The Prodigy (newspaper)
History
The Prodigy is the official student newspaper of the University of California, Merced (UC Merced). It was established in the 2006 spring academic semester.[1] The organization was only able to release one issue that first semester, and there were no issues released during the 2006-07 academic year. In fall 2007, under new leadership, The Prodigy released issues on a monthly schedule. [2] In January 2010, The Prodigy increased to a bi-weekly or every other week release schedule.[3] In August 2011, The Prodigy launched a website. [3]
Leadership and governance structure
The Prodigy is a student operated organization managed by an Executive Board of editors and managers led by the chief executive officer, the Editor-In-Chief. The organization is divided into three distinct divisions: Business, Layout, and Content/News. The Business division is led by the Business Manager, who oversees accounting/budgeting, advertisement sales, and public relations. The Ad Sales Manager manages the Ad Sales staff while the Public Relations Manager manages social media and creates a positive image of The Prodigy to recruit readers and staff. The Layout division is led by the Layout Editor who manages the look and feel of the content on print and web. The Website, Photography, and Graphic & Art Editors report to and receive direction from the Layout Editor. The Content/News division is led by the Managing Editor, and the Copy Editor and other section editors (i.e., News, Features & Opinion, Sports) report to and receive direction from the Managing Editor.
Financing
The Prodigy is financed by the ad clients who purchase ad space in each issue. In its early days, the Associated Students of UC Merced (ASUCM) subsidized or covered The Prodigy's printing cost. As of January 2011, all issues printed by The Prodigy are paid for by ad sales revenue.