Achieving both independence and financial stability has been
been a tricky beast for many nationwide college media outlets, and
UCLA is among those working to retain its autonomy and still turn a
profit.
Student Media at UCLA supports the primary arena for Bruins to
practice publishing and broadcasting on campus, but often at a
financial loss. For the most part, maintaining funding for the
department’s several media projects while making financial
gains has been relatively hit-or-miss.
The Daily Bruin, UCLAtv, KLA Radio, Bruinlife yearbook, seven
campus newsmagazines and four Webmagazines all operate under the
umbrella of Student Media. Together these media garnered over $2.2
million in revenue last year, but netted a loss of $109,271.
However, the department keeps a cash reserve equal to 20 percent
of its expenses to absorb deficits.
This loss was largely due to a decline in national advertising
sales following Sept. 11, 2001, significantly slashing the amount
made by the Daily Bruin, which regularly generates over 80 percent
of Student Media revenue each year.
Sept. 11, 2001, coupled with an already weak economy preceding
the terrorist attacks, caused ad sales to decrease by 20 percent
““ representing about $400,000 in lost revenue.
Over the years, UCLA media has teeter-tottered between deficit
and gain, alternating between red and black at an almost yearly
rate. Fluctuating printing costs for the various media account for
much of the inconsistency, said Media Director Arvli Ward.
Adding to the rickety budget is the fact that radio, television
and most of the newsmagazines operate at a budget deficit. Though
the seven advocacy newsmagazines ““ al-Talib, FEM,
Ha’Am, La Gente, NOMMO, Pacific Ties and Ten Percent ““
generated $56,609 last year, they ended with a net loss of $126,677
after operating expenses were deducted.
But Ward said the newsmagazines cannot be accurately compared to
the financial situation of The Bruin, since their significantly
smaller distribution and exposure are not as conducive to a
constant advertising stream.
“They’re not as community viable, but they provide
valuable services to students,” Ward said.
After the books have been totaled, the newsmagazines’
expenses account for 4 percent of the Student Media budget, which
Ward called a “comfortable amount.”
“(The absorbed loss) is worth it,” he said.
But the newsmagazines could always use more resources, editors
say.
“We don’t get as much money to cover a lot of
things,” said Bilal Khan, editor of al-Talib, the campus
Muslim newsmagazine. “It affects everything from producing
color pages to how much distribution we can pay for.”
The radio station, KLA, and UCLAtv have even less exposure
outside of the university ““ both are only distributed on
campus circuits and the Internet.
But the two might not be able to expand to higher wavelengths
and stronger signals even if the funding ““ which in
radio’s case could be in the millions of dollars
““Â was available.
The Federal Communications Commission-sanctioned radio spectrum
in the Los Angeles area is full, and Ward said it isn’t
likely that UCLAtv could afford to broadcast on a larger scale
beyond public access television.
He added that the barely visible profitability of the two
broadcast is no matter.
“We’re able to offer the full range of media
opportunities to students,” Ward said.
Student Media has operated without the aid of university funding
for more than a decade. In contrast, the comparably-sized
University of Texas-Arlington campus receives over $400,000 from
student fees ““ a figure that would be more than enough to
make up for UCLA’s own media deficit.
Until 1985, Student Media received a fee subsidy from the
university that hovered around $100,000. That year then-Chancellor
Charles Young ordered a phasing out of the subsidy, gradually
lowering the university aid until its termination in 1990.
Ward said the phase-out actually improved the financial
stability of the department, because it prompted The Bruin to
revamp its advertising approach to the point where it was
generating more revenue than pre-subsidy years.