The Breeze
The Breeze is a student-run newspaper at James Madison University founded in 1922, publishing a weekly print edition (circulation 5,000), the breezejmu.org website, and the Breeze TV weekly newscast for roughly 20,000 JMU students, faculty, and staff, funded through advertising and Media Board student fees.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1922
- HeadquartersHarrisonburg, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Breeze does
The Breeze is the student-run newspaper of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, in continuous operation since 1922. It serves a campus community of roughly 20,000 students, faculty, and staff via a weekly Thursday print edition (circulation 5,000 copies) and the breezejmu.org digital hub, which runs on the BLOX Content Management System from TownNews.com. The organization expanded into multimedia in 2017 with Breeze TV, a weekly video newscast produced from the Alison B. Parker Studio in partnership with JMU's School of Media Arts and Design, and operates additional products including Madison 101 (a class-produced publication whose advertising is sold through The Breeze's ad department) and recurring special editions such as football previews, homecoming and graduation issues, and Best of the 'Burg awards coverage.
The business model is a hybrid of two revenue streams. Print and digital advertising sales — including bundled placements for Madison 101 — are the primary commercial line, supplemented by student activity fees allocated by JMU's Media Board. Funding flows through the Media Board, but editorial decisions are kept independent of the university, with a General Manager overseeing business operations and an Editor-in-Chief holding top editorial authority. The staff model combines student volunteers and student editors with a small permanent professional team.
Operationally, The Breeze has accumulated consistent industry recognition: a 2014 Pacemaker from the Associated Collegiate Press and the Virginia Press Association's Grand Sweepstakes as the most-honored mid-sized non-daily newspaper in the state in 2013, 2014, 2017, and 2018. Distribution is geographically constrained to the JMU campus and the immediate Harrisonburg area. The organization maintains no public API, no mobile applications, and no disclosed AI or machine-learning capabilities in its product stack. Note: an unrelated entity also operating under the name "The Breeze" (a New Zealand radio station owned by MediaWorks) appears that reference is not part of the JMU student newspaper analyzed here.
The Breeze firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Breeze
- Legal name
- The Breeze
- Website
- https://breezejmu.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1922
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Breeze is a student-run newspaper at James Madison University founded in 1922, publishing a weekly print edition (circulation 5,000), the breezejmu.org website, and the Breeze TV weekly newscast for roughly 20,000 JMU students, faculty, and staff, funded through advertising and Media Board student fees.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Breeze industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Student Newspaper
- NAICS
- Newspaper Publishers (513110)
- SIC
- Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)
Keywords
Where The Breeze is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Harrisonburg
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Breeze business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Advertising Revenue: The Breeze generates revenue through advertising placements in its print and digital publications. The advertising department handles sales and coordination for the newspaper and its associated publication Madison 101.
- Student Fees: Funding allocated by the Media Board, which distributes student fees to support The Breeze's operations while maintaining editorial independence.
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
The Breeze product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Breeze is a student-run multimedia newspaper that publishes campus news, sports, culture, and opinion content for the James Madison University community. It operates a weekly print newspaper distributed on Thursdays with a circulation of 5,000, a digital website at breezejmu.org, and Breeze TV, a weekly newscast launched in 2017 in partnership with the JMU School of Media Arts and Design. The publication reaches approximately 20,000 students, faculty, and staff at JMU.
Product overview
The Breeze is a multimedia student media group at James Madison University offering a unified product portfolio centered on news and journalism. The core offerings include a weekly print newspaper (circulation 5,000) and the breezejmu.org website, supplemented by Breeze TV (weekly newscast launched in 2017) and Madison 101 (a class-produced publication). The organization also publishes several special publications annually. All components operate cooperatively, with separate newsrooms for web/print and Breeze TV, while sharing content at BreezeJMU.org.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Breeze TV: A weekly newscast launched in 2017 in partnership with JMU's School of Media Arts and Design.
- Madison 101
Products and services
- The Breeze Print Newspaper Weekly print newspaper published on Thursdays with a circulation of 5,000 copies, covering news, sports, culture, and opinion for the JMU community of approximately 20,000 students, faculty, and staff.
- breezejmu.org Website Official website of The Breeze serving as the online platform for news content, multimedia, Breeze TV videos, and digital engagement with the JMU community. Operates on the BLOX Content Management System from TownNews.com.
- Breeze TV Weekly newscast component of The Breeze multimedia operations, produced in partnership with the JMU School of Media Arts and Design from the Alison B. Parker Studio.
- Madison 101 Publication associated with The Breeze, with editorial content produced through a class in the JMU School of Media Arts and Design. Advertising is handled by The Breeze advertising department.
- Special Publications Annual special edition publications including football preview guides, alumni/homecoming weekend plans, graduation preparation guides, and Best of the 'Burg awards.
Companies that use The Breeze
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Breeze technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Breeze partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- James Madison University School of Media Arts and DesigncoreThe Breeze operates in partnership with JMU's School of Media Arts and Design. Breeze TV was launched in 2017 as a joint initiative, with the newsroom operating from the Alison B. Parker Studio in the School. While The Breeze web and print versions have their own newsroom and Breeze TV operates separately, the entities cooperate to provide content at breezejmu.org. Madison 101, another publication, has editorial content coming from a class in the School of Media Arts and Design, with advertising handled by The Breeze advertising department.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Breeze competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Daily Targum: Rutgers University's independent student-run newspaper serving a similar campus community with news, sports, and culture across print and digital—directly comparable in mission, structure, and audience scale to The Breeze.
- The Cavalier Daily: University of Virginia's independent student newspaper, also a multiple-time Virginia Press Association award winner competing in the same mid-sized non-daily category as The Breeze, making it a tightly matched geographic and structural peer.
- The Collegiate Times: Virginia Tech's student-run newspaper operating a similar print + digital + multimedia model and competing in the same Virginia collegiate press circuit, providing a close regional and operational peer for The Breeze.
- The Daily Northwestern: Northwestern University's independent student newspaper with a print-plus-digital operation covering a similar-sized campus community, offering a strong structural analogue to The Breeze's independent student media model.
- The Stanford Daily: Stanford's independent student newspaper operating an advertising-supported print and digital newsroom in a university setting, providing a benchmark peer for editorial independence and multimedia scale.
- The Harvard Crimson: Harvard's long-established independent student daily with a digital-first platform and a multimedia production operation, comparable to The Breeze in mission even if operating at a much larger scale.
- The Michigan Daily: University of Michigan's independent student newspaper with a similar advertising + digital model and an award-winning newsroom, making it a relevant structural peer for The Breeze.
- The Daily Pennsylvanian: University of Pennsylvania's independent student newspaper operating across print, web, and video, comparable to The Breeze's multimedia student-media structure.
- The Daily Cardinal: University of Wisconsin–Madison's independent student newspaper operating an advertising-supported print and digital newsroom, structurally analogous to The Breeze as a campus-anchored independent student publication.
Others
- TownNews (BLOX CMS): Provider of the BLOX content management system that powers breezejmu.org; an enabling technology partner rather than a competitor, but a relevant peer in the local-media publishing infrastructure layer serving many student and community newspapers.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses3 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
The Breeze social profiles
Digital presenceThe Breeze financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Breeze leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The Breeze funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Breeze M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Breeze
What does The Breeze do?
The Breeze is a student-run multimedia newspaper that publishes campus news, sports, culture, and opinion content for the James Madison University community. It operates a weekly print newspaper distributed on Thursdays with a circulation of 5,000, a digital website at breezejmu.org, and Breeze TV, a weekly newscast launched in 2017 in partnership with the JMU School of Media Arts and Design. The publication reaches approximately 20,000 students, faculty, and staff at JMU.
Is The Breeze a public or private company?
The Breeze is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Breeze founded?
The Breeze was founded in 1922. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Breeze based?
The Breeze is headquartered in Harrisonburg, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Breeze make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Advertising Revenue is the primary driver. The others are student Fees.
Who are The Breeze's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Daily Targum, The Cavalier Daily, The Collegiate Times, The Daily Northwestern, The Stanford Daily, The Harvard Crimson, The Michigan Daily, The Daily Pennsylvanian and The Daily Cardinal. TownNews (BLOX CMS) is listed as an others.
Does The Breeze have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Breeze.
What industry is The Breeze in?
The Breeze's product category is Student Newspaper. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAEAO, News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines. Its NAICS code is 513110 and its SIC code is 2711.