Fourteen years ago this week in 2008, BUnow’s first Editor-in-Chief Shannon Hoffman published its very first story, Revolutionary! In it she promised, “BUnow will develop into an outstanding publication that you can resort to for hard hitting news, entertainment and insight on current events.” And, BUnow has done its very best to live up to Shannon’s vision and remain Revolutionary! 24/7 over the last 5,110 days!
BUnow’s metrics are a testament to its commitment to live up to this challenge: Over 1.2 million visitors have viewed over 2.1 million stories written by more than 1,000 student journalists since its launch. On average, over 500 visitors engaged with more than 700 stories every single day over the last three years. BUnow set a daily traffic record with 19,379 visitors on May 13, 2021. And, Carly’s Conspiracy Corner #2: Michael Jackson is Not Dead tops the charts with 50,948 views.
While impressive, the metrics are only a reflection of the dedication and courage of BUnow’s more than 1,000 student journalists. Consider these events since BUnow commemorated its 10th anniversary in 2018.
- COVID-19 PANDEMIC: When the pandemic closed the Bloomsburg University campus in March 2019, BUnow went 100% virtual and held almost weekly zoom meetings for the next 18 months. This commitment to cyber connections maintained the team’s spirits and engagement during the throughout the pandemic.
- BUnow SCHOLARSHIP: More than $4,000 has been awarded over the last three years though the BUnow Scholarship program launched in Spring 2019. Currently, eight former BUnow editors comprise the Scholarship Board.
- TWO LIVESTREAM EVENTS: BUnow hosted two Facebook Livestreams over the last two years, including the 2020 National Election Livestream (3.30.33) on Nov. 3, 2020, and the NE Integration Livestream (2.01.10) on Nov. 18, 2022, as a joint event with The Voice and The Eagle campus newspapers.
- 2017 COLLEGIATE MEDIA SUMMIT: BUnow, with the support of the College of Liberal Arts, BU and the Media and Journalism Department, BU planned for, and participated in, the two-day, PASSHE-wide media summit on the BU campus.
- TWO EDITORIAL PARTNERSHIPS: During the last two years, BUnow has initiated two editorial partnerships including PA Spotlight, a journalistic investigative team comprised of several leading state newspapers, and PSECU, the state-wide credit union for the enhancement of collegiate student financial literacy.
- BUnow MAG: BUnow has published four magazines since launching its magazine division in 2015. The BUnow Sports Mag was published in 2018 just before the pandemic. The editorial team plans to publish a fifth magazine in Spring 2022.
And, most certainly, the student leadership is the energy, and the engine, that fuel the BUnow story. BUnow’s leadership team includes:
- Editor-in-Chief: Katie Rose
- Managing Editor: Josh Evans
- Managing Editor: Ryan Williams
- General Manager: Aaron Sudia Boivin
- Treasurer: Olivia Antonucci
- Social Media Editor: Ava Stasen
- Social Media Editor: Bri Milander
- SM Editor: Alyssa Sieck
- Music and Entertainment Editor: Carly Busfield
- Sports Editor: Jared Frost
- Alumni Editor: Teresa Nappo
- Video Editor: Eva Wozniak
- Web Designer: Emme Reiser
- Graphic Designer: Eliza Nevis
- RedBubble and SM Editor: Kira Loomis
- BUnow Writer: Jayden Harlon
BUnow’s DNA is comprised of two long strands of change and innovation. The dynamics of technology, content, and the audience will dictate the directions of its future. The impending institutional integration of three PASSHE universities (BU, LHU, and MU) suggests an expanded geo-pool of talent and content. Technological innovations in streaming, VR, and AI promise huge leaps in the very structure of BUnow. And most definitely, the courage of BUnow’s student journalists to experiment with, and to continually push beyond, the boundaries of the status quo promise BUnow’s future will be Revolutionary!
