Carpenter Media Group

What Carpenter Media Group does

Carpenter Media Group is a privately held community media company that operates 250+ newspaper, magazine, and digital properties across 15 US states and 4 Canadian regions, serving 246 communities with 1,700+ employees, 11M+ monthly print readers, and 25M+ monthly digital users. The company is controlled by Chairman Todd H. Carpenter, a 40-year newspaper industry veteran who previously led Boone Newsmedia, and is led by President & CEO Tim Prince. Its core products include print newspapers, digital subscriptions delivered via websites and mobile apps, print and digital advertising (sold through field sales teams and marketing strategists), commercial printing services (Nowata Printing Company), and last-mile delivery services (BP Express Delivery, which serves Amazon in the Kootenays and Okanagan). Revenue streams span subscription (recurring print and digital subscriptions), advertising (print and digital ad placements), and professional services (commercial printing and delivery), with pricing models ranging from auto-renewing subscriptions to multi-year ad contracts and unit-based print ad placement.

The technology backbone is a multi-platform publishing system spanning all 250+ properties, with digital advertising operations on Google Ad Manager 360 and analytics on Google Analytics 4. Carpenter PitchAssist is the company's only disclosed AI product — a generative AI-powered sales enablement tool used by revenue teams across the network. The company has also built ancillary platforms including Impress Studio (branded content), Used.ca (online classifieds), and Star Events (Hawaii-based trade shows). Carpenter Media Group has executed an aggressive roll-up strategy since 2023, absorbing properties from Boone Newsmedia, Pamplin Media Group, M. Roberts Media (rebranded CMG Texas Media), Sound Publishing, eoMedia Group, and Nowata Printing, making it one of the largest privately controlled community newspaper operators in North America.

Name

Carpenter Media Group

Legal name

Carpenter Media Group

Website

https://carpentermediagroup.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Carpenter Media Group is a private community media company operating 250+ newspaper, magazine, and digital properties across the US and Canada, serving 246 communities with 1,700+ employees and revenue from subscriptions, advertising, and commercial printing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Community Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (51311), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Consumer News & Digital Newsrooms (Web/App-First) (MPAJADAD)

Keywords

• Community newspaper publishing
• Print and digital advertising
• Newspaper subscriptions
• Commercial printing services
• Local media sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Pendleton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Print Subscriptions: Continuous service subscriptions billed on a recurring basis (weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual). Automatic renewal at end of each billing cycle unless cancelled. Introductory promotional rates available.
2. Digital Subscriptions: Continuous service subscriptions for digital content access, billed recurring with automatic renewal. Includes promotional rates during introductory periods.
3. Print Advertising: Print advertisement placements across 250+ newspaper properties serving local communities. Distribution through circulation and geographic targeting.
4. Digital Advertising: Digital advertising delivered through websites, mobile apps, newsletters, and partner platforms. Campaigns run for contracted durations with delivery metrics tracking.
5. Commercial Printing Services: Commercial printing operations through press facilities including Nowata Printing Company. Also provides final mile delivery services through BP Express Delivery (98.5%+ on-time delivery for Amazon in certain regions).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Carpenter Media Group operates a network of 250+ community media properties including print newspapers, digital news websites, magazines, and mobile applications across the US and Canada. The company sells print and digital advertising solutions to local businesses and offers subscription-based news access to community readers, while also providing commercial printing services through press facilities such as Nowata Printing Company.

Product overview

Carpenter Media Group operates as a diversified media company managing 250+ media properties across the US and Canada, serving 11 million print readers and 25 million+ digital users. The company's core offering combines print newspapers (the foundation product) with digital advertising solutions, digital subscriptions, and mobile applications. The portfolio includes major acquired brands like the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Victoria Advocate, The Daily Herald, and Capital Press, alongside specialized divisions such as Impress Studio (branded content) and Used.ca (classifieds). The company also offers AI-powered sales enablement through Carpenter PitchAssist and mobile access via iOS/Android applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Victoria Advocate: Newspaper — oldest continuously operating newspaper west of the Colorado River, founded 1846, acquired by CMG in 2024.
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser
• Midweek
• HILuxury
• Capital Press
• The Other Oregon Magazine
• West Coast Traveller
• Canadian Evergreen
• Today's Drive
• BP Express Delivery
• Carpenter PitchAssist
• Star Events

Products and services

• Community Newspaper Publications A network of 250+ community newspaper publications distributed via home delivery (carriers and USPS) and digital access, serving 11M+ print readers monthly across the United States and Canada. The portfolio includes Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Victoria Advocate (Texas), The Daily Herald (Washington), Capital Press (agricultural), Hawaii Tribune Herald, MidWeek, and dozens of other community titles.
• Digital News Subscriptions Online news access subscription service billed recurring (weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual cycles) with automatic renewal, serving 25M+ digital users monthly across CMG's network of newspaper websites. Includes promotional introductory rates.
• Print Advertising Print advertisement placements across the network of 250+ newspaper properties serving local communities, distributed through circulation and geographic targeting. Sold via direct sales teams and marketing strategists to local businesses.
• Digital Advertising Digital advertising delivered through CMG websites, mobile apps, newsletters, and partner platforms with campaign management capabilities. Campaigns begin on agreed start date and run for contracted duration with delivery metrics tracking and prorated refunds.
• Commercial Printing Services Commercial printing operations through Nowata Printing Company press facilities, providing commercial-scale printing services to external business clients in addition to internal CMG newspaper production needs.
• BP Express Delivery Final-mile delivery service operated through CMG's Kootenay division, providing 98.5%+ on-time delivery for Amazon in the Kootenays and Okanagan regions of British Columbia.
• Carpenter PitchAssist AI-powered generative AI sales enablement tool designed to help revenue generators at CMG close more deals through automated sales content, proposals, and recommendations. Built for internal use by CMG sales teams.
• Carpenter Media Group Mobile Applications Mobile applications for iOS and Android providing access to CMG news content and digital subscriptions on mobile devices across the network of 250+ newspaper properties.
• Used.ca Online Classifieds Online classifieds platform operating across multiple Canadian communities, providing listings and advertising opportunities for users.

Quantifiable outcome

• 11M+ print readers monthly
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Amazon (BP Express Delivery)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBP Express Delivery provides 98.5% or better on-time final mile delivery for Amazon in the Kootenays and Okanagan regions. Karen Johnston serves as general manager of that division.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Lee Enterprises: Publicly traded community and daily newspaper publisher across the US, operating a comparable multi-property model with print, digital subscriptions, and advertising revenue streams, and overlapping newsprint and SMB advertiser exposure; one of the most direct scale-comparable peers for CMG.
• Schurz Communications: Family-owned diversified media company historically operating community newspapers, broadcasting, and digital media properties; comparable as a privately held multi-property community newspaper operator with overlapping print and digital advertising exposure.
• Ogden Newspapers: Family-owned multimedia company operating daily and weekly newspapers with associated digital, commercial printing, and niche publishing operations; highly comparable in business model, ownership profile, and community focus to Carpenter Media Group.
• Paxton Media Group: Privately held media company owning daily and weekly newspapers primarily across the Midwest and South, plus commercial printing operations; closely comparable profile of community newspaper roll-up with print, digital, and commercial printing revenue mix overlapping with CMG's.
• Adams Publishing Group: Private family-owned community newspaper roll-up operating local daily and weekly newspapers, shopping publications, and digital platforms across the US Midwest and Mid-Atlantic; structurally comparable as another privately held community newspaper consolidator pursuing similar M&A and digital-mix strategies.

Regional players

• Postmedia Network: Canadian publicly traded newspaper publisher operating major dailies, community papers, and digital properties across Canada; directly comparable on Canadian community newspaper operations, overlapping with CMG's British Columbia, Yukon, NWT, and Nunavut portfolio, though concentrated primarily in urban markets.

Broad incumbents

• Hearst (newspapers division): Diversified media conglomerate operating daily newspapers, magazines, and digital media; comparable in core community-news product mechanics but as part of a broader portfolio with significantly greater resources and incumbent positioning than CMG.
• MediaNews Group: Large US newspaper chain operator owned by Alden Global Capital, running daily and weekly publications across multiple states; comparable multi-property newspaper business model with significant advertising and subscription revenue streams overlapping CMG's offerings.
• Tribune Publishing: Publicly traded newspaper publisher operating major metropolitan dailies plus digital platforms; overlapping local newspaper advertising and subscription mechanics, though positioned at larger-market, broader-incumbent tier versus CMG's community newspaper specialization.
• Gannett: Large publicly traded newspaper and digital media publisher including USA Today and hundreds of local properties; overlaps on local newspaper publishing, advertising, and subscriptions but at much larger scale and broader geographic footprint than CMG's community focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CMGheros
• Facebookfacebook.com/Carpenter-Media-Group
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carpenter-media-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Carpenter Media Group