Oxford Student Publications Ltd (OSPL) is an independent student publishing house in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

that publishes the Cherwell student newspaper, ''The Isis'' student magazine, The Oxford Scientist, formerly Bang Science Magazine
PHASER
Keep Off the Grass freshers' magazine and Industry fashion magazine. The company is wholly independent and is run entirely by students of the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

. In 1961, OSPL was established as a holding company for Cherwell newspaper and acquired the ISIS brand in the late 1990s. The business is a private company limited by guarantee and registered at

Companies House Companies House is the executive agency of the company registrars of the United Kingdom, falling under the remit of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. All forms of companies (as permitted by the Companies Act) are i ...

. OSPL's income comes from subscriptions and advertising; the company receives no subsidy from Oxford University. All profits are put back into media production and into ensuring the long-term well-being of the company. Very few major student newspapers operate in this fashion and the continued success and financial viability of OSPL pays testament to its ability to attract the most capable Oxford students as journalists and managers.

Notable alumni

Notable journalistic/editorial contributors to

Cherwell newspaper ''Cherwell'' is a weekly student newspaper published entirely by students of Oxford University. Founded in 1920 and named after a local river, ''Cherwell'' is a subsidiary of independent student publishing house Oxford Student Publications Ltd ...

and

Isis magazine ''The Isis'' is a student publication at the University of Oxford, where the magazine was established in 1892. Traditionally a rival to the student newspaper '' Cherwell'', ''Isis'' was finally acquired by the latter's publishing house, Oxfor ...

are listed elsewhere. Notable alumni once involved in OSPL's business activities include: *

Lord Heseltine Michael Ray Dibdin Heseltine, Baron Heseltine, (; born 21 March 1933) is a British politician and businessman. Having begun his career as a property developer, he became one of the founders of the publishing house Haymarket. Heseltine served ...

Haymarket Haymarket may refer to: Places Australia * Haymarket, New South Wales, area of Sydney, Australia Germany * Heumarkt (KVB), transport interchange in Cologne on the site of the Heumarkt (literally: hay market) Russia * Sennaya Square (''Hay Squ ...

chairman and

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

peer; *

Rupert Murdoch Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian-born American business magnate. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of local, national, and international publishing outlets around the world, including ...

, chairman and CEO of

News Corporation News Corporation (abbreviated News Corp.), also variously known as News Corporation Limited, was an American multinational mass media corporation controlled by media mogul Rupert Murdoch and headquartered at 1211 Avenue of the Americas in Ne ...

; *

John Redwood Sir John Alan Redwood (born 15 June 1951) is a British politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wokingham in Berkshire since 1987. A member of the Conservative Party, he was Secretary of State for Wales in the Major government ...

, former

leadership contender *

Katie Ghose Katie Sushila Ratna Ghose (born July 1970) is a British charity chief executive and campaigner. In September 2019 she was appointed chief executive of KIDS, a national charity for disabled children and young people. She was previously Chief Ex ...

, Chairman of OSPL in 1990 and Chief Executive of the Electoral Reform Society. *

Felicity Cloake Felicity Cloake is an English food writer. She writes for ''The Guardian'' newspaper and in ''New Statesman'' magazine. Early life Felicity Cloake grew up in Hertfordshire; her father was a John Lewis executive and her mother taught French. She ...

, freelance food journalist, Guardian columnist and author of several cookbooks.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Oxford Student Publications Limited websiteCherwell onlineISIS magazineHistory of the Cherwell newspaperOxford Student Publications Limited
on

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

1961 establishments in England Publishing companies established in 1961 Companies based in Oxford Companies associated with the University of Oxford *Oxford Student Publications Limited *Oxford Student Publications Limited Publishing companies of the United Kingdom