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CAL POLY TO CELEBRATE 100th ANNIVERSARY OF STUDENT MEDIA

100 YEARS OF DELIVERING THE NEWS

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – The journalism department and Mustang News will mark the 100th anniversary of student media at Cal Poly with a yearlong celebration starting with a Reunion BBQ on O’Neill Green on the Cal Poly campus at 3:30 p.m., Nov. 7, 2015, and ending with a symposium and dinner gala in October 2016.

The student-run media organization, known today as Mustang News, can trace its beginnings to April 25, 1916, when what was then called The Polygram began regular bi-weekly publication. Through the years, the newspaper changed its name to El Mustang, The Polytechnic Californian and Mustang Daily, before becoming Mustang News, a multiplatform news organization, in 2013.  

Along the way, students adopted the latest technologies and added new outlets for informing and entertaining the Cal Poly community. The campus radio station, KCPR-FM, came on board in the 1960s, followed by TV station CPTV.  Students launched their first news website in 2006, added a mobile app in 2012 and fully integrated social media in 2013.

The anniversary celebration will include:

  • The Mustang News Reunion Tailgate BBQ, starting at 3:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov.7, on O’Neill Green on the Cal Poly campus, followed by the football game at Spanos Stadium between Cal Poly and Sacramento State. A video that captures the history of the student-media organization will be shown at halftime. 
  • “New Media. New Stories?” a presentation by journalism graduate David Kerley of ABC News, this year’s Honored Alumnus from the College of Liberal Arts. Kerley will address the campus at 2 p.m., Friday, Nov. 6, in Building 180, Room 101.
  • Highlights in history spotlighted in Mustang News and on mustangnews.net.
  • An Interactive Timeline where alumni can share their most memorable moments on staff.
  • An exhibit at the Robert E. Kennedy Library showcasing Cal Poly’s history through the voice of the student press.
  • Celebration Weekend in October 2016, featuring
    • The Jim Hayes Symposium, dedicated to advancing integrity in journalism and communication.
    • Open House in the student newsroom.
    • A selection of Fun Things to do in the area for visiting alumni and their families.
    • The Dinner Gala and anniversary program

For more information, contact Paul Bittick, student media general manager, at pbittick@calpoly.edu, or Mary Glick, journalism department chair, at mmglick@calpoly.edu

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