After careful deliberation, we, The Daily Reveille’s student leadership, have decided to shift to a weekly print publication with an enhanced daily presence online beginning next semester.
We believe this drastic change is necessary, and we are confident it will improve the way we approach our two main goals: training the next generation of journalists and informing the LSU community.
We understand the significance of this decision, especially considering the presence The Reveille has had on campus since its inception in 1887, and we are certain this shift is in the best interest of preserving the status and efficacy of the same paper that University students and alumni have read for more than a century.
Though change is frightening, we expect great things from our weekly paper. For starters, we will be producing 32 pages of content for you every week. This means our reporters will work on longer, more in-depth stories, and their editors will have more space to showcase them in the paper. Our talented photographers’ work will also have a new place to shine in a dedicated photo section.
By making this necessary reduction to our print expenses, we will be able to redistribute funds to increase circulation, bring back some of our old distribution stops and upgrade equipment and software. These savings will also allow greater flexibility for travel and educational budgets, increasing opportunities for reporters to cover major news events alongside professionals, attend conferences and visit newsrooms across the country. Most importantly, we can ensure saved funds go toward hiring more student journalists.
This change will also allow us to improve our digital footprint on LSUNow.com — the online hub for all LSU Student Media content. We want to use our resources to be in your timelines and on your desktops. We want to meet you where you are, and this change will help us revamp the way we deliver timely, accurate news. Our reporters will expand their reach beyond the campus community and experiment with new forms of story presentation, including interactive journalism and live video.
This wasn’t an easy decision to make, but we felt it was one that needed to be made as soon as possible. To be frank, finances were a major factor in reaching this conclusion.
Advertising revenue for the Reveille’s print edition is in decline, consistent with national newspaper industry trends. By June 2015, Reveille sales and service revenue, which is driven by advertising, was 50.3 percent less than what it was in June 2007, according to annual audits of the Office of Student Media conducted by the University’s Office of Financial Accounting and Reporting.
Due in large part to the loss of Reveille advertising revenue, the Office of Student Media has posted large annual net losses for the past several years. At its current rate, Student Media will deplete its financial reserves within two academic years.
As much as we love our daily print product, it’s our responsibility to make sure the Reveille remains a sustainable learning tool for student journalists. It would have been irresponsible and selfish of us to deny our fiscal situation and delay this change.
We want to assure you, our readers, that a reduction in print frequency does not mean a reduction in standards. Our talented and hardworking team has already been through a pivotal transition and has come out stronger and better prepared to embrace today’s innovative real-world media environment.
Between spring and fall of 2016, we merged with LSUNow.com and Tiger TV to create one operation, offering both experienced and novice editors and reporters opportunities to diversify their skillsets. Despite significant changes in workflow and operations, the Reveille, LSUNow.com and Tiger TV have continued to provide our audiences with quality products.
This reduction in print doesn’t mean we’ll fade as the University’s primary news source. In fact, we’re enlarging our paper, widening our presence across campus and innovating the ways we tell you stories.
We’ve been putting out a print product at various frequencies, including weekly, for 129 years, and we don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.
During this period of transition, we welcome comments, concerns, questions and support. You can contact Editor In Chief Quint Forgey at [email protected] or stop by the newsroom, B16 Hodges Hall, any time. We’ll be here.
Quint Forgey, Editor in Chief, The Daily Reveille
Carrie Grace Henderson, Editor in Chief, LSUNow.com
April Ahmed, Co-Managing Editor
Rose Velazquez, Co-Managing Editor
William Taylor Potter, News Editor
Christian Boutwell, Sports Editor
Caitie Burkes, Entertainment Editor
Zoe Geauthreaux, Photo Editor
Ramsina Odisho, Co-Production Editor
Sarah Whitecotton, Co-Production Editor