Covering the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland was about more than simply focusing on what was going on at night inside Quicken Loans Arena in the center of downtown. The Convention was a major "get" for Cleveland, a chance to show off the city (and how much it's changed from a symbol of “Rustbelt” America), to the country and the world. Bringing RNC events to listeners across Northeast Ohio, coverage came from the entire WKSU News staff and combined newscasts, breaking on-the-scene reports, features on delegates and the candidate controversies, plus stories on the locals making sure everything was running smoothly.
With NPR providing a national perspective on the show going on inside the arena, it was an opportunity for station reporters to showcase everything else in Cleveland that was involved with putting on the convention: the preparations, the politicking, and the protests that went on throughout the day and the week in the city and much of Northeast Ohio. This RNC had the unusual twist of conflict within the convention as the Ohio delegation continued to represent Gov. John Kasich, even after Donald Trump became the presumptive Presidential nominee for the party. Reporting continued after the balloon drop, examining the long-term effects on the region from hosting this major event that saw Cleveland declared the big winner for 2016.