next Mayor,” offers a weekly deep dive into Cleveland’s mayoral race. Each Wednesday, starting July 14 through the election in November, host Nick Castele of Ideastream Public Media interviews candidates and voters, explores the issues and opportunities impacting the city, and gets to the bottom of what Clevelanders really want from their next mayor. Each episode features a combination of stories and interviews produced by Castele and Ideastream Public Media’s team of local journalists.

Full episodes of the podcast will air each Wednesday on Ideastream Public Media’s weekday morning radio program the “Sound of Ideas,” and short excerpts will also air periodically on WCPN during the months leading up to the election. Each week, new episodes of the podcast will be available to hear on-demand at ideastream.org/afterjackson and across podcast apps.

“Cleveland Mayoral Debate: Voters First” With the City Club of Cleveland
Ideastream Public Media and the City Club of Cleveland have joined forces to present two interactive debates featuring Cleveland’s mayoral candidates. Partners in these debates include more than two dozen local media outlets that form the Northeast Ohio Solutions Journalism Collaborative. The debates are planned for 7:30 p.m. August 10 and August 17 with Ideastream Public Media’s Rick Jackson and Nick Castele as the moderators, respectively. During the debates, questions for the candidates will be sourced directly from voters who will ask the questions themselves. Clevelanders can submit questions for the candidates in English or in Spanish at ideastream.org/election2021.

The debates will air live on WVIZ, WCPN and ideastream.org. The debates will also be made available to any local media outlets interested in sharing or reporting on the mayoral race. More information about the debates will be announced in the coming weeks. Funding for “Cleveland Mayoral Debate: Voters First” is provided by The Cleveland Foundation and The George Gund Foundation.

Ideastream Public Media is committed to strengthening the community by providing trusted local journalism. At a time when Northeast Ohio has experienced significant declines with respect to news and information coverage, Ideastream Public Media’s sustainable model makes it uniquely positioned to ensure the community’s needs are addressed through dialogue, as well as innovative solutions and investments in local journalism.

“Our mission as a local public media organization is to illuminate the world around us, and our efforts surrounding Cleveland’s mayoral race seek to do just that,” said Ideastream Public Media’s Executive Editor Mike McIntyre. “Finding reliable information about local elections has become increasingly challenging for voters as media outlets in Northeast Ohio have downsized or shuttered completely. The community can continue to rely on Ideastream Public Media to be their go-to source for local election coverage. Our goal is that the “After Jackson” podcast and mayoral candidate debates engage and empower voters so they feel confident making an informed choice about their next mayor.”

To find more about the podcast “After Jackson: Cleveland’s Next Mayor” and the upcoming candidate debates, visit ideastream.org/election2021.

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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