As the neon lights strobed and costumed attendees filled the venue, the sounds of Halloween came alive inside the Beachland Ballroom, Oct. 25. 

With opening acts like Cowboy Princess Brigade and Pretty Pretty Awful warming up the crowd, and headliners Hello! 3D and Juanita and Juan closing the night, the XCSB Halloween Ball had something for everyone.

For many of the people performing and attending the night was bittersweet, coming soon after the unexpected and abrupt Ideastream takeover of long-standing Cleveland and Cleveland State University radio station, WCSB, which the ball traditionally celebrates. XCSB is a play on WCSB canceled.

Among the attendees was Mario Benjamin, XCSB promotions and public affairs director, who also led the event’s planning.

“My day-of expectations were blown out of the water,” said Benjamin, a senior popular music major at CSU. “There were over 500 people in the venue. I was astonished at everyone who showed up and spent time at the ball.”

Entirely free to attendees, WCSB began the annual Halloween Ball in 2009 as a “thank you" to community members for supporting the station.

Working alongside former WCSB promotions director Scott Heisel and longtime DJs Joe and Connie Harant, Benjamin began preparations for this year’s event in July – booking bands, creating promotional materials and developing a theme. 

“I really didn’t set my expectations too high, I just wanted to put on the best show I could,” Benjamin said. “I wanted to take the night to celebrate the station and the accomplishments we’ve achieved in the last 49 years.” 

But plans shifted after Cleveland State transferred control of WCSB content to Ideastream on Oct. 3, 2025.

“I was very optimistic of the turnout before the Ideastram takeover,” Benjamin said. “The tone changed because people were unsure if this may be the last Halloween Ball.”

The unexpected transfer forced Benjamin and the rest of the staff to shift from event planning to a much larger question: “How are we going to get the station back?” 

“Everything was completely flipped on its head,” Benjamin said. 

Less than a month before the event, Alison Bomgardner, WCSB and now XCSB general manager, and Liam Main, WCSB/XCSB business manager, spoke directly to the Center for Campus Engagement and CSU President Laura Bloomberg, Ph.D., to secure the rest of the station's funds. 

“It was scary to consider all the payments that go into the Halloween Ball and what would’ve happened without those funds,” Benjamin said.

Despite the challenges faced, XCSB hosted a wildly successful Halloween Ball 2025.

This year’s theme “It Came From F.M.” was inspired by Benjamin’s love for 1950s and ’60s horror films. Vintage horror movie posters lined the former station’s walls – bringing the concept full circle and paying tribute to the station’s history.

“I really like those posters around the station, and I wanted to represent the station in that way,” Benjamin said. “‘It Came From F.M.’ is kind of ironic in hindsight, it’s like (WCSB) is dead and we’re coming back to life.” 

In addition to designing the theme, Benjamin also handled booking the night’s opening acts. With input from local musicians and community members, he curated a lineup that reflected Cleveland’s diverse music taste.

“You want to consider what’s going to keep people in the venue for long, while also creating a seamless transition between genres,” Benjamin said. “I was really happy with the lineup we did have.” 

The result was a packed venue and a buzzing atmosphere that showcased the dedication of Benjamin and the entire XCSB staff.

“Everyone was genuinely having a good time,” Benjamin said. “That was the first time I was in a packed room and everyone was moving and having a great time with one another.”

Kevin Ballou, a former WCSB board member and CSU alumnus, said his attendance was both in celebration and in support of the station.

“For one, it’s so much fun and one of the best Halloween parties in Cleveland,” Ballou told CSU's COM 424 broadcast students who filmed the event. “Two, what’s happening right now with XCSB is really disheartening and infuriating. It’s so important to support XCSB now more than ever.”

Though the night was a success, the XCSB team remains focused on the future and their efforts to regain control of the station.

“It’s very bittersweet,” Benjamin said. “Things are still not the same and it’s been weird navigating XCSB after the takeover –  we have a lot of work to do.”