Hopkinton Independent

What Hopkinton Independent does

Hopkinton Independent is a privately held, for-profit local newspaper serving the town of Hopkinton, Massachusetts. It publishes a free print edition that is mailed to approximately 8,800 households and businesses in the town, and operates the website hopkintonindependent.com covering local news, education (including Hopkinton High School), sports, business, police and fire reports, obituaries, a daily "Hopkinton Today" recap, and community events. Editorial coverage extends to town government, public construction projects, local elections, real estate transactions, and human-interest features such as animal-adoption spotlights from Baypath Humane Society.

The publication runs on a WordPress-based content management system with no disclosed proprietary technology, AI features, integrations, or mobile applications. Distribution is omnichannel but low-tech: print direct mail combined with a free web property, an opt-in email newsletter (daily news and breaking-news alerts), and organic social accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter/X (@NewsHopkinton). There is no paywall, no subscription product, and no documented programmatic or native-digital revenue layer.

Commercial activity centers on print and digital advertising sold to local small and mid-sized businesses — advertisers named in source material include Hop-Yo frozen yogurt shop, Weston Nurseries, Metrowest YMCA, Oakwoods Landscaping, and NEDA Dermatology. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; advertising sales are conducted through a dedicated inbox ([email protected]) and a single listed phone number. The firm reports a headcount band of 11-50 employees, is independent (no parent company, no subsidiaries, no disclosed funding rounds), and shows no record of M&A, leadership changes, or partnership agreements beyond community-event cross-promotion.

Name

Hopkinton Independent

Legal name

Hopkinton Independent

Website

https://hopkintonindependent.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hopkinton Independent is a privately held local newspaper serving Hopkinton, Massachusetts. It distributes a free print edition to roughly 8,800 households and businesses and operates hopkintonindependent.com, covering town news, education, sports, business, police and fire, and obituaries, funded primarily by local advertising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Newspaper

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Community, Ethnic & Multilingual News Publishers (MPAJADAG)

Keywords

• Local newspaper
• Community news
• Town news coverage
• Local advertising
• Daily newsletter

Headquarters

HQ city

Hopkinton

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, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Print Advertising: Local businesses advertise in the printed newspaper that is mailed free to 8,800 households and businesses in Hopkinton. Advertisers include local businesses such as Hop-Yo frozen yogurt shop, Weston Nurseries, Metrowest YMCA, Oakwoods Landscaping, NEDA Dermatology, and others.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hopkinton Independent publishes a free weekly local newspaper that is mailed to every household and business in Hopkinton, MA (circulation of 8,800), and a companion website covering town news, education, sports, business, police and fire, obituaries, and a daily 'Hopkinton Today' briefing. The publication monetizes its local readership primarily through print and digital advertising sold to local Hopkinton-area small businesses.

Product overview

Hopkinton Independent is a traditional local news organization serving Hopkinton, MA. It operates a local newspaper and website covering news, featured stories, education, sports, business, police and fire, obituaries, and a daily 'Hopkinton Today' update. The publication is distributed free of charge to every household and business in Hopkinton with a circulation of 8,800. The organization generates revenue through advertising and accepts letter submissions and community content. It does not operate as a technology platform with modular products or SaaS offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hopkinton Independent Weekly Newspaper (Print Edition) A free local weekly newspaper covering Hopkinton, MA news, education, sports, business, police and fire, obituaries, and community events, mailed free of charge to every household and business in Hopkinton with a circulation of 8,800.
• Hopkinton Independent Local News Website Free online access via hopkintonindependent.com to articles covering news, featured stories, education, sports, business, police and fire, obituaries, and a daily 'Hopkinton Today' briefing for Hopkinton, MA residents.
• Breaking News & Daily Newsletter Free email newsletter delivering breaking news alerts and daily news updates (Hopkinton Today) to subscribers' inboxes.
• Print and Digital Advertising Advertising placements in the printed newspaper and on the website, sold to local Hopkinton-area businesses (such as Hop-Yo frozen yogurt shop, Weston Nurseries, Metrowest YMCA, Oakwoods Landscaping, and NEDA Dermatology) to reach 8,800 local households and businesses.
• Community Events Calendar A calendar of local Hopkinton community events published on the website under the 'Calendar' section.
• Real Estate Transactions Listing Free listing of recent Hopkinton real estate transactions published in the newspaper and on the website.

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights1 record

Direct peers

• Patch.com: Patch is a hyperlocal digital news network that covers individual towns across the U.S., including communities in Massachusetts. Like Hopkinton Independent, it monetizes primarily through local SMB advertising and competes for the same local-news audience and ad budget.

Broad incumbents

• The Boston Globe: The Boston Globe is the dominant regional newspaper covering greater Boston including MetroWest communities like Hopkinton. It competes for regional advertising and high-level news attention but does not focus on single-town hyperlocal coverage the way Hopkinton Independent does.
• Gannett: Gannett is the largest U.S. newspaper publisher, owning USA Today and hundreds of local dailies and weeklies including those serving Massachusetts. It is a broad incumbent whose local titles overlap with Hopkinton Independent on geography and SMB advertising, but at vastly greater scale.
• Boston.com: Boston.com is the digital companion to the Boston Globe covering greater Boston and Massachusetts broadly. It competes for digital local-news attention and digital SMB advertising in the same MetroWest geography as Hopkinton Independent, but at citywide scale.
• Wicked Local: Wicked Local is a Gannett-owned network of local news sites covering Massachusetts towns. It overlaps with Hopkinton Independent on local coverage and local advertising but operates as part of a much larger regional portfolio rather than a single-town focus.
• MetroWest Daily News: MetroWest Daily News is the regional daily newspaper covering the MetroWest area of Massachusetts, including Hopkinton. It overlaps with Hopkinton Independent's geographic coverage and competes for both readers and regional SMB advertisers, but at a broader geographic scale.
• Milford Daily News: Milford Daily News is a nearby regional daily serving towns adjacent to Hopkinton. It overlaps geographically and competes for regional SMB advertising, but covers a broader multi-town area rather than a single community.

Others

• Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. CNHI is a publisher of local newspapers and related websites across the U.S. It is an industry peer in the local-newspaper space and a potential acquirer or partner for independent community papers like Hopkinton Independent, but does not directly compete in Hopkinton.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NewsHopkinton
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• Instagraminstagram.com/HopkintonIndependent

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Hopkinton Independent