Bham Now

What Bham Now does

Bham Now is a private digital media company headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, operating bhamnow.com as a hyperlocal news, events, and community resource platform for the Birmingham metropolitan area. Founded in 2016 and held under Rushing Waters Media LLC, the site aggregates local journalism, an events calendar, a jobs board, a local business and nonprofit directory, and real estate listings, with content produced by a small staff of named contributors. Technology is built on a WordPress CMS augmented by The Events Calendar plugin for community event management, with no proprietary platform layer or proprietary AI/ML capabilities evident.

The business monetizes through digital advertising and paid promotional services sold to Birmingham-area small businesses, event organizers, and nonprofits. Distribution is community-led: free event submissions, organic local SEO across 1,560+ indexed pages, newsletter signups, and social channels drive audience reach, while advertisers pay for display placements and bundled promotional packages (Instagram, newsletter, short-form video) on a pay-as-you-go basis. Content verticals span jobs, business, events, food and drink, family, and real estate. The company's primary customer segment is Birmingham-area residents seeking event discovery and local information; its paying customers are the local SMBs and organizations that advertise on the platform.

Bham Now is part of a broader Alabama regional affiliate network that includes Bama Buzz, Hville Blast, Mobile Bay Now, and Montgomery Up, suggesting a multi-metro roll-up under the same operating entity. The company is led by founder Cindy Martin as president & CEO, with reported headcount in the 11-50 range, no disclosed outside funding, and no announced acquisitions, leadership changes, or public-market activity. The market opportunity is concentrated in mid-tier US metros where digital SMB advertising remains fragmented and where locally curated event/news content competes against national platforms and declining legacy newspaper brands.

Name

Bham Now

Legal name

Rushing Waters Media LLC

Website

https://bhamnow.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bham Now is a private hyperlocal digital media company that publishes bhamnow.com, a WordPress-based platform covering Birmingham, Alabama news, events, jobs, business, food, family, and real estate, monetized through SMB display advertising and paid promotional services, and operating as part of a multi-publication Alabama affiliate network under Rushing Waters Media LLC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Digital Media & Community News

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Newsletters & Email-Based News Publishers (B2B/B2C) (MPAJADAJ)

Keywords

• Local digital media
• Online news
• Event listings
• Community journalism
• Local business directory

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Digital Advertising: The platform generates revenue through digital advertising placements on the website, including display ads and sponsored content sections. The site promotes various local businesses and organizations through advertising partnerships.
2. Promotional Services: Bham Now offers promotional options for clients including Instagram marketing, newsletters, and video shorts. These are paid promotional services offered to local businesses and event organizers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Bham Now is a Birmingham, Alabama-focused digital media publication that produces and distributes daily local news stories, community event listings, a local jobs board, and a local business directory through its website bhamnow.com. The publication serves Birmingham-area residents with editorial content while offering local businesses promotional channels including sponsored articles, event promotion, job postings, and paid directory listings.

Product overview

Bham Now is a local media platform for Birmingham, Alabama, operating as a digital news and events publication. The platform consists of a central website (bhamnow.com) that aggregates and publishes local news, business features, event calendars, and community content. Key product areas include the Jobs section (job listings, employment articles), Business section (local business news, startup coverage, tech news, and a local business guide), Events calendar (with event submission capabilities), Food and Drink guides, Family content, and Real Estate listings. The platform positions itself as 'Birmingham's Modern Media' and is owned by Rushing Waters Media LLC.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bham Now news website Daily online publication of Birmingham, Alabama news articles, features, and community stories for residents, visitors, and local businesses.
• Bham Now community events calendar A searchable, curated calendar of events, festivals, and activities happening across the Birmingham metro area, with free submissions and paid featured placement for event organizers.
• Bham Now local jobs board A Birmingham-focused online job board where local employers can post openings and local job seekers can browse and apply for regional opportunities.
• Bham Now local business directory Online directory of Birmingham-area local businesses, with free basic listings and paid featured/enhanced placement options for business owners seeking increased visibility.
• Bham Now email newsletter Opt-in email newsletter that distributes curated Birmingham-area news, events, jobs, and featured local stories to subscribers on a recurring schedule.
• Sponsored content & advertising packages Paid advertising and sponsored editorial services enabling Birmingham-area businesses, nonprofits, and event organizers to reach Bham Now's local audience via sponsored articles, banner ads, and boosted event, job, and directory listings.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Bama BuzzminorOthersRegional affiliate publication under the same media company umbrella. Part of a network of Alabama local media properties.
• Hville BlastminorOthersRegional affiliate publication for the Birmingham area. Part of the regional affiliate media network.
• Mobile Bay NowminorOthersRegional affiliate publication covering Mobile Bay area. Sister publication under Rushing Waters Media.
• Montgomery UpminorOthersRegional affiliate publication covering Montgomery area. Sister publication in the Alabama media network.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• 6am City: Multi-city morning newsletter and digital media brand covering local news, events, and lifestyle across U.S. metros. Closely mirrors Bham Now's newsletter-led, community-driven local publishing model.
• Bama Buzz: Sister publication under Rushing Waters Media LLC covering Alabama (Tuscaloosa area). Operates the same playbook — local news, events, and SMB advertising — in an adjacent market.
• Hoodline: Data-driven hyperlocal digital news publisher covering multiple U.S. cities. Comparable as a city-focused digital publication monetized through local advertising and SMB partnerships.
• AL.com: Alabama's largest statewide digital news outlet (Advance Local). Competes for the same Birmingham-area audience and local advertising dollars as Bham Now with a broader geographic scope.
• Hville Blast: Regional affiliate under Rushing Waters Media LLC serving the Huntsville area. Identical business model to Bham Now in a different Alabama metro.
• Patch.com: National hyperlocal digital news network covering thousands of U.S. towns and cities. Directly comparable as a city-focused digital publisher monetized through local advertising and community event/news content.
• Mobile Bay Now: Sister publication covering the Mobile Bay region. Operates as part of the same multi-city local media network with shared editorial and advertising infrastructure.

Broad incumbents

• Axios: National digital media company with local 'Axios Local' newsletters in multiple metros. Shares Bham Now's newsletter-first, smart-briefing positioning but operates at significantly greater scale.
• Time Out: Global city-guide media brand. Overlaps with Bham Now on local events, food, and 'what to do in [city]' content, but at much larger scale with international footprint.

Regional players

• Yellowhammer News: Alabama-focused digital news outlet with statewide editorial coverage. Competes for Alabama SMB ad budgets and reader attention but with a political/news tilt rather than lifestyle/events focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Bham Now