Illini Media

The Illini Media Company, previously known as the Illini Publishing Company, is a non-profit corporation that owns the "Daily Illini", a student-run newspaper at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; WPGU-FM 107.1, a student-run commercial radio station, the "Illio", the official yearbook of the U of I; the "Buzz", a student run weekly paper; and the "Technograph", a student run engineering quarterly magazine..

History

The Illini Publishing Company was chartered by the State of Illinois in 1911. In 1984, it became the Illini Media Company. Four students, elected to two-year terms, and four faculty members, elected to four-year terms, comprise IMC's board of directors.

IMC's mission is to educate students for future careers in print media and broadcast, and to inform and entertain the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign community. Any University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign student can become involved with the Illini Media Company and its units. IMC's annual revenues exceed $2.5 million.

Formerly spread out in separate locations around campus, in May 2006, the Illini Media Company finished construction on a new facility to bring together and house all of their units and departments in one place. The four story, 30,000 square foot building, located at 512 E. Green Street in Champaign, brings the entire company together in the heart of campus.

The building's first floor is home to the offices and studio of WPGU-FM as well as the Illini Apple Center, Illini Media Company's Apple authorized reseller. The second and third floor incorporate the newsroom, production, advertising/marketing, and IT departments, while the fourth floor functions as a conference and event gallery.

Famous staff

Iris Chang, author of the international best-seller, "The Rape of Nanking", was a features writer for the "Daily Illini" from 1987-89.

Roger Ebert, film critic, was editor-in-chief of the "Daily Illini" from 1963-64, when he attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He also worked for Illini Media's terrestrial radio station WPGU-FM.

Hugh Hefner, editor in chief and chief creative officer of Playboy Enterprises, worked as a cartoonist for the "Daily Illini" from 1946-49.

Will Leitch, editor of the online magazine, Deadspin, and author of God Save The Fan, was the managing editor of the Daily Illini in 1996.

Controversies

The publishing of the cartoons from the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy resulted in the termination of two staff members at the "Daily Illini".

Buzz Weekly

The Buzz is a weekly entertainment magazine published every Thursday by the Illini Media Company. [ [http://www.readbuzz.com the217.com ] ] The magazine is included as a weekly insert in "The Daily Illini", the student newspaper of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, but is also available as a stand-alone publication. Covering film, television, music and theatre reviews, and local events, the Buzz contains feature stories on the local entertainment scene.

The Buzz is student-produced, with students working as writers, critics, photographers, illustrators, designers and editors.

References

External links

* [http://www.illinimedia.com/ Illini Media web site]
* [http://alumni.illinimedia.com/ Illini Media Alumni Club]
* [http://www.dailyillini.com/ The Daily Illini]
* [http://www.wpgu.com/ WPGU 107.1 FM]
* [http://www.readbuzz.com/ The Buzz weekly entertainment magazine]
* [http://illio.illinimedia.com/ Illio Yearbook]
* [http://technograph.illinimedia.com/ Technograph Engineering Magazine]
* [http://www.illiniapplecenter.com/ Illini Apple Center]