Central State WCSU-FM general manager wins award for advancing Black media in Ohio

The Ohio Collective recognized Charles Fox, general manager of Central State University’s WCSU-FM, with the Legacy Builder Pillar Award for co-founding the Ohio Black News Service on May 26 at the annual State of Black Ohio Summit.  

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The mission of the Ohio Collective is to respond to the identified issues and problems of African American-based racism and to engage the resources necessary to provide answers and positive outcomes to those issues. The summit brings together thought leaders for strategic planning and action in support of that mission. 

During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, former Ohio state senator and current Ohio NAACP Conference president, Tom Roberts, called together leaders of the state’s Black-owned media to share his social and political agenda. That gathering included 20 social media, print, radio, and TV influencers from Akron, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Lorain, Toledo, and Wilberforce.

Over the subsequent three years, virtual meetings became fuel for strategic collaboration, and two entities emerged: the for-profit Ohio Black Media Collective and nonprofit Ohio Black News Service. 

Fox presented a concept for collaboration between WCSU-FM, Central State University, the NAACP, and the Black media leadership. That led to the recent formation of the OBNS. 

Serving as a professional development resource — providing internships and entry-level assignments — for mass communications and journalism students is one of the goals of the OBNS. Collaborating with student media organizations also presents opportunities for digitizing stories from Black journalists for streaming. 

While Fox leads efforts to install a state-of-the-art digital media production studio/lab in the Central State University Mass Communications Center, he credits his WCSU-FM team members, Operations Director Wade Oberlin, Broadcast Technician Stephon Lane, and Program Director Trent Darby (aka Ronald Newell) for their initiatives in launching the web-based student-run On Our Own Radio (OOO) and “Funky Friday”, a new show celebrating the music said to originate in Dayton, the “Capital of Funk”.  

“Together, these efforts energize the community to recognize and nurture the creative genius of our youth,” Fox said. 

Informed by his award-winning professional experience in global, national, and local media, Fox further explained, “The global entertainment and media is on track to become a $2.9-trillion market by 2026. My vision is for the Central State University Mass Communications Center to become a vibrant media axis for central Ohio, a collaborator with nonprofits such as the Ohio Black News Service and a pipeline for our students to compete in and contribute to that fast-growing global industry.  

Affiliates of the Ohio Black Media Collective and Ohio Black News Service include City Park League (Toledo), the Dayton Daily News, Elevate Dayton, Jasper Brown LLC (Dayton), NAACP Ohio Conference (Columbus), New Americans Magazine (Columbus), Ross Communications/WRCX TV 40 (Dayton), Stop26 Riverbend 97.7 FM, The African American News Journal (Columbus), The Buckeye Review (Youngstown), The Call & Post 94.7 FM 105.3 FM 1460 WABQ (Cleveland), The Cincinnati Herald, The Real Deal Press (Cleveland), The Reporter (Akron), Sojourner’s Truth (Toledo), The Toledo Journal, WCSU FM & OOO Radio (stream) Wilberforce, WNZN (Lorain), and Yellow Springs News.