Introducing: Long Beach Current
The Long Beach Current (LBC) is the longest-running student news publication at Cal State Long Beach. As the most prolific news source on campus, Current reporters consistently produce award-winning coverage of both campus and city news and events. The Long Beach Current delivers fact-based, ethical journalism, covering everything from campus and local news to arts, life, sports and opinions, with a focus to serve the campus and community.
The Long Beach Current is committed to amplifying the university campus community from a student perspective. LBC’s mission is to cultivate accurate news reporting and foster community engagement. Using multi-platform journalism, LBC aims to be the independent paper of record for Cal State Long Beach while upholding integrity in all its reporting.
Formally known as the Daily Forty-Niner (49er), the Long Beach Current carries forward the same trusted legacy that has served students for over 75 years. With the evolution of the name, LBC strives to resonate more deeply with today’s student body and build greater confidence in news coverage.
The Web & Tech team, led by Leila Nunez (director) and Luke Wines (coordinator), played a critical role in ensuring a seamless transition. In spring 2024, they met with Sam Farfán (Community Engagement Manager) and former Editor-in-Chief Christal Gaines-Emory to discuss key objectives, such as social media management, purchasing the new website domain and transferring the database.
“We are so happy we started early because it just made the digital-forward transition much smoother,” Nunez said. She added, “This rebrand means a lot to me. I came into the newsroom my freshman year so as a senior now, I definitely feel like I grew up with this publication but I knew we needed a change and was genuinely excited when they started having these discussions. When I heard my friend Richie [former Community Engagement Manager] propose the name ‘Long Beach Current’, it sounded so perfect and it honestly was like the motivation to get the process started ASAP. I am so excited for everyone to see what the LBC is about. We worked very hard on it this past summer, and I loved working with the team. It's something I will always remember.”
Kristina Agresta, Director of Business Operations, also played a pivotal role in LBC’s rebranding project. She worked closely with the editorial team on budgeting for various elements of the rebrand including payroll, merchandise, promotions and more. Agresta said she collaborated with the PR Director, Nicollette Combre, on the promotional rollout for the rebrand. Having begun her student media journey as the social media editor at the 49er, Agresta managed the transition of the social media accounts from the Daily 49er to Long Beach Current.
“The rebrand is special because it helps establish this new era we are in at student media with ENYE rebranding and Beach Media becoming more established. It just shows the effort that students have put into the paper over the years and how much we work to constantly evolve.”
You can find daily news stories and coverage can be found on lbcurrent.com and on the @lbcurrent social media channels.