Collegian

What Collegian does

The Rocky Mountain Collegian is the student-run newspaper of Colorado State University, founded in 1891 and published by the independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit Rocky Mountain Student Media Corporation (EIN 26-2998141) under a licensing agreement with CSU. It serves CSU students and the broader Fort Collins and Northern Colorado community with news coverage across campus affairs, ASCSU governance, local politics, crime, sports (NCAA, club sports, recreation), life and culture, science and research, opinion, and arts and entertainment, distributed through a WordPress-based digital website, a weekly print edition, two newsletters (The Stump, Ram Report), and social media channels. Content is provided free to readers without subscription or paywall.

The business model is primarily institutional and donor-driven rather than reader-paid. Approximately 59% of the parent corporation's income is provided by the Associated Students of Colorado State University (ASCSU), with the remainder sourced from display advertising, sponsored content (a formally categorized section on the site), and donations solicited through rmsmc.com. The organization operates within a broader multi-brand portfolio under RMSMC that includes CTV, KCSU, College Avenue Magazine, Tree Stump Films, and Campus TV. There are no commercial software products, paid APIs, or technology services offered; the publication is structured as a nonprofit educational and informational outlet rather than a revenue-maximizing enterprise. Staff are primarily student journalists under editorial leadership (e.g., Editor in Chief Allie Seibel, Training and Engagement Director Hannah Parcells), with editorial independence from the university maintained despite the licensing and funding relationship.

Name

Collegian

Legal name

Rocky Mountain Student Media Corporation

Website

https://collegian.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1891

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Rocky Mountain Collegian is a student-run newspaper serving Colorado State University and the Fort Collins community, founded in 1891 and published by the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Rocky Mountain Student Media Corporation, funded primarily by ASCSU and advertising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Newspaper

NAICS

Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

University/College-licensed Public Broadcasting (TV & Radio) (MPABADAD)

Keywords

• Student newspaper
• Campus journalism
• Digital news publishing
• Local news coverage
• Student media

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Collins

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Collegian is a student-run newspaper that publishes original news, sports, opinion, science, and arts and entertainment coverage for Colorado State University and the Fort Collins community. It distributes content free to readers through a digital website (collegian.com), a weekly print edition distributed on the CSU campus, and email newsletters, and generates revenue primarily through advertising, sponsored content, and institutional funding from ASCSU.

Product overview

The Rocky Mountain Collegian is a student-run digital news publication serving Colorado State University, published by Rocky Mountain Student Media Corporation. Founded in 1891, it provides news coverage across categories including Campus, Crime, Local, Politics, Economics, ASCSU, Investigative Reporting, National, Life & Culture, Sports, Opinion, Science, Arts & Entertainment, and Cannabis. It maintains print archives dating back to Volume 135 and operates as an independent corporation under a license granted by CSU. The publication does not offer commercial software products or technology services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RMSMC: Rocky Mountain Student Media Corporation - the parent nonprofit organization that publishes The Rocky Mountain Collegian and other media properties including CTV, KCSU, and College Avenue Magazine.

Products and services

• The Rocky Mountain Collegian Digital News Website The Collegian's digital news website at collegian.com offers free public access to articles, photo galleries, opinion columns, and special editions across categories including News, Life & Culture, Sports, Science, and Arts & Entertainment. It is targeted at Colorado State University students and the Fort Collins community.
• Weekly Print Edition A weekly print newspaper distributed across Colorado State University campus locations including the Lory Student Center, with volume and issue tracking maintained since 1891. Targeted at CSU students and the campus community.
• The Stump Newsletter A direct email newsletter delivering the latest Collegian updates to subscribers, targeting readers who want regular campus news, sports, and feature content delivered to their inbox.
• Ram Report Newsletter A sports-focused email newsletter providing CSU sports updates to subscribers, targeting CSU athletics fans and the campus community.
• Sponsored Content Sponsored editorial content published by The Collegian for brand partners, displayed in a dedicated Sponsored Content category on the website. Directed at advertisers seeking access to the CSU student and Fort Collins audience.
• Special Editions Special editorial editions published by The Collegian beyond the regular weekly publication cycle, available on the website. Targeted at readers seeking in-depth coverage on specific topics.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Colorado State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Collegian operates under a licensing agreement with Colorado State University, allowing use of the name 'The Rocky Mountain Collegian.' The publication is explicitly stated as 'not an official publication of Colorado State University' but is published by an independent corporation with this license.
• Rocky Mountain Student Media CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization of The Collegian. Rocky Mountain Student Media is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN: 26-2998141) that also operates CTV, KCSU, College Avenue Magazine, Tree Stump Films, and Campus TV.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Stanford Daily: Independent student newspaper at Stanford University producing daily digital and weekly print coverage of campus, local, sports, and opinion content. Closely analogous to the Collegian in operating model and audience focus.
• The Daily Pennsylvanian: Student-run independent daily newspaper at the University of Pennsylvania serving a comparable campus news, sports, and opinion function with similar advertising and student-fee funding dynamics. Directly comparable in scale, mission, and revenue model to the Collegian.
• CU Independent: Student-run, advertising-supported online news outlet at the University of Colorado Boulder covering campus, local Boulder, sports, and opinion content. Closely comparable in regional scope, audience, and digital-first nonprofit news model.
• The Daily Californian: Independent student-run newspaper at UC Berkeley covering campus, city, sports, and opinion with a print and digital presence and advertising-supported revenue model. Directly comparable to the Collegian in editorial scope and audience composition.
• The Daily Northwestern: Student newspaper at Northwestern University providing campus, local Evanston, sports, and opinion coverage across print and digital channels. Mirrors the Collegian's mix of university-focused and community-focused reporting.
• The Harvard Crimson: Student-run daily newspaper at Harvard University producing campus, national, sports, arts, and opinion coverage with both digital and print editions. Directly comparable in editorial scope, training pipeline, and audience focus.
• The Michigan Daily: Student-run newspaper at the University of Michigan covering campus news, sports, arts, and opinion with a print and digital presence. Comparable in editorial scope, audience structure, and student-fee/advertising revenue mix.
• The Cornell Daily Sun: Student-run daily newspaper at Cornell University providing campus, local Ithaca, sports, and opinion coverage via digital and print editions. Comparable in mission, audience, and multi-channel distribution to the Collegian.
• The Daily Targum: Student-run newspaper at Rutgers University serving a large public-university audience across digital and print, with funding derived from student fees and advertising. Highly analogous to the Collegian in governance and revenue structure.
• The Daily Bruin: Student-run newspaper at UCLA covering campus, local Los Angeles, sports, arts, and opinion content across digital and print. Comparable in audience scale, content breadth, and nonprofit/independent operating model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CSUCollegian
• Facebookfacebook.com/CSUCollegian
• Instagraminstagram.com/rmcollegian
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-rocky-mountain-collegian

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Collegian