U.S. student papers see decline in distribution, funding
By Erina Lin, Friday 5 September 2008 at 19:18 :: Newspaper Data :: #2236 :: rss
Many U.S. student newspapers have experienced tough times, with circulation declines forcing many universities to cut costs, The Daily Texan Online reported.
Several student papers in the country are reducing staff or publication days. The Spartan Daily, the campus paper for San Jose State University in California, has hired more staff, but the decrease in funding has caused it to scrap its Friday edition cut the size of the paper.
The Spartan's cutback comes at a time when it is trying some new ways to reach its audience. Faculty advisor Tim Hendrick said the paper has launched a mobile edition and upgraded the online edition for video and podcast compatibility.
“Cutting the paper's Friday edition has not affected the newspaper's circulation because fewer students have class on Fridays,” Hendrick said, according to The Daily Texan.
Other examples include The Daily Orange from Syracuse University in New York and the University of California-Berkeley's Daily Californian. They both reduced their publication to four days a week. Also, Ohio State's Lantern said it will cut its summer publication completely.
Kathy Lawrence, Texas Student Media Director, said that The Daily Texan's circulation, about 20,000, is lower than it was 20 years ago, but she does not believe “growing popularity of online news is a reason for the decrease in circulation,” because “most users who access The Daily Texan online are not UT students.”
Lawrence pointed out that a shift in reader demographics to younger people could be a reason for circulation drops, but “85 percent of students still consider a newspaper their primary source of information,” she added. “We serve a large community but still a very niche audience. People care about the University and what goes on around campus,” said Lawrence said, according to The Daily Texan Online.
In spite of cutbacks at other campus papers, Lawrence said she does not foresee any changes to the Texan, The Daily Texan Online reported.
According to Wanda Cash, a journalism professor, “each generation has its own style of journalism that reflects what is going on in the world. This new generation of journalists and news consumers requires that change.”
Cash, a journalist with over 30 years experience, pointed out a unique problem for campus publications: “While the circulation will always be strong for smaller, community newspapers, students may not feel as loyal toward a campus newspaper because of their short stay at a university.”
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