The Outlook for Independent College Media

This project investigates the future of college media organizations that are financially independent from their universities. I started my research by crafting a blog (College Media Today+) to interact with other college media professionals and gather primary research data through interviews and surveys. The analytical portion of my project is represented in the following paper. My project makes a case in support of college media’s future by borrowing best practices from commercial media and adopting a strong commitment to innovate. Essentially, independent college news organizations can thrive in a digital age, even with dwindling revenue and increasing competition for attention in the news market, if they are willing to adapt and change to current business models.