The Auburn Plainsman

What The Auburn Plainsman does

The Auburn Plainsman is the student-run newspaper of Auburn University, operating continuously since 1890 as a non-profit student organization within the university's institutional structure. The publication provides news, sports, lifestyle, opinion, and community coverage to Auburn University students, faculty, alumni, and the broader Auburn-Opelika metropolitan area in Southeast Alabama. Editorial operations are led by a rotating student staff — currently headed by Editor-in-Chief Amanda Machamer — under faculty advisement (Billy Ferris), with approximately 65 editorial and operational positions across news, sports, lifestyle, opinion, photography, graphics, and marketing functions.

The Plainsman's core products are a digital news website (theplainsman.com), periodic print editions, an email newsletter subscription, and a social media presence on Instagram. The underlying technology is a standard web-based content management and digital publishing platform with multimedia capabilities including articles, photo galleries, and video. The publication does not operate a native mobile application and offers no API or third-party integrations.

The business model is a hybrid of advertising revenue and voluntary donations. The Plainsman accepts advertising placements from local businesses and organizations — managed by a sales/advertising manager — and solicits donations through Auburn University's giving platform (give.auburn.edu). The publication explicitly does not charge subscription fees and does not accept funding from tuition or student fees, positioning itself as an independent, donor-supported student media outlet. No specific revenue figure is disclosed.

Name

The Auburn Plainsman

Legal name

The Auburn Plainsman

Website

https://theplainsman.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Auburn Plainsman is the student-run newspaper of Auburn University, providing digital, print, and newsletter news coverage of campus, sports, and the Auburn-Opelika community since 1890, funded by advertising and voluntary donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Auburn

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Advertising: The newspaper accepts advertising placements and has an advertising manager (Tudor Munteanu). Local businesses and organizations can advertise through the publication.
2. Donations: The publication accepts donations through Auburn University's giving platform to support operations. Donations page at give.auburn.edu.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Auburn Plainsman is a student-run newspaper publishing free digital and periodic print news coverage of Auburn University campus events, SEC athletics, local Auburn-Opelika community affairs, lifestyle, and opinion. Distribution is primarily via the theplainsman.com website, supplemented by print editions and an email newsletter, with all content offered at no cost to readers.

Product overview

The Auburn Plainsman is a student-run university newspaper serving Auburn University. The organization operates primarily as a digital news platform at theplainsman.com, supplemented by periodic print editions and an email newsletter subscription service. The Plainsman is funded through donations and operates independently as part of Auburn University's student media. The publication covers community news, campus events, SEC sports, lifestyle features, and opinion pieces.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Auburn Plainsman Digital News Website

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Auburn UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Auburn Plainsman is the official student newspaper of Auburn University. The publication operates within the university ecosystem and is advised by faculty (Billy Ferris). The university provides some operational support through the Student Center office space and the donation platform.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Columbia Daily Spectator: The independent student newspaper of Columbia University, covering campus news, Ivy League athletics, and Manhattan community. Comparable as a large, multi-section student publication operating with editorial independence from its institution.
• The Daily Reveille: LSU's flagship student newspaper, covering campus, SEC sports, and Baton Rouge community news. Comparable to the Plainsman in scale, beat structure, and SEC-affiliated audience.
• The Red and Black: The independent student newspaper of the University of Georgia, covering UGA campus news, SEC sports, and Athens community affairs — directly comparable peer at another flagship SEC institution.
• The Stanford Daily: The student-run newspaper of Stanford University, covering campus, athletics (including ACC), and the Palo Alto community. Comparable in operational structure and multi-platform digital-first distribution.
• The Michigan Daily: The independent daily student newspaper of the University of Michigan, with a large editorial staff covering campus, Big Ten sports, and Ann Arbor community — comparable in scale and editorial depth.
• The Daily Beacon: The independent student newspaper of the University of Tennessee, providing SEC sports, campus, and Knoxville-area coverage — directly comparable as an SEC peer publication.
• The Crimson White: The student newspaper of the University of Alabama, The Crimson White covers SEC sports, campus news, and the Tuscaloosa community — a near-identical editorial mission to The Auburn Plainsman with shared SEC and Alabama-state context.
• The Daily Northwestern: The student newspaper of Northwestern University, covering campus news, Big Ten athletics, and Evanston community. Comparable as an established, large editorial staff student publication with multi-platform distribution.
• The Daily Texan: The student newspaper of the University of Texas at Austin, covering SEC sports, campus news, and Austin community. Comparable in scale and editorial mission as a flagship student publication.
• The Daily Mississippian: The student-run newspaper of the University of Mississippi, covering Ole Miss campus news and SEC athletics with a similar multi-platform distribution model to the Plainsman.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/theauburnplainsman/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/theauburnplainsman

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 The Auburn Plainsman