How Campus News began: For several years, founder Darren Johnson was an adjunct journalism instructor and newspaper advisor at a large community college. The paper was on the verge of collapse and Johnson rallied students and worked with advertisers to keep it going.
As he was about to depart to work for a college upstate, he asked the advertisers – colleges in the New York Metro area – what they thought of the idea of Campus News, a paper that hits multiple two-year college campuses. They thought it was a great idea, solving a common problem they had: gaining brand recognition among the growing population of potential transfer students. How else could these students consistently hear about transfer opportunities at four-year colleges?
Thus, in January 2010, Campus News was born, serving three distinct purposes: It helps keep the student bodies on the campuses informed; it helps keep student journalism vibrant at the two-year college level; and it helps students meet their goals of graduation and then transfer to four-year colleges.
Colleges spend tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars apiece, sending reps to transfer fairs, producing expensive mailings, buying e-mail lists, and buying ads in mediums that don’t directly hit their target. Here is a popular medium that hits the bullseye, and, because it uses newsprint and student writers, can do so affordably, passing the savings on to advertisers.
Campus News now hits 37 campuses – with most readers at SUNY and CUNY campuses downstate – and prints over 100,000 issues a year. It’s easily the largest community college newspaper in the world! It’s now a monthly 32-page, full-color, saddle-stapled newspaper, printed using recycled paper and eco-friendly inks. The campuses embrace it. Student readers love it. Its student writers go on to prestigious four-year journalism programs and intern at top national publications. Starting in Fall 2018, Campus News will have 21 news boxes outside New York City community colleges, further increasing circulation.
Johnson, now a full-time college instructor and a former New York Press Association “Writer of the Year,” keeps the integrity of the product high while streamlining production, making it a safe and affordable place for advertisers to be. When it comes to marketing, ads only work when placed next to trusted content – in an era of clickbait and “fake news,” Campus News has maintained a high level of trust. This explains why ads in Campus News are so effective.
Campus News books its advertising reservations over the summer for the upcoming academic year. The paper would not survive without its advertising partnerships and works with its sponsors to reach their marketing goals. To advertise, visit transferads.com.
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