The Sun News

What The Sun News does

The Sun News is a regional newspaper publisher serving the Myrtle Beach/Grand Strand market of South Carolina and southern North Carolina, operating continuously since 1961 as a daily and Sunday print paper. Its core platform is MyrtleBeachOnline.com, a digital-first news site complemented by iOS and Android mobile applications, an e-edition digital replica, and a portfolio of targeted email newsletters covering local news, severe weather, opinions, obituaries, and travel. Editorial coverage is anchored to local news, crime and courts, state politics, weather, high school and Coastal Carolina athletics, dining, and community events. The publication operates as a subsidiary of McClatchy Co., the diversified U.S. newspaper group that absorbed Knight Ridder's regional titles including The Sun News in June 2006 and itself reorganized out of public ownership following a 2020 bankruptcy.

The product portfolio combines a print edition (Monday–Friday and Sunday), the digital subscription product ($1.99 first month then $15.99/month or $159.99/year), value-added modules such as Arkadium-powered games and puzzles, obituary placement through a Legacy.com partnership, and a classifieds marketplace covering jobs, real estate, vehicles, celebrations, and legal notices. Sponsored and native advertising inventory is delivered through BrandPoint and McClatchy's branded-content network, with enterprise ad sales routed through McClatchy's national advertising organization. Distribution spans physical home delivery across Horry County, northern Georgetown County, and southern Brunswick County (NC), and digital self-serve access globally via web and apps.

Revenue is generated from recurring digital and print subscriptions (low-friction monthly and annual plans with auto-renewal), display and classified advertising (including obituaries as a transaction-fee stream), and sponsored content. Marketing and audience development run through the website, social channels (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, YouTube), mobile push, and the newsletter suite, with the McClatchy Media Network providing shared audience, content licensing (e.g., Us Weekly, Woman's World, Soap Opera Digest, The Street), ad-tech, and corporate technology infrastructure. Leadership disclosed is led by Senior Editor Chris Segal and Regional HR Business Partner Kimberly Gary, with the headcount in the 101–250 range consistent with a mid-sized regional newsroom.

Name

The Sun News

Legal name

The Sun News

Website

https://myrtlebeachonline.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Sun News is a regional newspaper and digital news platform serving the Myrtle Beach and Grand Strand area of South Carolina and adjacent North Carolina counties. Operating as a subsidiary of McClatchy Co., it publishes daily and Sunday print editions and online local news, sports, weather, and community coverage via MyrtleBeachOnline.com.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (51311)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Local newspaper publishing
• Digital news subscription
• Print newspaper delivery
• Classified advertising marketplace
• Local news coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

Myrtle Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Digital Subscriptions: Monthly and annual digital subscription plans providing unlimited access to online content, e-edition, and mobile apps
2. Print Subscriptions: Home delivery of physical newspaper with print editions available
3. Digital Advertising: Display advertising on website and digital platforms including sponsored content and partner content
4. Classified Advertising: Classified ads for jobs, real estate, celebrations, obituaries, and other categories through marketplace platform
5. Obituaries: Obituary placement services through partner platform Legacy.com
6. Sponsored Content: Paid content, brandPoint sponsored articles, and promotional content sections

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Sun News is a regional daily newspaper publisher operating both a print edition and the MyrtleBeachOnline.com digital platform serving the Myrtle Beach/Grand Strand area of South Carolina. Its offering centers on a subscription-based model providing access to local news, high school sports, weather, crime/courts reporting, and community content across print, web, mobile apps, and e-edition formats, supplemented by classified advertising, obituary placement, and sponsored content services.

Product overview

The Sun News is a regional newspaper publisher operating as part of the McClatchy Media Network. The company offers a unified platform approach combining print and digital products: the print newspaper (The Sun News), the digital news website MyrtleBeachOnline.com, mobile applications, and an e-edition digital replica. The product portfolio includes subscription-based digital access, curated email newsletters, an integrated games/puzzles section powered by Arkadium, obituaries services via Legacy.com, classifieds marketplace, and dedicated coverage sections for high school sports and weather news. Revenue is generated through digital subscriptions (monthly and annual plans), print subscriptions, advertising, and classified placements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MyrtleBeachOnline.com: Digital website and online news platform for The Sun News

Products and services

• The Sun News Print Edition Daily and Sunday print newspaper serving the Myrtle Beach and Grand Strand area with home delivery throughout Horry County, northern Georgetown County, and southern Brunswick County, NC. Covers local news, sports, weather, and community content.
• Digital Subscription Subscription product providing unlimited digital access to MyrtleBeachOnline.com website content, e-edition digital replica, exclusive digital content, and mobile app access. Available as monthly ($15.99 after $1.99 first month) or annual ($159.99/year) plans with automatic renewal.
• Email Newsletters Curated email newsletters delivered via Braze email marketing platform covering top stories, breaking news alerts, daily edition previews, weather updates, SC opinions, obituaries, travel, and local Myrtle Beach news.
• Obituaries Service Obituary listings and placement services integrated with Legacy.com, allowing funeral homes and families to publish obituary notices on The Sun News website with search and browse functionality.
• Classifieds & Marketplace Online classified advertising marketplace offering job postings, real estate listings, vehicle sales, celebration announcements (births, engagements, anniversaries), and legal notices for the Myrtle Beach area, operated through McClatchy marketplace.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• McClatchy CompanycoreOthersParent company ownership. McClatchy acquired The Sun News in June 2006 as part of its purchase of Knight Ridder. Provides corporate infrastructure, advertising network, content syndication, and shared technology platform.
• Legacy.comminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorObituary placement partnership. Legacy.com provides the platform for obituary submissions and listings on The Sun News website.
• The StreetminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBusiness news content partnership providing national/international business news coverage integrated into The Sun News business section.
• BrandPointminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsored content provider supplying branded content and native advertising for The Sun News sponsored content sections.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheSunNews
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/MBSunNews
• Facebookfacebook.com/sunnews
• Instagraminstagram.com/thesunnews/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-sun-news_2

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Sun News