Traditionally, the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief write bookend articles covering the state of the paper each semester. Last semester was a bit of an anomaly in that I, the then-publisher, wrote the state of the paper at the beginning of the semester when that is usually the responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief. Then, at the end of the semester, I had to go home to be with my family and take care of a dying loved one. So here I am, finally writing my end-of-the-semester state of the paper, and with it, covering the major achievements of the Campus Times during my tenure as Publisher.
This year, the CT signed 49 advertising contracts with university departments and local and national businesses, totaling $16,033.29 in advertising revenue. We increased our print circulation (how many papers we print) from 2,000 to 2,800 and increased the size of our paper from 12 pages to 16 pages — our longest since 2017. Additionally, we increased our distribution locations from 43 to 71, offering new locations at the Eastman School of Music, Medical Center, and certain academic buildings on River Campus, as well as three new newsstands in College Town businesses. We initiated a paid summer internship with a local newsroom, the Rochester Beacon. We bolstered our online readership netting a total count of 664,257 views from 419,478 unique users. We engaged with the University’s English Department regarding course credit for the CT, a process we are currently working on. We rolled out an interactive distribution map (featured in the @Rochester daily newsletter) detailing the locations of our print editions. We bolstered engagement between our section editors and writers by instating mandatory office hours for section editors. We have proudly restarted our print edition mail subscription, a program that was cut during COVID-19. We engaged with groups and programs on campus including two Medallion co-hosted events on Oct. 19 and 20, 2024. We hosted weekly skill-building workshops with local reporters on various aspects of journalism. We worked to improve our website including fixing the broken X (formerly known as Twitter) API, advertising slots on WordPress, and author links (a feature that has not worked since the website launched). We started a campaign to increase donor contributions. We created a donation page on our website, included a call for donations in each of our print editions, and created a new Donor Thank You Card with a whole-staff photo and a handwritten thank you note to the donor including how their funds will be used.
Our staff has increased since the previous year. In 2023 we had 20 people on our elected staff (section editors, chiefs, management, EIC, and Publisher), last year we had 25. Our team of staff writers, photographers, illustrators, and presenters (non-elected students who have contributed more than three times) has reached 33 people, up from the previous year’s nine staff members. Last year, we increased our contributors (people who write one to three articles) to 86 people, up 374% from the previous year’s 23 contributors. We increased the average number of articles we received per week to roughly 34 articles, a 190% increase from the previous year, and a 174% increase from the 2022 calendar year.
Over the calendar year of 2024, our donation campaign yielded $3,138.08, an increase of 475% from $659.98 in the calendar year of 2023.
We designed and created new press ID passes for staff members, increasing our visibility on campus, lending our reporters validity and identification as well as strengthening our image as a news organization. The press IDs are printed for all staff members who have written more than three articles.
And lastly, we revamped our social media with new graphic templates and caption text to catch up with our peer collegiate newspapers. Our modernized social media presence and look have boosted our engagement online and bolstered our image as a trustworthy, professional news organization.
As we look forward to the new year, the Campus Times is well-positioned to become financially independent again, reinstate editor stipends, and continue to expand our reporting beyond the confines of the University.
In 2024, we proved that we could not only support ourselves with advertising money and donations alone, but even finish the year with funds left over to cover conference expenses, merchandise, and a small, but not insignificant stipend. Over the calendar year of 2024, we have raised $19,171.37, enough to allow us to become fully independent and implement a staff member stipend.
Although I could not achieve every goal I set out to complete in my August 2024 article, we achieved a lot! I am confident in the new Publisher and staff of the Campus Times and their capabilities to follow through with the momentum we gained across the past year and continue to improve the paper. I am excited to see both what the future holds for the Campus Times in the coming years, and the legacy that will be left by the dedicated staff members who work tirelessly to keep this paper running.
