College Heights Herald

What College Heights Herald does

The College Heights Herald is the student-run newspaper of Western Kentucky University, operating continuously since approximately 1925 (currently in Vol.101 of publication) out of Bowling Green, Kentucky. It functions as a multi-format news organization covering campus news, athletics, arts and culture, opinion, and local Bowling Green community issues including a dedicated City of Nations beat covering the area's refugee and immigrant communities. The Herald is operated by college students under WKU Student Publications and produces content across a WordPress-based website (wkuherald.com), a periodic print newsmagazine, podcasts, photo galleries, and video features, with an additional Spanish-language (Español) editorial section.

The publication's core product is its digital news platform, which is organized into News, Sports, Life, Opinion, and multimedia verticals and distributed across Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, YouTube, email newsletters, and physical print copies. Revenue is generated through advertising (booked via the affiliated Cherry Creative WKU sales operation) and donations routed through the WKU Student Publications giving page. Pricing for advertising and sponsorships is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; no subscription paywall is in operation. The GTM motion is community-led: distribution and audience growth occur through campus engagement, student journalism, and local Bowling Green readership rather than paid acquisition.

The Herald is structurally embedded within Western Kentucky University, a public state institution. It is not a venture-backed or PE-eligible enterprise — it has no parent investment entity, no disclosed funding rounds, no M&A activity, no regulatory actions, and no disclosed revenue figures. Its commercial ceiling is constrained by its institutional scope, single-market focus, and reliance on volunteer student labor and modest advertising/donation streams.

Name

College Heights Herald

Legal name

College Heights Herald

Website

https://wkuherald.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1925

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The College Heights Herald is the student-run newspaper of Western Kentucky University, founded circa 1925, producing campus news, sports, opinion, and local Bowling Green coverage in print, digital, podcast, and Spanish-language formats under WKU Student Publications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Newspaper / Local News Publication

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Student newspaper
• Campus journalism
• Local news coverage
• Sports journalism
• Multimedia news production

Headquarters

HQ city

Bowling Green

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Advertising: The Herald generates revenue through advertising, with a dedicated advertising page and sponsored content section.
2. Donations and Support: The publication accepts donations through wkustudentpubs.com/causes/ for supporting student journalism operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

College Heights Herald is a student-run newspaper that publishes breaking news, sports coverage, campus life reporting, opinion pieces, and arts and culture content for Western Kentucky University and the Bowling Green, Kentucky community. Its core deliverables are a continuously updated digital news website, a periodic print newsmagazine distributed on campus, multimedia productions (photos, videos, podcasts), and a bilingual Español section, supported by advertising sales and reader donations.

Product overview

The College Heights Herald operates as a single unified digital news platform (WKUHerald.com) with additional content channels including a print publication, podcasts (College Heights Huddle, Top of the Week), and multimedia content (photos and videos). The core offering is the news website that publishes content across multiple categories including News, Sports, Life, Opinion, and specialized coverage sections.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WKUHerald.com Digital News Platform The primary digital news website of the College Heights Herald, providing 24/7 breaking news, sports coverage, campus news, opinion, and multimedia content for WKU students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the Bowling Green community. Operated by college students with professional oversight.
• Herald Print Newsmagazine A physical print newsmagazine referred to as the Herald newsmagazine, published regularly throughout the academic semester and distributed on the WKU campus.
• Herald Español Section

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Western Kentucky University Student PublicationscoreOthersThe Herald operates under WKU Student Publications, receiving institutional support and infrastructure as part of the university's student media program.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Daily Pennsylvanian: Student-run newspaper serving the University of Pennsylvania community with digital-first coverage, multimedia, and advertising — operates with the same community_led GTM as the Herald.
• The Daily Targum: Rutgers University's independent student newspaper, publishing news, sports, and opinion content with an advertising-supported model — directly comparable peer in scale and structure.
• The Columbia Daily Spectator: Independently operated student newspaper at Columbia University producing news, sports, opinion, and multimedia content with advertising revenue — closely comparable in scope and student-led operations.
• The Michigan Daily: Independent student newspaper at the University of Michigan covering campus news, sports, opinion, and multimedia content with an ad-supported business model — directly comparable in scope and student-led operations.
• The Stanford Daily: Long-running independent student newspaper at Stanford University producing campus, local, and national news across digital and print platforms with advertising revenue — closely comparable in mission, audience, and operational structure.
• The Daily Northwestern: Independently operated student newspaper serving Northwestern University, with similar digital-plus-print model, advertising sales, and community-led newsroom staffed by students — a structurally identical peer to the College Heights Herald.
• The Cornell Daily Sun: Independent student newspaper at Cornell University covering campus, local, and national news with digital and print editions and advertising-supported revenue — directly comparable peer.
• The Daily Californian: Independent student newspaper at UC Berkeley with digital-first publishing, multimedia, and ad-supported revenue — operates under the same community_led GTM as the College Heights Herald.
• The Harvard Crimson: One of the oldest and most prominent student newspapers in the U.S., serving Harvard University with comprehensive campus, sports, and opinion coverage across digital and print — directly comparable in mission and multi-platform operation.
• The Daily Texan: Student newspaper serving the University of Texas at Austin, covering campus news, sports, and city issues with both digital and print editions — a structurally similar peer at a larger flagship public university.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wkuherald
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/wkuheraldvideo/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/wkuherald
• Instagraminstagram.com/wkuherald
• TikToktiktok.com/@wkuherald?lang=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 College Heights Herald