The OU Daily was named a Pacemaker finalist Friday in the business category of the annual Associated Collegiate Press contest.
Nationwide, nine college media operations were recognized as finalists and five will earn Pacemaker-winner distinctions at the ACP spring national college media conference in March in Long Beach, California.
This marks the first time the Daily has been honored in the business category, which was added in 2020 to recognize outstanding performances by business and operations teams that help ensure student journalism is supported financially so it may thrive.
In its history, per available records, the Daily is a 12-time finalist and eight-time winner of Pacemaker honors across various disciplines. Most recently, the Daily won in the online category in 2023.
Work judged spanned 2024 in which Chase Pride was student advertising manager and Lynn Nguyen was the business adviser. Both continue to serve in those roles. The entry submitted showcased the Daily’s media kit; a social media campaign; digital, video and print ads; and a special section.
The business team’s work helped the Daily end the most recent fiscal year in a profitable position with digital revenue exceeding print. In 2024, the business operation also launched a new sponsored content team that is generating new lines of revenue while further diversifying the pro-ready portfolios students build working on the Daily’s staff.
In 2024, across all platforms, the Daily’s work generated in excess of 6.8 million views.
Associated Collegiate Press
Business Pacemaker finalists
OU Daily (University of Oklahoma)
Mustang Media Group (Cal State San Luis Obispo)
Cherry Creative and Student Publications Advertising (Western Kentucky)
Kentucky Kernel (University of Kentucky)
The Harvard Crimson (Harvard University)
Central Michigan Life (Central Michigan University)
The Daily Pennsylvanian Inc. (University of Pennsylvania)
The Shorthorn (University of Texas at Arlington)
Texas A&M Student Media (Texas A&M University)
Seth Prince is OU Student Media’s director and OU Daily’s newsroom adviser. He is also an adjunct instructor for Gaylord College.