CSULB’s Daily Forty-Niner Newspaper Now Called Long Beach Current

Aligned with the newspaper’s 75th anniversary, the rebrand to Long Beach Current came with more than a name change.

The student-run newspaper beginning in 1949, previously known as the Daily Forty-Niner, underwent a name change over summer 2024 with the goal of better aligning with the university’s current branding and future direction.

With a new editor-in-chief, Acsah Lemma, the newspaper’s digital site and social media has shown visual changes and more organic designs. Though at the core, the newspaper is the same, they are looking for a new chapter fostered for healing and accountability.

Though it took some convincing with several Forty-Niner alumni, the change came after years of discussion on the issue.

The weekly newspaper has continuously covered a variety of on and off-campus topics from news to arts to sports, sometimes even reporting on a historical national scale such as the Kennedy assassination.

“The comment sections on our Instagram and our Daily Forty-Niner alumni Facebook group are a good example of [mixed reviews] as there are many former Forty-Niner editors and CSULB community members who have strongly associated with the 49er identity,” said Community Engagement Manager Sam Farfan. “For the most part, these are the main demographics who weren’t the most content with the name change, which we predicted.”

The rebranding process began in 2020 around the time of the mascot change. The change from Prospector Pete to Elbee the Shark in 2020 received reprisal from those dedicated to tradition. The controversy associated with the nickname and mascot sparked difficult conversations. Because the school was built on Indigenous Puvunga land, Prospector Pete and the year became associated with the genocide during the gold rush.

Because the process for a new mascot was student-led, many alumni and people in the community, felt students were being too sensitive. Long Beach forums posted about their opinions saying the change was “unnecessary.”

The name change brought similar controversy but not nearly as brutal. A 2019 study done by the school’s Journalism Research Methods class surveyed the school’s students, alumni, faculty and staff to gauge campus opinion. The survey showed no overall consensus with 27.6% supporting the change, 36.7% opposing it and the remaining no preference.

Comments on Long Beach Reddit forums show some people think the change is silly and people are sensitive, while others appreciate the change and think some traditionalists and conservatives are latching on to the 49er name too much.

“Although we dedicated our entire summer to this project, we feel so fulfilled with the outcome,” explains Farfan. “I’m proud to have been a part of this historic moment for our publication. It was long overdue.”