Editor’s Note: This story covers the appointment of Rocky Mountain Student Media Corporation’s new CEO. The Rocky Mountain Collegian operates within RMSMC, and readers should be aware of this organizational relationship. The coverage of this story was conducted in accordance with The Collegian’s standards, with the goal of providing fair and accurate coverage.
With the fall semester quickly approaching, Rocky Mountain Student Media Corporation has selected Hans Copeland as its next president and chief executive officer. Copeland sat down with The Collegian to discuss his background in journalism, his previous experience with RMSMC and his vision for the organization as it enters the new academic year.
RMSMC serves as Colorado State University’s independent student media organization while providing hands-on training and professional development for aspiring media and journalism professionals. Copeland brings more than a decade of experience in media to the role, as well as a vision to strengthen collaboration, expand professional opportunities and prepare students for careers in the industry.
“It’s not my job to tell students what to write — I don’t control content,” Copeland said. “I can strongly advise to focus on what our audience cares about because that’s just good practice overall. What I’m hoping to bring is a very realistic representation of the journalism job landscape right now.”
Copeland joins RMSMC after most recently working as an audio engineer and producer for National Public Media in Washington D.C. Copeland said his career in media and journalism began when he was young, as his passion for music sparked an interest in audio production. That passion eventually led to his dream of one day working at National Public Radio.
“I started playing in indie bands when I was in middle school and high school,” Copeland said. “That led to a passion for audio and that passion for audio led to a real love of NPR. When I was around 19 years old, I realized I could work at NPR, so I set a goal (that) one day I’d love to work there.”
At the beginning of his professional career, Copeland attended University of Missouri-Kansas City and studied business administration with an entrepreneurial emphasis. After graduating, he worked at NPR member station KCUR 89.3 in Kansas City before joining RMSMC as the general manager of KCSU, RMSMC’s student-powered radio station.
During his time at KCSU, Copeland reformatted the KCSU training program, which was eventually adopted across all of RMSMC. Additionally, he established new revenue streams, secured new equipment for students to enjoy and taught classes in audio and podcasting, among other achievements. After leaving KCSU, Copeland joined NPR, where he said his work shifted from the creative side of media to the business side of the industry.
“I’ve realized over time that I feel more rewarded managing systems and being systems-oriented rather than an individual contributor,” Copeland said. “Now that I know deeply how differently media organizations work, I think I can serve best, and make the greatest impact, by improving the systems in which we work rather than being an individual contributor (and) creating one piece of media after another.”
When asked about what he hopes to contribute to RMSMC in his time as president and CEO, Copeland said his time at KCSU gave him insight into the areas where RMSMC could operate more efficiently. He said that he noticed significant overlap between content production and hopes to reduce those inefficiencies while improving the experience for student journalists.
“All journalism companies in general are very strapped and hurting for resources right now,” Copeland said. “We could eliminate those redundancies and give people a better training experience and spend less money paying for duplicate work and have a better result in the end.”
Copeland also said that he hopes to encourage an audience-first approach in RMSMC, emphasizing the importance of understanding readers and adapting coverage to meet the community’s interests and needs.
“I want to make sure that we have a deep understanding of how large our audience is (and) who they are so we can cater towards them,” Copeland said. “It’s good for our journalists to learn to write for an audience because when they go out to the real world, they’re not going to be writing just whatever comes to mind for fun. It’s actually what people care about.”
Copeland said he compiled a list of 50 guest speakers from NPR he plans to invite to speak with RMSMC members, giving students firsthand insight into careers in journalism and media.
Copeland also highlighted how being transgender has shaped his perspective on inclusivity, motivating him to create an environment where people from all kinds of backgrounds feel welcome.
“It’s really hard work finding yourself, and then it’s even more work showing who you truly are to the world,” Copeland said. “As a leader, I hope that I can create a space where everyone feels comfortable being themselves because the strength that comes from vulnerability is an opportunity to build connection within our team and really uplift our student-led mission.”
Reach Claire VanDeventer at news@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.
