Cleveland’s NPR-Affiliate, WKSU, Improves Its Signal and Reach With Deployment of MaxxCast™ HD Signal 

Station Leaps from 4.2 to 5.5 Rating in Two Months

Elgin, IL, April 4, 2023 – WKSU-FM, a non-commercial public radio station operated by Ideastream Public Media, Cleveland, OH, substantially improved its broadcast signal and audience reach through the deployment of a MaxxCasting™ system from GeoBroadcast Solutions. The most recent ratings showed a 6+ audience increase from the 4.2 in December to a 5.5 in February. The station had recently consolidated the region’s NPR programming on WKSU – 89.7 MHz FM – and its network of repeaters to improve its coverage area.

Licensed to Kent State University, WKSU was historically the public radio station in the Akron, Kent, and Canton, OH areas. In 2021, Ideastream Public Media consolidated operations of its own NPR station, WCPN-FM, with WKSU and subsequently dedicated WCPN to a classical and jazz service. With the merger of the two stations, Ideastream tapped MaxxCasting to help improve the weaker parts of the 89.7 signal in northeast Ohio.

Having recently deployed the first of a two-node single-frequency network (SFN), with HD Radio™, WKSU will serve Greater Cleveland with FM and HD Radio coverage that provides better quality audio and more stable RDS transmission.

“After the merger, WKSU needed improvements to reach the growing population of the metro-Cleveland aera. The nodes will do a tremendous job of filling the area and providing a signal that is clear and strong,” said Chuck Poulton, Sr. Director of Technology, Ideastream Public Media. “We are very pleased to be using the MaxxCasting technology to better reach and grow our audience.”

MaxxCasting combines radio and cellular technology with patented designs that enable FM Broadcasters to enhance their signals with the deployment of a strategically located cluster of low to the ground, highly directionalized synchronized booster sites.  MaxxCasting allows broadcasters to deliver robust, easy to receive signals that reach a broader portion of their service area and supports the accurate decoding of Nielsen PPM watermark to aid in accurate audience measurement.

“Part of what our MaxxCasting system will accomplish for WKSU is not having to duplicate much coverage. It allows for the introduction of more content to more listeners, including the public service broadcasting to the communities the station serves,” said Paul Littleton, chief technology officer at GeoBroadcast Solutions.

About GeoBroadcast Solutions LLC

GeoBroadcast Solutions was formed in 2011 to develop the ZoneCasting™ Geo-Targeting platform.  This platform has been successfully tested under special FCC authorization. Geo-Targeted separation of the main channel audio of an FM radio station to its listeners allows the ability to split an FM signal into local “zones.” Out of this development effort came MaxxCasting™, which increases signal quality, PPM watermark decoding, and allows geographic targeting and fencing of radio screen advertising. It is successfully deployed and operational in many markets and growing rapidly. Additional information is available at geobroadcastsolutions.com.  

About Ideastream Public Media

Ideastream Public Media serves the people of Northeast Ohio as a trustworthy and dynamic multimedia source for illuminating the world around us. Publicly supported and locally owned, Ideastream is indispensable and highly valued for its unique ability to strengthen our community.  It is the home of five public television stations (WVIZ, WVIZ OHIO, WVIZ WORLD, WVIZ CREATE and WVIZ KIDS); WKSU, Northeast Ohio’s NPR news and public affairs radio station; WCLV, Northeast Ohio’s classical music radio station; and The Ohio Newsroom. Ideastream produces the award-winning children’s educational 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. As Ohio’s largest independent, publicly supported media organization, Ideastream provides free programs and services to 3.6 million people in 22 counties across radio, TV and digital platforms. For more information about Ideastream’s rich legacy of innovation and credible content, visit ideastream.org.

Media Contact:

Robert Udowitz

703.621.8060

rudowitz@geobroadcastsolutions.com