The Daily Reveille will end its daily print publication in January and shift to a 32-page weekly newspaper with an enhanced daily online presence, the LSU student newspaper’s editors announced this morning in an editorial posted on the publication’s website.
“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,” the students write. “This reduction in print doesn’t mean we’ll fade as the university’s primary news source. In fact, we’re growing our services, widening our presence across campus and innovating the ways we tell you stories.”
The announcement comes less than two months after Steve Buttry, LSU’s director of student media, authored a report that recommended scaling back the newspaper’s daily print schedule to stem losses in advertising revenue the paper has incurred for eight of the last 12 years.
“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,” reads the editorial.
Buttry says in a statement issued by LSU that he is “pleased with the students’ initiative and their thoughtful plans,” adding, “I am eager to work with them in launching the new weekly newspaper and executing their digital coverage plan.”
The savings that come from a reduced print schedule will allow the student newspaper to “redistribute funds to increase circulation, bring back some of our old distribution stops and upgrade equipment and software,” the editors write. “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.”
The Daily Reveille also intends to improve its digital footprint on LSUNow.com, the online hub for all LSU Student Media content.
Manship School Dean Jerry Ceppos calls the changes “a bold new direction led by students.”
“This forward-thinking group understands that students get most of their news from the web—and understands that print revenues are declining sharply,” Ceppos says in a statement. “The Manship School of Mass Communication is proud to stand with these student leaders as they develop new approaches to serving LSU readers.”
