CWRU and ideastream WVIZ/PBS and 90.3WCPN have signed an agreement to develop content and collaborate in the application of technology for radio, television and video and audio webstream distribution, as well as fixed media such as videotapes and DVDs.

Lynn Singer, deputy provost and vice president for academic programs at CWRU, said, "We are very pleased to be working with ideastream. We believe it will provide the university with new ways to serve the community and share the research and activities taking place on our campus. In addition, our students will benefit from the potential of real learning experiences that could emerge from our collaborative project."

Kathryn P. "Kit" Jensen, chief operating officer of ideastream, said, "This agreement is the result of many years of discussion with Case Western Reserve. Our goal is to turn the tremendous intellectual capacity at the University into programming that connects with the community."

Jensen cited as an example of ideastream programming developed with CWRU a series titled "Making Change: Reinventing Our Economy." The series focuses on the challenges facing the region's economy, using research from the Center for Regional Economic Issues, part of CWRU's Weatherhead School of Management. The series, funded by SBC Ameritech, will begin airing on WVIZ and WCPN the week of October 14.

In addition, ideastream is working with Lawrence Krauss, chair of the department of physics and Ambrose Swasey Professor of Astronomy and Physics, and a consortium of major-market public radio stations to develop radio essays about public policy matters from a scientific perspective.

Ideastream is also among the organizations working with CWRU's Department of Information Services on the collaborative development of an internet-based community information network.