Student Media director resigns to support continuation of publications

During his 21-year tenure as the UCLA Student Media director, Arvli Ward helped the Daily Bruin and seven newsmagazines adapt to falling revenue and changing readership.

Ward reduced the cost of Student Media’s operations to balance the damaging impact of the Internet and social media on the Daily Bruin and newsmagazines’ print advertising revenue. UCLA Student Media manages ten student publications, including the Daily Bruin, UCLA Radio, BruinLife yearbook and newsmagazines.

“We haven’t gutted the newspaper like so many other universities have,” Ward said. “We’ve been clever about … redefining and reshaping the department to deliver the same quality on fewer dollars.”

Ward said he developed a plan in 2011 to restructure the department, if Student Media could not make up for the Daily Bruin’s decreasing advertising revenue. He resigned April 15 after serving as director since 1995, so Student Media could put his annual salary toward its editorial expenses.

To further generate income, Ward cut other paid staff positions, developed bruinwalk.com and oversaw an initiative that aimed to build and sell mobile applications. He said bruinwalk.com, a website that provides class grade distributions and allows UCLA students to rate professors, courses and apartments, is now the most visited independent college website in the country.

Since 2003, Student Media has reduced its expenses by $1 million, mostly in administrative costs, to keep the Daily Bruin and newsmagazines afloat. Ward said Student Media developed and sold 150 mobile apps between 2013 and 2015 – one app, Bruin Football, generated about $30,000.

He added he thinks Student Media managed to maintain the quality of its publications during a period of rapid worldwide change in the media industry. The Daily Bruin has received the most college newspaper awards in the U.S., even during a decade of cost-cutting measures, Ward said.

As an undergraduate student at UCLA, Ward served as the editor in chief of Nommo, a newsmagazine that aims to discuss issues African-American students face. He began working for Student Media in 1988 and became director in 1995.

Sam Hoff, editor in chief of the Daily Bruin, said Ward valued students’ dedication to their publications and Student Media’s importance to the UCLA community.

“Other student newspapers and publications across the country have had to shut down or make major changes to stay alive, but Arvli was able to guide us through some really tough times,” he said.

Hoff said student staffers will take on some of Ward’s responsibilities, including working with Student Media alumni and the UCLA Communications Board, the Associated Students UCLA committee in charge of managing Student Media. Doria Deen, Student Media’s office manager, will oversee human resources, budget management and other administrative tasks.

Deen said she respects Ward’s commitment to Student Media during financial troubles and added he would often work six-day weeks.

“He wanted to make sure there was a place for students to do journalism,” Deen said. “His concern for the department made it more than a job to him.”

Ward said he views Student Media as UCLA’s unofficial journalism school because the organization trains students for future careers through workshops and hands-on experience. He added he was proud former students became successful in journalism and other fields after working for Student Media publications.

“We still represent this campus, and we’ve done it despite the storm we’ve been in for almost a decade,” he said. “I hope the campus is proud of that.”