After a shuffle in LSU Student Media leadership earlier this year, changes in print and digital operations for all branches are on the horizon.

Current and former student media leaders and staffers participated in a meeting Saturday afternoon in the Journalism Building’s Holliday Forum to discuss those changes, the forces driving them and the roles students will play in the decision-making process.

“My goal in life is to make student journalism stay sustainable,” Manship School of Mass Communication Dean Jerry Ceppos said at the meeting’s opening.

New LSU Student Media Director Steve Buttry, who could not attend due to health issues, expressed concern in his personal blog about the future of The Daily Reveille as it faces “financial challenges.

Though no decision has been made, one of Buttry’s suggestions is to cut The Daily Reveille’s publishing frequency, currently funded by student fees and advertising revenue to print five days a week.

Many current and former students were unclear on who has the authority to make that call.

Buttry’s views faced backlash from members of The Reveille Alumni Association who took to social media to support a conversation driven by students.

In a statement read at the start of the meeting, Buttry said future discussion will revolve around meeting the media needs of the LSU community and providing media experience to students in a way that is financially sustainable.

Since LSU Student Media was absorbed into the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2007, the ultimate decision lies with Ceppos, said former student media director and mass communication professor Jay Shelledy.

Ceppos said the LSU Student Media Board should play a role in the decision-making process. The board is made up of student leaders, professors and media professionals  who make employment decisions for student media management.

According to Buttry’s blog, The Daily Reveille drew from a reserve fund for the last two years to cover losses.

Brian Charles, a new student media adviser hired by Buttry, said 25 percent of papers remain in the stacks each day.

Andrea Gallo, who worked as Editor in Chief of The Daily Reveille from 2012-2013, acknowledged the publication ran a deficit for the past two years, but said the financial picture was not so simple.

Gallo said she is working with The Daily Reveille alumna and Washington Post investigative reporter Amy Brittain to paint a more accurate picture of the financial situation through the past 10 years.

“The statement that the Reveille is losing a ton of money isn’t really that simple,” Gallo said.. “It’s also bringing in the most money out of every single student media outlet and all of its print advertising revenue has kept Student Media afloat for the past 10 years.,” Gallo said. “The Daily Reveille also absorbs management and administrative costs of the other student media outlets.”

While Ceppos said there is no definitive timeline for student media changes, Buttry proposed the idea of student-led committees to come up with new student media strategies for October 2015 – before new management is hired at the end of this semester.

These strategies will address not only print frequency, but also new products and ways to boost advertising revenue.
One new product is the addition of a football gameday edition of The Daily Reveille, scheduled to run for  four SEC home games, as well as the upcoming matchup against McNeese State University.’
William Taylor Potter also contributed to this report.