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Before the headlines hit the press, before the mics go live and before the cameras roll, there’s a story behind the storytellers. At South ��ֱ���� State University, student media has grown into a thriving hub where future journalists, broadcasters and media professionals get their start.
 
Student media has been present on campus since 1885, when The Collegian, SDSU’s student-run independent newspaper, began. KSDJ, the student-run radio station located in the heart of campus, began in 1993.
 
For years, student media at SDSU worked as independent organizations, providing hands-on experience in journalism and media production. But three years ago, these programs found a permanent home in the School of Communication and Journalism, a move that strengthened their resources, visibility and impact on campus.
 
 

Collegian Media 
 
Led entirely by students and advised by assistant professor of practice Jim Helland, The Collegian serves as a training ground for aspiring journalists. Every week, The Collegian posts online and hits the stands with stories that inform and engage the campus and Brookings community. It gives students full editorial control, preparing them for the fast-paced world of journalism.
 
Maddie Murphy, a junior advertising major with minors in marketing, social media and entrepreneurial studies, has been part of The Collegian for two years. She began as an advertising representative and is now the social media manager along with being an advertising representative.
 
The social media manager position was developed in response to a need to further promote readership and engagement. Since the addition of the role, and Murphy filling it, engagement and followers have both increased.
 
Social media has opened the door to new advertising opportunities and tactics as well. “This year, we have had a large increase in clients and a consistent increase in advertising sales month-to-month compared to last year,” Murphy said. “We believe this is due to our larger staff, our continual building of connections and our increase of promotional items.”
 
Students learn a variety of valuable skills within the student newspaper, including editing, advertising, digital media, social media and production.
 
“Everything we do on the advertising side of The Collegian is student-led with the oversight of advisers,” Murphy said. “The advisers are always very helpful and contribute extremely beneficial information to our strategies across all the different roles at The Collegian, while also leaving room for students to make decisions.” 
 
Helland said that The Collegian has worked to expand its multimedia efforts.
 
“The advertising staff already has set a record for the amount of advertising dollars they have brought in for the academic year — and it’s only March,” Helland explained. “The ad staff also has added video ads this year. That’s new territory for The Collegian, and we’re working to expand the reach of these ads.” 
 
Another multimedia expansion included students starting their online newsletter, “The Jump.” Beyond the clever name, the newsletter brings top stories, events and information directly to subscribers’ emails. 
                                                                                                                      
With the continuing advancements and unique experiences, Murphy is thankful for the opportunity to be involved in The Collegian. 
 
“It has benefited me in more ways than I thought when I started,” Murphy explained. “It has helped me feel prepared to enter the workforce, and I have been able to grow my skillset in many areas that I otherwise would not have been able to.”
 
KSDJ 
 
Behind every song played and every show aired on KSDJ 90.7 FM, there’s a student making it happen. KSDJ gives students control over the mic, the music and the business, offering a unique experience in broadcasting and station management.
 
Brian Stemwedel, assistant coordinator of Yeager Media Center, became KSDJ’s adviser in 2021, when student media moved under the School of Communication and Journalism. Stemwedel said student engagement has increased since that move.
 
“This partnership has resulted in more student-reported news on KSDJ,” he said. 
 
Along with more student-reported news, more School of Communication coursework and projects have aligned with KSDJ, providing students a variety of options to meet their educational goals.
 
Brayden Byers, a junior journalism major with a minor in digital and social media, is the station manager for KSDJ, as well as the editor-in-chief for The Collegian. In his three years at KSDJ, he has witnessed growth of the radio station and his own professional growth.
 
“We have grown in students involved every year, and this year we have begun broadcasting the Students’ Association’s weekly meetings and putting out news content as well, in collaboration with ‘The Collegian Report,’” Byers said. “The experience I have had involved with KSDJ and student media has been such an important part of my educational journey, and I am glad that SDSU offers these opportunities to students.”
 
Different roles in KSDJ include program director, news director, sports director, music director, sound director and radio announcers. Some of these positions are paid, while others include volunteer hours or as practicum credits. 
 
“KSDJ provides SDSU students with opportunities to gain experience in radio and streaming by hosting or producing shows, and develop skills in audio production, multimedia journalism and sports broadcasting,” Stemwedel explained. “Communication skills gained at KSDJ are transferable to other fields, regardless of a student’s major.”
 
Ella Stiefvater, a junior agricultural communications major with a minor in ��ֱ���� science, uses her participation in “The Collegian Report” TV news to create a radio version of the show. 
 
“Writing stories, recording them and eventually hearing them broadcast was a fun and rewarding experience for me,” Stiefvater said. “Getting asked to be a small part of ‘The Collegian Report’ and KSDJ is something I’m incredibly grateful for.” 
 
 

'The Collegian Report'
 
Student media at SDSU has worked to fill the needs in high-quality, hands-on experience and properly preparing students for the workforce. “The Collegian Report” is no exception, developing out of a need to produce news content across mediums. 
 
A newscast was not a new concept to the student media space, but it was an idea that had some gaps. As part of a MCOM 333: Broadcasting News Reporting, students do a weekly newscast during the course. Since the course is only offered every other spring, there were large gaps between newscasts.
 
Rocky Dailey, professor in the School of Communication and Journalism, was then approached by a group of motivated students — Annie Witt, Emily Attrill and Stiefvater — to revamp the newscast once known as “Jacks News.”
 
Along with more consistent reporting, the students and Dailey worked to form the newscast in alignment with the rebrand of The Collegian to Collegian Media. The renaming brought all areas of student media together under one brand. In spring 2024, “The Collegian Report” was resurrected.
 
As with all other student media, students are in the driver’s seat. “The students produce all content, whether it is writing the story, shooting and editing video or creating graphics for the newscast,” Dailey said.
 
Witt, a junior journalism major with minors in public relations and communication studies, serves as the anchor of “The Collegian Report.” This semester, she has a co-anchor.
 
“Along with anchoring the show, I also will help write and edit the scripts for the newscast, help decide stories we will cover and am around for the editing process, but I don’t directly edit it,” Witt explained. “Sometimes I will go to interview people for the show and collect b-roll.” 
 
Student involvement has more than doubled since the rebranding. With the expansion, students can now take part in “The Collegian Report” as part of a practicum experience or as a volunteer and paid position.
 
The experience of working in something like “The Collegian Report” sets students apart. 
 
“Journalism is no longer siloed by medium; all journalists need to be multimedia journalists if they expect to be competitive in the profession,” Dailey explained. “Students get to experience producing multimedia content in an environment where the pacing is conducive to learning. They can try things they perhaps never considered doing before and create work that they can include in a portfolio.”
 
For students like Witt, being part of “The Collegian Report” solidified her confidence in her future career. 
 
“I always second guessed my decision of going into journalism, especially broadcast journalism,” Witt said. “I felt as if I was not good enough to do any of this but because of the students, professors and others who have surrounded me during this journey, I can say I am happy with my decision and can’t wait to see what else I can do. It is always scary at first and intimidating, but you have to try it out to know if it is right for you.”
 
Overall, being involved in student media at SDSU provides students valuable practice to improve their workforce-ready skills. 
 
“I am proud of the work I have done along with my teammates through all this,” Witt said. “This opportunity has helped so much with gaining experience while learning all that I should for when I go out into the work force.”
 
“Nothing compares to hands-on experience; it’s where the students learn the most,” Helland echoed. “We as faculty put a lot of time and effort into our teaching our classes. And they are a great starting point for students to learn.”
 
Helland continued, “But I always tell students this: The classes are just a ‘starter kit.’ If you really want to learn, go and get real-life experience. And that’s just what The Collegian offers.”
 
Since becoming the home of student media, the School of Communication and Journalism has been instrumental in expanding opportunities and preparing students for media careers. With dedicated faculty support, new state-of-the-art facilities and a commitment to real-world learning, the growing student media at SDSU continues to offer students an even stronger foundation for success.