CITY CLUB FORUM

A Citadel of Free Speech
Heard On WCLV Fridays at 12:30 PM

History:
Founded in 1912, The City Club is the oldest continuous free speech forum in the country. Over their 83 year history, many national and international leaders have spoken here, often to make major policy announcements. The City Club of Cleveland is generally considered among the top three speaking platforms in the nation.

Philosophy:
The City Club firmly believes in the free expression of all ideas and the benefits of an open exchange. Thus, The City Club takes no positions on issues. All speakers must answer uncensored, unrehearsed questions directly from the audience.

Forum Format:
A brief introduction, a 25-30 minute address by the speaker, followed by a few short announcements and then questions from the audience for the final half-hour.

Media:
WCLV/Seaway Productions offers the City Club Forum broadcasts FREE OF CHARGE* to all radio stations via ftp file download each Monday. The radio network spans 22 states and includes over 150 outlets. National distribution is made possible with generous funding from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. WCLV-FM streams the City Club Forum live on www.wclv.com every Friday at 12:30pm and broadcasts the program on 104.9FM Fridays at 9:00 p.m. City Club Forums are televised on WVIZ-TV and rebroadcast several times over most northeast Ohio cable systems. C-SPAN occasionally provides national coverage and frequent pick-up by wire services offer newspaper coverage.  For details on broadcast syndication, see below.

Members:
The City Club is supported by a diverse membership of approximately 1500 people from business, professional, educational and governmental communities.  Membership is open to all.

CDs of the WCLV and the national broadcasts are available for $15.00 each. You can order by mail, enclosing a check for $15.00 to:

The City Club
850 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44114

Or by phone and charging to your Visa or Mastercard: 216.621.0082 [Toll-free 888.223.6786]. *minimal delivery fees apply


Facilities:
The City Club occupies the entire second floor of the Citizens Building in downtown Cleveland and includes administrative space, library, main dining room,numerous meeting rooms and a main auditorium seating 280 for Forums. The auditorium is completely wired and lighted for television production.

Funding:
Incorporated as an Ohio not-for-profit organization, The City Club is supported by membership dues, program revenue and grants from private foundations.

Outreach Programs:
Over 50 area high schools participate in a year-long debate series, which culminates in the Annual Debate championship held at The City Club. Area students also participate in a weekly seminar program. A senior outreach program enables elderly inner-city residents to attend the Forums. A partnership with the people of Volgograd, Russia, has led to the establishment of the Volgograd Forum based on the City Club model.

Recent Speakers:
President William Clinton (3 times); President George Bush (5 times); Mr. Gerry Adams of Northern Ireland; President Jean-Bertrand Aristide of Haiti; Bud Selig, Baseball Commissioner; Owen Bieber, U.A.W. President; Amitai Etzioni, Philosopher; Carl Pope, Sierra Club President; George Stephanopolous, Presidential Advisor; Haley Barbour, National Republican Chairman; Joycelyn Elders, Former Surgeon General; Louis Harris, Pollster; Russell Means, Indian Activist; Boris Notkin, Moscow T.V. Anchor... and many more.

Past Speakers:
Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jimmy Hoffa, Salvador Allende, Jimmy Carter, Will Rogers, Clarence Darrow, Douglas MacArthur, Thomas Dewey, Eugene Debs, Vance Packard, John Kenneth Galbraith, Samuel Gompers, Bill Veeck, Roy Wilkins, Ilya Tolstoy, Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver, Dr. Benjamin Spock, Syngman Rhee, James B. Reston, Bertrand Russell, Margaret Mead, Edward Kennedy, Cesar Chavez, Gus Hall, Robert Kennedy,Rosa Parks, F. Lee Bailey, Ronald Reagan, Sandra Day O'Conner, Henry Luce, Fiorello La Guardia, Geraldine Ferraro, Jane Fonda, Eliot Ness, Barry Goldwater, Dick Gregory, George Wallace,Clarence Thomas, Henry Morgenthau, Ralph Nader, T. Boone Pickens, Dith Pran, Theodore Roosevelt, Babe Ruth, W.E B. Du Bois, William Shockley, William Jennings Bryan... and thousands of others.

For More Information, Contact:
The City Club of Cleveland
850 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44114
phone: (216) 621-0082 or (888) 223-6786
fax: (216) 621-0129