March 4-7, 2026 New York City
Why Attend
Join college media advisers and student journalists from across the country for three days of hands-on training, fresh ideas and meaningful connection. This convention delivers targeted tracks for new and veteran advisers, along with newsroom-ready sessions in reporting, editing, sports, yearbook, lit mag, design, audience, business operations and media law.
With Times Square as your campus, you’ll be steps from some of the world’s most influential media outlets — an ideal setting for off-site visits, newsroom tours and real-world inspiration. And as CMA prepares to take this event to new cities in the coming years, this final New York gathering offers a rare chance to learn, connect and experience college media’s biggest stage in the heart of it all.
REGISTRATION
STUDENT
For all currently enrolled students at any accredited college or university.
ADVISER MEMBER
For current CMA members in good standing
NON-MEMBER
For all other attendees who are advisers or professionals and not current CMA members.
THE VENUE
CMA’s Spring Convention will be hosted at the New York Marriott Marquis, located in the heart of Times Square.
Attendees can reserve discounted rooms at $309 per night for up to triple occupancy. The total nightly rate is $358, including taxes and fees. Rooms are subject to availability and MUST be booked before February 9, 2026 to receive this rate.
The New York Marriott Marquis sits right on Broadway in the middle of Times Square, giving students and advisers unmatched access to the city’s energy and opportunities. From the hotel’s front door, you’re steps away from major news networks, Broadway theaters, iconic landmarks and some of New York’s best food, bookstores and coffee spots.
It’s a home base built for exploration: perfect for newsroom tours, advising meetups, and group outings after a full day of sessions.
Keynote Speakers
Doualy Xaykaothao
Doualy Xaykaothao is an NPR newscaster and reporter who writes, produces and delivers national newscasts. She also reports on breaking news for All Things Considered, Morning Edition and Weekend Edition.
Xaykaothao first joined NPR in 1999 as a production assistant for “Morning Edition”, and has since worked as a producer, editor, director and reporter for NPR’s award-winning newsmagazines. She’s also worked at Minnesota Public Radio and at NPR member stations KERA, KPCC and KCRW.
For nearly a decade, Xaykaothao was also a correspondent based in Seoul and Bangkok, chasing breaking news in North and Southeast Asia for NPR. In Thailand, she covered the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. In Nepal, as a 2006 International Reporting Project Fellow, she reported on the effects of war on children and women. In South Korea, she reported on rising tensions between the two Koreas, including North Korea’s attack on the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong. In 2011, she was the first NPR reporter to witness and cover the aftermath of the Tōhoku earthquake and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear meltdowns.
Xaykaothao is a multi-platform journalist whose work has won Edward R. Murrow and Peabody Awards. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from SUNY Empire, and she has a Master of Arts (Business and Economics concentration) from Columbia University.
For those curious, Doualy means Shadow-of-the-Moon in her native Hmong language. She is a member of an indigenous hill tribe from Asia, born in Laos, but raised in France and the United States.
David Covucci
David Covucci, editor-in-chief of the muckraking college football newsletter FOIAball, uses public records reporting to reveal the sport’s weirdest, wildest and biggest secrets.
Tired of interviewing for positions at mainstream publications and never landing the jobs, David launched FOIAball in September 2025. In just a few short months, he’s turned the college football world on its head, breaking stories about federal government surveillance at SEC games, NIL tax fraud at major institutions, bowl games trying to move to Saudi Arabia and the obscene dollar figures schools are spending on balloons, plus a lot of other great stories.
David previously worked at a small digital publication covering tech and politics. For eight years there, he ran the industry’s only fully FOIA-focused internship, where he taught college students to use public records to produce investigative journalism. His interns reported on misleading stories police have told about fentanyl overdoses, the violent past of cops in Florida and surveillance tech creeping into local neighborhoods.
David firmly believes that anyone can use public records to shine a light on the inner workings of government. He is thrilled to get the chance to speak with aspiring journalists and help them craft their own visions of the industry going forward.
Tentative Schedule
- MIDDAY/AFTERNOON: Media Tours
- AFTERNOON: Off-Site Programming
- EVENING: Registration Opens
- MORNING: Registration Opens / Exhibit Hall Opens
- SESSIONS: On-site programming all-day
- MEDIA TOURS: Throughout the day
- KEYNOTE: Midday
- CRITIQUES: Expert feedback all day
- EVENING: Student Reception
- MORNING: Registration Opens / Exhibit Hall Opens
- SESSIONS: On-site programming all-day
- MEDIA TOURS: Throughout the day
- KEYNOTE: Midday
- CRITIQUES: Expert feedback all day
- EVENING: Adviser Reception
- MORNING: Sessions
- KEYNOTE
- APPLE AWARDS CEREMONY
Interested in submitting a session?
Proposals are reviewed on a rolling basis, with our planning committee evaluating sessions for relevance, originality and impact. Final decisions will be shared by Jan. 9, 2026.
Interested in sponsorship or exhibiting?
Sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities are available for the CMA Spring National College Media Convention in New York. Connect with hundreds of college media advisers and student journalists through high-visibility sponsorships or Exhibit Hall participation.
Pricing and opportunities are available by clicking the button below. For additional questions, email CMA HQ.