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The Office of Student Media provides oversight, advising, and management for the student-funded publications and broadcast media at Oregon State University. The faculty and staff of the department advise, teach, and provide administration and technical support for the student editors and managers, who are themselves responsible for hiring and directing the staffs that produce the content and managing 300-400 volunteer and paid student staff. Student-funded publications and broadcast media at Oregon State consist of The Daily Barometer weekday newspaper; Beaver yearbook; Prism literary and arts magazine; KBVR FM non-commercial radio station; and KBVR TV public access channel serving Corvallis and Philomath.

The first issue of the College Barometer was published on March 16, 1896 and was subsequently published monthly and then semi-weekly. It became the Daily Barometer in 1923.

The Beaver yearbook began publication on an annual basis in 1908, using The Orange as the original title.

KBVR-FM, the student-operated campus radio station, began broadcasting in 1965 as a 10-watt station. In January 1967, KBVR television began broadcasting for several hours one or two evenings per week, on the closed circuit television system used during the day for classroom television. Both the radio and television stations were originally located in Shepard Hall, but moved to the Memorial Union East when that facility was completed in 1977.

Frank Ragulsky served as Director of Student Media from 1982 until his retirement in 2009. Irwin Harris served as Director of Student Publications until his retirement in 1981.