Frequently Asked Questions

After much research, planning and deliberation, the Daily Forty-Niner changed its name to the Long Beach Current in the Fall 2024 semester. We understand that there will be a lot of questions and mixed feelings about this change. Below we have compiled a list of common questions and answers about this change. If you have a question that isn’t included on this list, please email us at community@lbcurrent.com. We’d love to hear from you.

Why did you decide to change the name of the Daily 49er?

After much consideration, the student-led team decided that updating the name at this time was important for three reasons:

1. To better align our student newspaper with the university’s current branding and future direction. As Long Beach State’s news source since 1949, our name and brand must communicate to students on campus and in our local communities who and what we cover. 
2. To acknowledge the nuanced and challenging history of the Gold Rush era and the miners who became known as the 49ers. As a deeper understanding of this period has come to light, including the documented violence toward Native Americans at that time, it is important as journalists to learn and evolve with new information. Public perception of the 49er moniker has shifted, and it is time for us to change with it. 
3. To mark the 75th anniversary of the university and the campus newspaper. We know that the success of the Daily Forty-Niner/Long Beach Current is only possible because of the thousands of CSULB student journalists over the last 75 years who came before us.

Why was the newspaper named the Daily Forty-Niner (or 49er) originally?

The Forty-Niner name was originally chosen by students to represent the university and student newspaper’s founding year of 1949 and mirrored the university’s gold rush theme.

Why did you choose Long Beach Current as the new name?

The Long Beach Current was chosen by students because of the double meaning of the word “current.” Current can refer to an ocean current, which connects back to the university’s “beach” branding. It can also refer to current events, which aligns with the timely content that the student newspaper is known for. Additionally, the Long Beach Current’s acronym is LBC which is a commonly used term for the city of Long Beach.

What was the rebranding process?

Talk of renaming the student newspaper began around 2020 when the university replaced the mascot of Prospector Pete with Elbee the Shark and began to shift university branding to a more beach-focused theme. In 2022, the publication’s team partnered with the JOUR 494 Research Methods class to survey CSULB students, alumni, faculty and staff in order to gauge the various audiences’ opinions of a name change. The results of this survey showed “no overall consensus regarding changing the name” with 27.6% supporting a name change, 36.7% opposing it, and 35.7% indicating no preference. With this information, student media leaders formed a rebranding committee made up of students, alumni, faculty advisers and a JPR Department representative. They decided to launch the rebrand in conjunction with the newspaper’s 75th anniversary.

Where can I find more information about the study that was done?

The full study was published in the peer-reviewed journal Social Sciences & Humanities Open, Vol. 7, Issue 1 (2023) under the title “Should the campus newspaper change its brand? Applying formative research and dialogic theory to address DEI questions.” You can find the full article for free at ScienceDirect.com. 

Will the student newspaper be changing in other ways besides the name?

Other than new social handles and a website URL, no. As the Long Beach Current, we continue to be committed to amplifying CSULB’s student voices through award-winning journalism, just like we always have. You can learn more about our mission and values by visiting LBCurrent.com/about. 

Do you have new email addresses? Can I still email the staff with @daily49er.com email addresses?

Yes, we do have new email addresses. All emails start with the same username, but the domain name has been updated to @lbcurrent.com. For example, eic@daily49er.com is now eic@lbcurrent.com. You can find staff emails at lbcurrent.com/staff/. The @daily49er.com email addresses will still work by automatically forwarding to the new @lbcurrent.com email address for the duration of the 2024-2025 academic year.

Will your social media handles or platforms change as part of the rebrand? 

Yes, you can find us @lbcurrent on Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) and LinkedIn. You can find us @LongBeachCurrent on Facebook. 

I wrote an article for the Daily 49er in the past, will the link to the article break or change?

Yes, the domain will change from daily49er.com to LBCurrent.com at the end of the 2024-2025 academic year. We recommend that writers relink their portfolio pieces with the new address. The LBCurrent.com will contain articles dating back to 2006. Articles before that date can be found in the University Library Student Media Archive. If you cannot find the article you are looking for, you can email Content Adviser Barbara Kingsley-Wilson at barbara.kingsley-wilson@csulb.edu. 

I was on staff with the Daily 49er, will I need to change my resume or the position that is listed?

It’s up to you. If you were on staff before August 2024, then you worked for the newspaper when it was called the Daily Forty-Niner and you can keep it as such on your resume, portfolio or C.V. However, you may want to add context that the Daily Forty-Niner is now the Long Beach Current for clarity.

Does the new Long Beach Current have a tagline?

Yes: Long Beach State’s news source since 1949.

How do we refer to the CSULB student newspaper going forward?

Our full name is the Long Beach Current, but you can also refer to us as the LB Current, LBC or the Current.

Where can I find issues of the Long Beach Current?

You can find print editions of the Long Beach Current at distribution stations across campus and at the Long Beach Public Libraries. Additionally, you can find them digitally through Issuu. 

Where can I find old articles from the Daily 49er?

The LBCurrent.com will contain articles dating back to 2006. Articles before that date can be found in the University Library Student Media Archive. If you cannot find the article you are looking for, you can email Content Adviser Barbara Kingsley-Wilson at barbara.kingsley-wilson@csulb.edu.

Has the editorial structure of the student newspaper changed?

The editorial structure is determined by the editor-in-chief (EIC) and may change each year when a new EIC is chosen. While there may be some differences in staff positions, titles and responsibilities under various EICs, the main structure usually remains the same. You can see the current staff and their titles by visiting LBCurrent.com/staff. 

Have a question that isn’t included in this list? Please contact us. We’d love to hear from you.

You may contact the editor-in-chief at eic@lbcurrent.com or the community engagement manager at community@lbcurrent.com.