Mustang News

What Mustang News does

Mustang News is a student-run local news organization operating under the Mustang Media Group umbrella at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California. Founded in 1916, the organization produces multi-format journalism covering Cal Poly campus news, San Luis Obispo city and county affairs, California state government, and Cal Poly athletics across nine sports verticals. Its audience comprises Cal Poly students (primary) and the broader San Luis Obispo community, with bilingual coverage delivered through an English publication and an en Español section.

The product portfolio spans five core surfaces: the flagship Mustang News website (mustangnews.net), KCPR 91.3 FM radio and its companion podcast platform (distributed on Spotify and Apple Podcasts), Mustang News TV (MNTV) video journalism on YouTube, the annual The Peak feature magazine profiling graduating students, and the en Español Spanish-language section. The underlying technology stack is the Newspack publishing platform, a WordPress-based CMS designed for news organizations; there is no evidence of proprietary technology, custom AI/ML systems, or differentiated engineering IP. Distribution relies on organic social channels (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, YouTube) plus the KCPR radio broadcast footprint.

Revenue is generated through three streams: advertising, sponsored/native content integrated into the editorial platform, and community donations collected via Cal Poly's crowdfunding infrastructure. Mustang News is a free reader service with no subscription paywall, no disclosed pricing, and no external investors, private equity backing, or public ownership. The entity operates with 51–100 staff (predominantly student contributors and editors) under nominal oversight from Cal Poly's Associated Students Incorporated (ASI), with no formal incorporation documents or funding rounds on record.

Name

Mustang News

Legal name

Mustang Media Group

Website

https://mustangnews.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1916

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Mustang News is Cal Poly's student-run local news organization, producing written articles, video (MNTV), and audio content (KCPR 91.3 FM, podcasts) covering campus, San Luis Obispo city and county, government, and athletics for students and the surrounding community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Newspaper / College News Media

NAICS

Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations (5161), Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPABAIAD

Local/Regional News Channels

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Broadcasting (TV & Radio)/Broadcast News & Current Affairs Channels

SECONDARYMPABAIAI

News Talk Radio & Current Affairs Stations

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Broadcasting (TV & Radio)/Broadcast News & Current Affairs Channels

SECONDARYMPABACAJ

Local News & Weather Stations

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Broadcasting (TV & Radio)/Local Broadcast Stations & Affiliates (TV & Radio)

Keywords

• Student journalism
• Campus newspaper
• Local news coverage
• College media
• Multimedia journalism

Headquarters

HQ city

San Luis Obispo

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, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Mustang News is the student-run local newspaper and multimedia news organization for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and the San Luis Obispo community, operating under Mustang Media Group. It produces and distributes written articles, video journalism (Mustang News TV/MNTV), audio content via KCPR 91.3 FM radio and podcasts, and an annual feature magazine (The Peak), covering campus news, city and county news, California state government, Cal Poly athletics, features, and opinion content in both English and Spanish.

Product overview

Mustang News is a student-run local news organization producing multi-format content for the Cal Poly and San Luis Obispo communities. The portfolio consists of the core Mustang News Website delivering written news across campus, city, government, and sports sections; KCPR 91.3 FM and KCPR Podcasts providing audio journalism including the Roundup podcast available on Spotify and Apple; Mustang News TV (MNTV) producing video journalism distributed via YouTube; en Español offering Spanish-language coverage; and The Peak annual feature magazine profiling graduating students. The offerings are unified under the Mustang Media Group umbrella, with sponsored content as an additional revenue-supported component.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mustang News Website The main digital news platform for Mustang News, delivering campus news, city and county coverage, California state government reporting, sports coverage of Cal Poly athletics, features, and opinion content for Cal Poly students and the San Luis Obispo community.
• KCPR 91.3 FM / KCPR Podcasts The college radio station and podcast platform affiliated with Mustang News, offering audio news stories and the Roundup podcast. Content is available on 91.3 FM radio, online streaming at kcpr.org, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
• Mustang News TV (MNTV) The video journalism division of Mustang News, producing visual news content distributed on the Mustang News YouTube channel, including trending videos and episodic coverage.
• en Español Spanish-language news section of Mustang News, providing bilingual coverage of Cal Poly campus and San Luis Obispo community news for Spanish-speaking audiences.
• The Peak: Exit Interview The annual feature magazine of Mustang News, showcasing student profiles, career journeys, and in-depth long-form narratives about Cal Poly students preparing to graduate.
• Sponsored Content Native advertising and sponsored articles integrated into the Mustang News platform, including local business features and community promotions, sold to advertisers as a revenue offering.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Daily Bruin: UCLA's student-run newspaper providing campus, Los Angeles, sports, and opinion coverage across web, video, and podcast formats. Directly comparable as a large university student newspaper with multimedia operations.
• The Stanford Daily: Stanford University's student-run multi-platform newspaper covering campus, local, and Silicon Valley news with print, web, video, and podcast formats. Closely comparable in scope, student-run structure, and multimedia approach to Mustang News.
• The Daily Californian: UC Berkeley's independent student newspaper covering campus, city, and Bay Area news. Comparable as a student-run local news organization with multi-format digital content and independent editorial governance.
• The Michigan Daily: University of Michigan's student-run daily newspaper with print, web, and multimedia coverage of campus and Ann Arbor community news. Comparable in scale, multi-platform operations, and student-media structure.
• The Harvard Crimson: Harvard's student-run daily newspaper with deep local, campus, and sports coverage across web, print, and multimedia. Comparable as an established student-run news organization with multi-format operations.
• The Daily Northwestern: Northwestern University's student-run newspaper covering campus and Evanston community news via web, print, and multimedia. Comparable in student-led structure and hyperlocal community focus.
• The Cornell Daily Sun: Cornell University's independent student newspaper producing campus, local, sports, and opinion content across digital and print formats. Comparable as a long-running student-run news outlet serving a defined geographic community.
• The Daily Pennsylvanian: University of Pennsylvania's independent student newspaper covering campus, Philadelphia, and university news with multi-platform operations. Comparable as a student-run local news organization with sustained publishing history.

Emerging players

• Her Campus Media: A digital media company reaching college and millennial women through a network of student contributors at universities nationwide. Comparable audience overlap (college students) but operates as a national commercial media brand rather than a single-campus outlet.
• The Tab: A national student news network with contributors across multiple universities, focusing on campus news, opinion, and lifestyle content. Comparable as student-driven digital news media targeting the same college demographic but operating at network scale rather than a single institution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CPMustangNews
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CPMustangNews
• Facebookfacebook.com/cpmustangnews
• Instagraminstagram.com/CPMustangNews
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cp-mustang-news

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Mustang News