The Commonwealth Times, or The CT, was founded in September 1969. In the last five-plus decades, the student-run newspaper has changed sizes, printing frequencies, departments on campus, and physical locations. But its mission has remained the same — to provide coverage of the VCU campus and Richmond to students, faculty, staff, alumni, and citizens of greater RVA, all from a student viewpoint. The CT has received numerous accolades over the years, including a 2019, 2020 and 2021 national Newspaper Pacemaker award. Alumni from The CT have gone on to intern and work in all facets of local media in
“As confrontations between demonstrators and Richmond police continue, the Commonwealth Times — Virginia Commonwealth University’s student-led newspaper — has become one of the most trusted media outlets in the city.”
- Virginia Public Media
Richmond, as well as nationally in places like NPR, CNN, Axios and the Associated Press. The CT is a full-color newspaper, printed every other week on Wednesdays, distributed on and around campus and updated regularly online at commonwealthtimes.org.
RECENT ACCOLADES
Virginia Press Association
• First place awards for design, illustration, photography, sports and editorial writing
Associated Collegiate Press
• First place, newspaper page/spread
Society of Professional Journalists
• Regional winners for cultural criticism, illustration and campus reporting
College Media Association
• First place, opinion column
Full-Page; $900/$450/$225 Full-Page (back); $1,200/$600/300
Online Advertising commonwealthtimes.org
Weekly
Homepage Banner
Homepage Skyscraper
Homepage Box
10% discount for 4+ weeks
1500x185px $85
300x600px $65
300x300px $45
Email Newsletter Banner
Every Friday
Subscribers: 2,250
External VCU
$259 $100
Puzzle Page Advertising
Monthly/Semester/Annually
One puzzle $100/$400/$800
Both Puzzles $188/$750/$1,500
Puzzles appear on the back page (or inside back page depending on current ads) of The CT in every issue, alongside your sponsorship language or artwork. Crossword and Sudoku available.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
INVOICING AND PAYMENT
Payment is appreciated and accepted in advance, and advertising invoices will be sent within a week of publication (in print or online). Payment is due 30 days from the date of the invoice and can be paid via credit card on our digital advertising platform. Follow the instructions on your invoice or refer to your ad representative for questions and concerns. Alternative payment methods are available upon request.
FORMAT FOR ADS
Please provide an at-size 300dpi file in CMYK format, preferably as a PDF.
Ad sizes are exact and provided in this media kit. For print products, incorrectly sized artwork will be shrunk to fit the dimensions and floated in the center of the space purchased. For online advertising please refer to the rate sheet for dimensions. Ads should be .jpg or .png format or .gif if it is animated. Please include clickthrough link included in email. Please send files to: advertisesmc@vcu.edu. Place the name of the client or business in the subject line.
Unless agreed upon signing, advertising placements will be determined by page designers based on space available. The VCU Student Media Center will not accept unethical, misleading or offensive advertising, or advertising that discriminates on the basis of sex, age, gender, religion, race, national origin, sexual orientation or physical disability. Advertisements for products, services or promotions that are illegal in the State of Virginia or City of Richmond will also be rejected. The VCU Student Media Center reserves the right to edit, cancel or decline any advertising. If an advertisement is declined or canceled, any material and payment will be returned to the client.
PENALTIES AND FEES
A 10% late fee will be added if payment is not received within 60 days of invoicing. If payment is still not received after 90 days, the account may be sent to collections and may incur an additional 30% administrative fee.
The Student Media Center serves the VCU community — students, faculty, staff, parents and alumni — with news, information and entertainment. With eight student-led media organizations, and more than 1,500 student volunteers a year, SMC publications earn national recognition for quality and provide unique, hands-on learning experiences in print, on air and online.
SMC Professional Staff
Jessica Clary; Director of Student Media
Mark Jeffries; Creative Media Manager
Owen Martin; Business Manager
Contact P.O. Box 842010 Richmond, VA 23284
(804) 828-1058
Website: studentmedia.vcu.edu
Advertising: AdvertiseSMC@vcu.edu
Instagram: @vcustudentmedia
