This archive report was first published on 19 October 2019.
At a time when many metropolitan daily newspapers are struggling to stay afloat, The Daily, a student newspaper at a university, has a rare financial advantage that allows it to thrive. According to Neil Chase, the chairman of the university's student publications board, The Daily has a $4.5 million endowment that provides the necessary financial support to sustain its breadth of reporting.
Published on October 19, 2019, Mr. Chase, who was the editor in chief of The Daily in the 1980s and is the former executive editor of The Mercury News in San Jose, California, and The East Bay Times in Northern California, noted that The Daily's financial position is enviable. 'In a city of 100,000 people, you have to decide if you're going to cover a City Council meeting, a car crash, or some other local news because you only have a few people to go around,' he said. 'But The Daily has so many people, they don't have to make those tough decisions.'
The Daily's print edition, with a circulation of about 7,500, is dropped off five days a week at more than 100 locations on and off campus, said Tommy Dye, 20, the paper's business manager. Print costs are mostly covered by advertising revenue, helped in large part by special sections, such as an annual issue that includes the baby photos of graduating seniors and brings in up to $45,000, he said.
Despite its strong print presence, The Daily has also adapted to the shift in reader habits by embracing a more digital future. Its website fetches nearly 500,000 page views every month, and the staff has created four podcasts, including a weekly news podcast that covers city issues.
