By Darren Johnson
Campus News
[Editor’s Note: This was printed on page 2 of our most recent edition.]
Chances are, if you’re holding a physical copy of Campus News right now, you got it from one of our New York City street boxes. That has been our No. 1 way of distributing since the pandemic. We have news boxes right outside of Metro colleges; about 100 locations in the boroughs.
Now in our 11th year, most of our previous distribution was inside colleges, where we have scores of racks near cafeterias, student unions and such, and had enjoyed a great pickup rate there until the pandemic hit in March. It looks like community colleges, where we mostly have our racks, will continue to be mostly shuttered this spring, so here’s where we are and what we need to do to survive another academic year:
Change Our Advertising Pitches
In the summer of 2019, we signed up about a dozen advertisers for the 2019-20 academic year. This year, we signed up four. Our previous pitch was that we reach suburban and urban community colleges, and the advertisers were largely four-year colleges who wanted to attract transfer students. Now we’re mostly an urban and a street paper, picked up by anyone interested in college life. Thus we have to change our advertising pitches; the advertisers now may be community colleges looking to get more students from New York City, perhaps the military, maybe even grad schools, as some people who pick up the paper already have undergraduate degrees.
Our Pickup Rate Remains Excellent
We’ve always had a pickup rate in the 90-something percent range, and, during this pandemic, that’s still the case. If we drop off 100 papers in a box, 10 or less will be remaining by month’s end. So we have made up for our lost circulation at suburban community colleges by putting more boxes on the streets. We have permits.
Become the Last Man Standing
In our business, there’s a theory known as Last Man Standing – yes, many papers are going out of business; especially free papers. See the photo of the Manhattan kiosk above. We’re one of only just a few papers still distributing. The owners of the kiosks asked us to take more squares. Sure, why not?! As other papers go out of business, perhaps we can take their turf and maybe some of their advertisers.
Starting Over
I started this paper 11 years ago. I had been advising a different school paper and thought the idea of a paper that hit MANY campuses had merit. The advertisers agreed. So I have operated with lots of gig workers – now that advertising revenue is barely more than our print bill, I can’t hire as many gig workers. So I am now, again, doing everything myself. Even delivering.
However, I have weathered similar situations before. A national college advertising agency that was giving us ads went out of business, so I hired another one, who mostly was ripping me off. And then Facebook started taking all of our advertising. I had a freelance ad salesman who went rogue at one point and lost me some big accounts. We almost nearly went broke numerous times, but persisted. I get a day job when times are tough (see separate story).
Asking for Help
What I have to get better at is asking for help. So here goes: If you have a talent that could help this newspaper – writing, selling ads, or maybe you’re just some rich person who likes the puzzles pages and sees some value in all of this – send me a note.
Let’s defy all the odds and win at publishing an important print paper that serves the underserved, despite a pandemic.
Contact me at editor@cccn.us if you can help. Thank you, and enjoy this edition!
Darren Johnson is Publisher of Campus News.
Bonus: The Comics (Click on Other Stories to See More Comics)
“Broom Hilda” by Russell Meyers. In agreement with TCA. Click to Expand.
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