The Journal Record

What The Journal Record does

The Journal Record Publishing Co. is a privately held regional media company founded in 1903 and headquartered in Oklahoma City, operating as an affiliate of BridgeTower Media, a diversified media conglomerate with 40+ brands across business, legal, construction, and home furnishings verticals. The company serves as Oklahoma's primary daily business and legal news outlet, delivering content through a multi-channel platform comprising a daily print newspaper, a 24/7 website (journalrecord.com), a free daily email newsletter, active social media accounts, and a portfolio of statewide events and recognition programs (Beacon Awards, Empowering Women, Woman of the Year, Leadership in Law, Achievers Under 40, Best Places to Work). Its product portfolio also includes public notices for legal advertising, a Book of Lists and Leads & Data business intelligence database, classifieds, special publications, and a digital marketplace.

The company's revenue model is a hybrid of recurring subscriptions, multi-channel advertising, events sponsorships, data product sales, and public notice fees, targeting Oklahoma business professionals, the legal community, and B2B advertisers. GTM is event-driven, leveraging award programs and editorial credibility as primary demand-generation levers to acquire and retain subscribers and advertisers. The underlying technology stack is a standard web-based digital publishing platform augmented by a third-party UserWay Web Accessibility Widget for compliance; no proprietary AI/ML systems, APIs, or SDKs are in evidence. The company operates with a lean visible team of approximately 9 known staff members covering editorial, sales, operations, and production functions, with no disclosed headcount growth or funding activity.

The publication claims trusted relationships with 75% of top companies in the Oklahoma market, reflecting deep incumbency in its niche. However, the company faces the secular challenges of the regional print newspaper industry, partially offset by its diversified digital, events, and data product portfolio. All strategic direction is implicitly set within the broader BridgeTower Media portfolio framework rather than as a standalone venture.

Name

The Journal Record

Legal name

The Journal Record Publishing Co.

Website

https://journalrecord.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1903

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Journal Record is a privately held regional media company founded in 1903 and affiliated with BridgeTower Media, serving as Oklahoma's primary daily business and legal news outlet through print, digital, newsletter, events, and data products targeting the state's business and legal professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business News Media

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (51311)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

National & General-Interest Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Business, Finance & Industry Trade Magazines (MPAJAEAM), Government & Public Policy Publishing (Regulations, Gazettes, Legislative Tracking) (MPAJACAI)

Keywords

• Business news media
• Legal news reporting
• Newspaper publishing
• B2B advertising sales
• Oklahoma business coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

Oklahoma City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Print and Digital Subscriptions: Daily print newspaper and 24/7 website subscriptions providing access to business and legal news coverage
2. Advertising Services: Multi-channel advertising solutions across web, email, social, print, and events targeting business decision-makers. Products include online brand awareness, thought leadership, lead generation, print publications, email campaigns, and event sponsorships
3. Special Publications and Events: Special industry publications, events, and recognition programs including Woman of the Year Awards, Best Places to Work, and monthly/quarterly industry-specific magazines

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Journal Record is a multi-channel business and legal news media company that publishes a daily print newspaper and 24/7 digital website covering Oklahoma business, legislative, and legal news. It sells subscriptions, advertising, public notices, data products (Book of Lists), and operates statewide recognition events and special industry publications serving the Oklahoma business and legal communities.

Product overview

The Journal Record is a news media company offering a multi-product portfolio centered on Oklahoma business journalism. Its core offerings include a daily print newspaper and 24/7 website (The Journal Record Newspaper), a free daily email newsletter (Journal Record Daily Newsletter), and a digital archive platform. The company provides complementary products including Public Notices for legal advertising, a Marketplace for special reports and merchandise, and a Leads & Data/Book of Lists business database service. Additionally, The Journal Record hosts numerous award events and special publications including the Beacon Awards, Empowering Women, Woman of the Year, and Leadership in Law programs. All offerings are tied together through its Classifieds section and serve the Oklahoma business and legal communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Journal Record Newspaper Daily print newspaper and 24/7 website providing award-winning local and statewide coverage of Oklahoma business, legislative, and legal news for business executives, entrepreneurs, and legal professionals.
• Digital Edition Archives Online digital archive of The Journal Record newspaper editions, providing searchable access to historical and current print editions for subscribers and researchers.
• Journal Record Daily Newsletter (JR Daily Business Intelligence Report) Free daily email newsletter delivering a 5-minute digest of Oklahoma business and legal news to opted-in subscribers, serving as a top-of-funnel acquisition tool for subscriptions and events.
• Public Notices Subscription-based platform for publishing and accessing public legal notices, serving attorneys, law firms, and businesses required to publish legal announcements in Oklahoma.
• Leads & Data / Book of Lists Business database and data intelligence product providing the Book of Lists, Power Lists, and other lead generation tools for Oklahoma business customers seeking qualified prospect and market data.
• Classifieds Online classified advertising section offering listing services for the Oklahoma business and professional community.
• Marketplace (Store) Online store operated by The Journal Record that sells Power Lists, Special Reports, Plaques & Permissions, Photos, and Real Estate listings to customers.
• Special Publications Specialty magazines and industry-specific publications tied to events such as Woman of the Year Awards and Best Places to Work, sold to subscribers and event sponsors.
• Events Programs (Beacon Awards, Empowering Women, Woman of the Year, Leadership in Law, Achievers Under 40) Statewide award ceremonies and recognition programs, including Beacon Awards, Empowering Women, Woman of the Year, Leadership in Law, and Achievers Under 40, sold via sponsorships, nominations, and ticket sales to Oklahoma businesses and professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 75% of top companies in every market rely on us for latest news and intelligence

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• BridgeTower MediacoreOthersThe Journal Record is an affiliate of BridgeTower Media, a multifaceted media company operating 40+ brands across business, construction, legal, and home furnishings industries. BridgeTower Media connects advertisers with key decision-makers across multiple channels including web, email, events, social, and print.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Associated Press (AP): National wire service that The Journal Record likely subscribes to for content and competes against in the broader news ecosystem. Comparable as a news publisher and potential content/distribution partner.
• BridgeTower Media (sister brands such as NJBIZ, ColoradoBiz, Long Island Business News): Direct sibling publications operating under the same BridgeTower Media parent with identical business models, products (Book of Lists, awards events, public notices), and target advertisers. Highly comparable but not a competitor since they share a corporate parent.

Emerging players

• Route Fifty (Government Executive): Digital publication covering state and local government innovation and policy. Comparable to The Journal Record's Capitol, legislative, and public-sector coverage of Oklahoma government affairs.

Direct peers

• American City Business Journals (The Business Journals): Operates a network of regional business newspapers across U.S. metros with a subscription- and advertising-based model very similar to The Journal Record. Closest direct peer given analogous product, audience, and revenue mechanics.
• Law360: National legal news and intelligence publisher serving attorneys and legal professionals. Directly comparable to The Journal Record's legal news vertical and competes for the same legal audience in Oklahoma.
• Industry-specific legal publications (Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, Missouri Lawyers Media, NY Daily Record): Regional legal newspapers and websites covering state-level bar, court, and law firm news. Direct peers for The Journal Record's legal vertical, with parallel products including public notices, leadership awards, and verdicts reporting.

Broad incumbents

• Bloomberg Law: Premium legal and regulatory intelligence platform from Bloomberg. Comparable to The Journal Record's legal and government affairs coverage but serves a national audience at significantly higher price points and broader scope.
• Lee Enterprises (regional business publications): Large U.S. newspaper group operating regional business publications and dailies. Comparable business model (subscriptions + advertising + events) across multiple Midwest and Mid-South markets adjacent to Oklahoma.
• The Oklahoman (Oklahoma Publishing Company / Gannett): Oklahoma's largest general-interest daily newspaper, now part of Gannett. Overlaps with The Journal Record on local news, advertising audiences, and Oklahoma business coverage but operates at a much larger scale and broader editorial scope.

Regional players

• Oklahoma Gazette: Alternative weekly publication covering Oklahoma news and culture. Operates in the same Oklahoma market and competes for overlapping local advertising dollars, though with a different editorial positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/JournalRecord
• Facebookfacebook.com/journalrecord
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-journal-record
• Instagraminstagram.com/journalrecord

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Journal Record