Illini Media

What Illini Media does

Illini Media Company is a nonprofit student media organization founded in 1911 and headquartered in the basement of the University YMCA in Champaign, Illinois, operating at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It runs three core media properties: The Daily Illini (student newspaper, established 1871, weekly print edition of 7,000 copies distributed to 150 campus and community locations, plus a daily digital edition generating approximately 2 million page views per year), WPGU-FM 107.1 (a commercially-licensed alternative radio station broadcasting 24/7 to a 50-mile signal across Central Illinois), and the Illio yearbook (established 1894). Currently, 350 students from across UIUC participate in operations, joining an alumni network of more than 15,000.

The business operates as both an experiential-learning platform and a multi-channel advertising sales organization. Its product surface spans digital and social advertising (display, newsletter to 3,500+ subscribers, social media promotion to 28,000+ Twitter followers, housing listings, and sponsored content), print advertising (standard weekly editions plus special issues such as Move-In, Quad Day, Welcome Back, Campus Navigator, and an International Guide for 10,000+ international students from 116 countries), radio advertising (15-, 30-, and 60-second spots plus show sponsorships on WPGU), and out-of-home advertising through a network of more than 50 indoor and outdoor newsracks. Pricing tiers range from $50/month for entry-level digital ad placements to $1,500 per full-page print unit, with structured discounts for local businesses (20%), nonprofits and university departments (50%), and student organizations (75%). The CreativeWorks unit functions as an in-house creative services agency.

Revenue is derived from advertising sales across these channels, Illinois student fees, Illio yearbook sales, alumni and friend donations (including dedicated memorial funds and the annual "Illini Media Means" campaign), and branded merchandise sold through a Square e-commerce storefront. The company is sustained by University of Illinois institutional support, with advertising customers concentrated in local Champaign-Urbana SMBs, restaurants, housing providers, tourism organizations, and university-affiliated nonprofits. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. Strategic posture is stable, mature, and incrementally diversifying its advertising product lines rather than pursuing scale-driven growth.

Name

Illini Media

Legal name

Illini Media Company

Website

https://illinimedia.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1911

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Illini Media is a nonprofit student media company at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, operating The Daily Illini newspaper, WPGU 107.1 FM radio, and the Illio yearbook. It sells multi-channel advertising to local businesses, nonprofits, and university departments while providing experiential learning to ~350 students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Media and Advertising Services

NAICS

Broadcasting and Content Providers (516), Educational Services (611), Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations (5161)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Student Media & Publications (Newspaper, Radio, TV) (EDALAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

University/Educational Local Stations (College Radio, Campus TV) (MPABACAH)

Keywords

• Student media
• Campus newspaper
• College radio
• Advertising services
• University yearbook

Headquarters

HQ city

Champaign

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Advertising (Digital): Digital advertising including website display ads, newsletter ads, social media promotion, and housing listings sold to businesses targeting the University of Illinois community
2. Print Advertising: The DI print edition advertising sold in various sizes (full page, half page, quarter page, eighth page) with standard and premium placements
3. Radio Advertising: Commercial airtime on WPGU 107.1 FM including 15, 30, and 60-second spots, show sponsorships, and specialty show sponsorships
4. Out-of-Home Advertising: Newsrack advertising at campus and community locations including Ace, King, and Queen sized displays with monthly rental
5. Student Fees and Donations: Sustained by Illinois student fees and alumni/friend donations, including specific funds like the Anne Cusack Derk Fund and Rick Sallinger WPGU Memorial Fund
6. Yearbook Sales: Illio yearbook sales preserving campus life and memories for students

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Illini Media operates a portfolio of student-run media properties — The Daily Illini newspaper (since 1871), WPGU 107.1 FM alternative radio station, and the Illio yearbook (since 1894) — and sells advertising placements across digital, print, radio, and out-of-home channels. The company functions as a full-service advertising sales operation serving local businesses, nonprofits, university departments, and student organizations that want to reach the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus community, while providing experiential learning opportunities to roughly 350 students annually.

Product overview

Illini Media is a nonprofit student media company operating three core products: The Daily Illini (student newspaper since 1871), WPGU-FM 107.1 (alternative radio station), and the Illio yearbook (since 1894). The company functions as a full-service advertising agency offering digital, print, radio, and out-of-home advertising solutions. Supplementary offerings include CreativeWorks (internal advertising agency), sponsored content, housing listings, merchandise sales, and special edition publications. All operations serve as experiential learning opportunities for University of Illinois students while informing and entertaining the campus community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Illini Media Means: Annual fundraising campaign to secure funding for student media operations
• CreativeWorks

Products and services

• The Daily Illini Student-run newspaper providing news, sports, commentary, and multimedia content for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign community since 1871. Available in print as a weekly tabloid published Wednesdays during the school year (7,000 copies distributed to 150 locations) and in continuous digital formats.
• WPGU 107.1 FM Commercial-licensed alternative radio station broadcasting 24/7 with student personalities, alternative music, specialty programs, local news, and sports coverage. Reaches a 50-mile signal throughout Central Illinois with specialty programs including Flashback Café, Request Live, Illini Drive, Can I Kick It, and Take it Away.
• Illio Yearbook University yearbook preserving campus life, history and memories for students at the University of Illinois since 1894. Sold annually to students and alumni as a keepsake publication.
• Digital and Social Advertising Display advertising across Illini Media's digital network, newsletter placements reaching 3,500+ subscribers, and social media advertising via Twitter (28,000+ @TheDailyIllini followers), Facebook, and LinkedIn. The Daily Illini digital network generates 2 million page views per year and over 1 million monthly impressions. Pricing starts at $50/month with options for promoted listings and direct lead generation.
• Print Advertising (The Daily Illini) Display advertising in the weekly print edition of The Daily Illini, published Wednesdays during the school year with 7,000 copies distributed to 150 campus and community locations. Available in full page ($1,500), half page ($900), quarter page ($550), and eighth page ($325) sizes, with a 20% premium for half-page or larger on back/inside front cover.
• Radio Advertising on WPGU Commercial radio advertising on WPGU 107.1 FM with 15, 30, and 60-second spots, show sponsorships, and live stream sponsorship reaching Central Illinois audiences. Includes specialty programs such as Flashback Café, Request Live, Illini Drive, Can I Kick It, and Take it Away.
• Newsrack Advertising Indoor and outdoor newsrack advertising network at 50+ campus and community locations. Available in Ace outdoor ($1,000/month per rack, 15 racks), Ace indoor ($750/month per rack, 16 racks), King indoor ($600/month per rack, 15 racks), and Queen outdoor ($500/month per rack, 11 racks) configurations.
• Special Edition Print Publications Themed special edition publications including Move-In Edition, Quad Day Edition (20,000+ copies), Welcome Back Edition (8,000 copies), Campus Navigator (8,000 copies), and International Guide (for 10,000+ international students from 116 countries).
• Housing Advertising Listings Student housing listings platform at housing.dailyillini.com with photo and video capabilities, promoted listings, and direct lead generation for property listings. Pricing starts at $75/month.
• Sponsored Content Custom branded content created by Illini Media writers and designers for The Daily Illini, reaching over a million impressions per month across digital and social platforms.
• CreativeWorks Full-service internal advertising agency designing print and online advertisements, producing videos, and creating marketing materials for Illini Media and its units. Operates with student designers, photographers, and videographers.
• Branded Merchandise Branded merchandise including t-shirts, hoodies, and sweatshirts featuring Daily Illini and WPGU logos, sold via Square e-commerce platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• Named best newspaper in the nation by Associated Collegiate Press
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The Daily Texan: Student-run newspaper at the University of Texas at Austin that also operates KVRX college radio, supported by advertising and university funding. Mirrors Illini Media's multi-channel student media model, scale, and nonprofit revenue mix.
• Indiana Daily Student: Indiana University's primary student newspaper, which also operates WIUX-FM college radio and sells advertising across print, digital, and broadcast channels. Closest direct analogue to Illini Media's integrated print-radio model.
• The Daily Northwestern: Northwestern University's student-run daily newspaper funded by advertising sales to local businesses and the campus community. Comparable in GTM motion (direct-to-consumer advertising to campus), print/digital mix, and student-staffed operation.
• The Stanford Daily: Stanford's independent student newspaper, one of the largest in the U.S., funded by advertising and operating print, digital, and multimedia channels. Comparable in audience scale, advertising-driven model, and student media authority on campus.
• The Michigan Daily: University of Michigan's independent student newspaper with a long history of multi-channel advertising sales (print, digital, newsletters) to local Ann Arbor businesses. Comparable in mission, scale, and business model.
• The Daily Targum: Rutgers University's student newspaper (founded 1869), one of the oldest in the U.S., with print and digital advertising sales targeting the campus and New Brunswick community. Comparable in legacy, nonprofit student media structure, and local advertising model.
• The Daily Californian: UC Berkeley's independent student newspaper funded primarily by advertising to local Berkeley businesses. Comparable as a large, advertising-funded student newspaper operating in a college town.
• The Cornell Daily Sun: Cornell University's independent daily student newspaper with a century-plus history of print and digital advertising sales to the Ithaca campus and local community. Comparable in legacy, mission, and direct-to-local-business advertising GTM.
• The Daily Bruin: UCLA's student newspaper, advertising-funded with print, digital, and multimedia channels serving the Westwood campus community. Comparable in scale, multi-channel publishing, and campus-local advertising model.

Broad incumbents

• Gannett Co. Largest U.S. newspaper publisher (USA Today, hundreds of local papers), directly competing for the same local SMB advertising dollars that fund student media. A broad incumbent that contextualizes the structural pressures on community newspaper economics that Illini Media navigates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/TheDailyIllini
• Facebookfacebook.com/illinimedia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/illini-media

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Illini Media