Student media outlets provide JSU communication majors a venue to hone their skills and build a professional portfolio while also serving a vital role in the campus community. Both outlets are student-led, with diverse teams of paid staffers, students enrolled in media workshop courses and volunteers from a variety of majors.
Adviser: Ben Cunningham, Director of Student Media
bbcunningham@jsu.edu or 256-782-8151
Newsroom
Since its beginnings as a simple campus newspaper in 1934 as The Teacola, The Chanticleer has grown into a multimedia newsroom that prepares students for careers informing audiences online and through social media in addition to print.
Award winning student journalists at The Chanticleer keep the campus community informed with editorially independent, up-to-the-minute news coverage. Students make all the news decisions, write stories, and shoot photos and video. A paid staff of four student editors oversee a team of media workshop students and volunteers from across campus.
In October 2023, The Chanticleer earned its first two Pinnacle Awards in Breaking News and Editorial writing from the College Media Awards, which honor the best college media organizations and individual work.
In 2024, The Chanticleer expanded on its initial success at the College Media Awards, earning recognitions in four categories, including Best Feature Story (2nd place), Best Profile (Honorable Mention), Best Feature Story (Honorable Mention), and a win for the Top News Website of the Year.
Radio
Students operate WLJS 91.9 FM, the university’s 610-watt radio station, reaching listeners in Jacksonville, from Oxford to Gadsden, and around the world streaming live online. A paid student staff of four selects music and oversees a team of media workshop students and volunteers from across campus to produce news, informational and entertainment programs. WLJS is also the home of the Gamecock Sports Network, providing live radio coverage of JSU sporting events.
In 2024, WLJS’s student staffers joined The Chanticleer at the College Media Awards, and brought home their first recognitions, including Best Audio Newscast (2nd Place), Best Audio Sportscast (Honorable Mention), and Best Audio Promo/PSA (Honorable Mention.
