What Portland Mercury does

Portland Mercury is an alternative weekly newspaper and digital publication founded in 2000 in Portland, Oregon, serving the Portland metropolitan area with local news, politics, culture, music, food and drink, performance, and LGBTQ+ coverage. The publication is distributed monthly in print to more than 500 physical locations throughout the city, with continuous digital content available at portlandmercury.com and via a suite of email newsletters (Week at a Glance, Mercury Sunday Reading List, Weekend Guide, Get ART SMART, Good Morning News, POP Quiz PDX, and Ticket Alert). The core technology stack is the Newspack WordPress-based publishing platform, with no proprietary AI or data infrastructure disclosed.

Revenue is generated from four principal streams: print and digital subscriptions (home-delivered monthly print), traditional display advertising (marketed via an "Ad Info & Rates" page), event sponsorships anchored by recurring citywide promotions such as Highball Week (partnered with Jim Beam and Radio Cab, featuring $10 cocktails at 30 Portland bars) and Nacho Week, and ticketing transaction fees through Merctickets and Bold Type Tickets. The company operates an integrated branded-content and commerce ecosystem including the EverOut events-discovery platform, the Savage Love advice column by Dan Savage (with the Savage Lovecast podcast and Hump! film festival extensions), the I, Anonymous reader-submission column, themed annual issues (Queer Issue, Food Issue, Music Issue), and active Bluesky and Facebook social channels.

Editorial leadership has been stable, with Wm. Steven Humphrey serving as Editor-in-Chief since the paper's founding in 2000. The company is wholly owned by Noisy Creek, Inc., a startup publisher operating a network of alternative weeklies that also includes The Stranger (Seattle) and Chicago Reader. Headcount is reported in the 11-50 range, and the entity operates as a privately held corporation headquartered at a Portland, Oregon PO Box. No parent-company financial data, revenue figures, or subscriber counts are publicly disclosed.

Name

Portland Mercury

Legal name

Noisy Creek, Inc.

Website

https://portlandmercury.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Portland Mercury is a Portland, Oregon-based alternative weekly newspaper and digital publication founded in 2000, delivering local news, arts, music, food, and LGBTQ+ coverage to Portland metro readers through print, website, newsletters, and branded events, and operating under Noisy Creek, Inc.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Alternative Weekly Newspaper and Local News Media

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)

Keywords

• Alternative weekly newspaper
• Local journalism
• Arts and culture coverage
• Event ticketing platform
• Digital news subscription

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Print and Digital Subscriptions: Monthly print subscription service delivering the Mercury to readers' homes. Subscribe page mentions subscription options for print delivery.
2. Advertising: Traditional advertising model supporting alt-weekly journalism. Site features 'Ad Info & Rates' page indicating advertising sales are a core revenue stream.
3. Highball Week: Annual cocktail event partnership with 30 Portland bartenders and Jim Beam, featuring $10 cocktails. Merchants contribute to event success; Mercury benefits through sponsorship and promotion.
4. Ticket Sales: Merctickets platform for selling tickets to Mercury promotions and events.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Portland Mercury is a Portland, Oregon-based alternative weekly newspaper, website, and digital content platform covering local news, politics, arts, music, food and drink, performance, and LGBTQ+ culture. It publishes monthly print issues distributed citywide and continuous digital content, complemented by branded verticals (Savage Love, EverOut, POP Quiz PDX, I, Anonymous) and recurring community events such as Highball Week and Nacho Week.

Product overview

The Portland Mercury is a single alt-weekly newspaper publication owned by Noisy Creek, Inc., serving Portland, Oregon with news, arts, and entertainment coverage. The product portfolio includes the core Portland Mercury newspaper along with several branded content verticals: EverOut (events calendar), Savage Love (advice column), POP Quiz PDX (trivia), I, Anonymous (reader submissions), and themed newsletters. The publication offers print subscriptions and hosts promotional food/beverage events like Nacho Week and Highball Week. Merctickets.com provides ticketing for Mercury events. Special issues include the annual Queer Issue, Food Issue, and Music Issue. The publication functions as a content platform with community engagement features rather than a traditional SaaS product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EverOut: Events and things to do website covering Portland and Pacific Northwest
• Merctickets
• Savage Love
• Hump!
• Savage Lovecast
• Pop Quiz PDX
• I, Anonymous
• Good Morning News
• Do This, Do That
• Nacho Week
• Highball Week

Products and services

• Portland Mercury (Print and Digital Newspaper) Alternative weekly newspaper and website covering Portland local news, politics, culture, music, food and drink, arts, and entertainment, distributed monthly in print and continuously online.
• Print Subscription Recurring home-delivery subscription for the monthly print edition of the Portland Mercury.
• Mercury Newsletters Email newsletter products delivering curated local news, arts, events, and ticket alerts to subscribers on a recurring schedule.
• EverOut (Events Calendar and Things-to-Do Platform) Online events discovery and ticketing platform listing concerts, arts, food, and entertainment events in Portland and across the Pacific Northwest.
• Merctickets.com (Event Ticketing Platform) Online ticketing platform that sells tickets for Portland Mercury promotions and events.
• Savage Love (Advice Column) Nationally syndicated advice column and content franchise covering sex, love, and dating, published in the Portland Mercury and across other outlets.
• Highball Week (Annual Cocktail Promotion) Annual multi-venue cocktail promotion held across roughly 30 Portland bars and restaurants, offering signature $10 cocktails to readers and event-goers.
• Nacho Week (Annual Food Promotion) Annual multi-restaurant food promotion featuring $10 nacho plates at participating Portland restaurants.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The StrangercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeattle-based alternative weekly newspaper owned by Noisy Creek. Portland Mercury and The Stranger are sister publications under the Noisy Creek network, collaborating on themed issues including the 2026 Queer Issue with triptych covers.
• Chicago ReadercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChicago-based alternative weekly newspaper owned by Noisy Creek. Sister publication to Portland Mercury within the Noisy Creek network, collaborating on themed issues.
• EverOutcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPortland Mercury's events and things-to-do platform covering Portland and Pacific Northwest. Operates as a branded extension of the Mercury for event discovery, ticketing, and entertainment coverage.
• Noisy CreekcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent company and startup publisher focused on restoring alternative weeklies to their offbeat journalistic glory while achieving profitability. Owns Portland Mercury, The Stranger, and Chicago Reader. Footer states '© 2026 All contents Noisy Creek, Inc.'
• Savage LovecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDan Savage's nationally syndicated advice column, published in the Mercury. Also includes Savage Lovecast podcast and Hump! film festival under the Savage Love brand.
• Jim BeamminorGTM or Marketing PartnerJim Beam is a sponsor partner for the Mercury's Highball Week cocktail event, contributing to the annual promotional event featuring $10 cocktails at 30 Portland bars.
• Radio CabGTM or Marketing PartnerPortland taxi company providing $5 off ride coupons for Highball Week participants as a safe transportation option during the promotional event.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Willamette Week: Portland's other longstanding alternative weekly covering local news, politics, food, music, and culture, directly competing with the Mercury for the same Portland audience and advertiser base.
• The Stranger: Seattle-based alternative weekly owned by Noisy Creek and a sister publication to Portland Mercury, sharing editorial voice, ad sales approach, and themed-issue collaborations under the same parent.
• Chicago Reader: Chicago alternative weekly owned by Noisy Creek and sister publication to the Mercury, also transitioned to monthly print under new ownership with shared network strategy.
• Austin Chronicle: Independently owned alternative weekly serving Austin with similar coverage of news, music, food, and arts; a comparable alt-weekly business model and audience profile.
• LA Weekly: Long-running alternative weekly covering Los Angeles news, culture, and events; historic alt-weekly comparable in editorial voice, ad-supported model, and themed special issues.
• Westword: Denver alternative weekly covering local news, arts, music, food, and culture; closely analogous alt-weekly in scope, advertising mix, and city-focused distribution.
• Riverfront Times: St. Louis alternative weekly providing comparable alt-weekly coverage and ad-driven revenue model, useful benchmark for alt-weekly operating economics in a mid-size metro.
• Village Voice: Iconic New York alternative weekly with a similar irreverent editorial voice, investigative reporting focus, and advertising-supported print/digital model.
• The Pitch: Kansas City alternative weekly covering local news, arts, and culture; comparable alt-weekly format and revenue mix to Portland Mercury.

Emerging players

• Axios Portland: Digital-native local news outlet covering Portland with a Smart Brevity newsletter format; competes for the same local news audience and advertiser dollars with a leaner, online-first model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/portlandmercury
• Xx.com/portlandmercury
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/portland-mercury

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Portland Mercury