KU News Release

LAWRENCE —The William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications has announced a merger of the University Daily Kansan and KUJH-TV newsrooms. The Kansan will move to the second floor of the Dole Human Development Center, where the Stan and Madeline Stauffer Multimedia Newsroom, KUJH-TV studio and journalism faculty offices are located.

“The school of journalism has a reputation for excellence and forward-thinking curriculum,” said Ann Brill, dean of journalism. “We’ve taught multimedia reporting for more than a decade, yet, until now, our newsrooms were separate. In combining the newsrooms, we finally are creating the environment to prepare our students for an increasingly complex media world where content is primary and the channels of distribution serve the story and the storyteller.”

The Kansan offices, including the newsroom and advertising and business departments, will move the week of June 21. The space previously occupied by the Kansan in Stauffer-Flint Hall will become an expanded student services center.

Student advising, career center, recruiting, retention and communications offices will comprise the new centralized student services center. The Bremner Editing Center, graduate program and faculty research offices also will relocate to this area.

“We are very excited about the opportunities this change will bring for our students,” Brill said. “The decision to merge the newsrooms is in the best interest of our students and curricular needs.”

Founded in 1904, the Kansan is a student-run newspaper that is consistently ranked among the top college newspapers in the country, with its reporters and advertising staff continually winning national awards. Kansan.com, the online version of the Kansan, allows students to tell stories through multimedia. Magazine students also have the opportunity to work on the Kansan’s weekly lifestyle magazine, Jayplay.

“In the coming semesters we will see a lot of significant changes and improvement in the quality of the Kansan and KUJH-TV products,” said Malcolm Gibson, Kansan general manager and news adviser. “The cooperation and camaraderie will improve, which will ultimately result in a better experience for the students and stronger content for all elements of student media.”

One of the goals of merging the newsrooms is to provide journalism students with greater opportunities to tell their stories more dynamically across print, broadcast, online and new and emerging media.

Founded in 1995, KUJH-TV is available on broadcast channel 14, Sunflower Broadband channel 31 and online at tv.ku.edu. Students who are interested in working in broadcasting test their skills at KUJH-TV by producing daily newscasts, sports shows and special-interest local programming. They have multiple opportunities to work as on-camera talent, producers, directors and writers.

“We are really looking forward to combining KUJH-TV and the Kansan,” said Terry Bryant, lecturer in journalism and media lab manager. “The students will benefit from learning in a true multimedia environment. The variety of skills they master will serve them well when they become professional journalists after graduating from KU.”