The Tennessean

What The Tennessean does

The Tennessean is a daily newspaper founded in 1907 in Nashville, Tennessee, serving Nashville and the broader Middle Tennessee region, including Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Sumner, Wilson, Cheatham, Dickson, and Robertson counties. It is owned and operated by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) as part of the USA TODAY Network and functions as a digital-first local news publication. Its core product is a digital news platform covering local government, politics, crime, education, business, real estate, dining, sports (Titans, Predators, Vanderbilt, Tennessee Vols, Nashville SC, local high schools), and entertainment, supplemented by an eNewspaper digital replica of the print edition, native iOS and Android mobile apps, and multiple targeted email newsletters including The Good News with Brad Schmitt, The Daily Briefing, Welcome to Nashville, and a Taylor Swift-focused newsletter.

Underlying technology consists of a Gannett-owned content management system shared across the network of local publications. The company monetizes through multiple coordinated streams: recurring digital and print subscriptions on tennessean.com and via mobile apps, display and classified advertising (purchased through advertising.usatoday.com), transaction-based obituary placements, real estate listing fees powered by an AddressUSA partnership, and statutory public notice publishing. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer for readers and direct sales for advertising and legal-notice clients, with social channels (Facebook, X) and newsletter signups as top- and mid-funnel acquisition surfaces. Complementary products include a PLAY entertainment hub (puzzles, comics, horoscopes), an obituaries service, a classifieds marketplace, and a public notices platform serving as designated publication venue for Tennessee legal record requirements.

Name

The Tennessean

Legal name

The Tennessean

Website

https://tennessean.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1907

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Tennessean is a daily newspaper founded in 1907 serving Nashville and Middle Tennessee, operating as a digital-first local news publisher within Gannett's USA TODAY Network and generating revenue from subscriptions, advertising, obituaries, real estate, and public notices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Newspaper Publishers (51311), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Local news coverage
• Regional newspaper publishing
• Digital news subscriptions
• Print journalism
• Obituary services

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

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, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Digital Subscriptions: Subscription revenue from digital access to news content through tennessean.com and mobile apps
2. Print Subscriptions: Physical newspaper delivery subscriptions for print edition readers
3. Advertising: Display advertising, classifieds, and promotional opportunities across digital and print platforms. Advertise link points to advertising.usatoday.com
4. Obituaries and Funerary Services: Paid obituary placements and related funeral industry services
5. Real Estate Listings: Property listings and real estate marketplace services including featured properties section
6. Classifieds and Marketplace: Job listings, classifieds, place-a-ad services, and marketplace services

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Tennessean publishes and distributes local news, sports, business, entertainment, and obituaries covering Nashville and Middle Tennessee through tennessean.com, mobile apps, and a daily print newspaper. Subscriptions (digital and print) plus advertising, classifieds, obituaries, real estate listings, and public notices form the commercial core.

Product overview

The Tennessean operates as a digital-first local news media company providing comprehensive coverage of Nashville and Tennessee through multiple channels. The core product is its digital news platform delivering local news, sports, politics, business, dining, and entertainment content. The company offers supplementary products including an eNewspaper digital replica, mobile applications, curated email newsletters (The Good News with Brad Schmitt, The Daily Briefing, Welcome to Nashville), an obituaries service, a real estate marketplace powered by AddressUSA, public notices platform, an entertainment PLAY hub with puzzles and games, and a classifieds marketplace. These products work together to serve the Nashville and Middle Tennessee community with news, information, and commerce capabilities across web, mobile, and email channels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Nashville Tennessean: Full publication name used on obituary pages and legal notices
• The Good News with Brad Schmitt
• The Daily Briefing
• Welcome to Nashville
• PLAY
• This Swift Beat

Products and services

• The Tennessean Digital News Platform Primary digital news platform providing local Nashville and Tennessee news, sports, business, dining, entertainment, and obituary coverage through tennessean.com and responsive web interfaces for general readers in the Middle Tennessee market.
• eNewspaper Digital replica of the printed Nashville daily newspaper available through subscription, allowing readers to view the full print edition online.
• Mobile Applications (iOS and Android) Native mobile applications for iOS and Android providing subscribers with on-the-go access to news content, push notifications, and personalized reading experiences.
• Email Newsletters Curated email newsletter offerings including The Good News with Brad Schmitt, The Daily Briefing, Welcome to Nashville, and This Swift Beat, delivering tailored content directly to subscribers' inboxes.
• Obituaries Service Online obituary publishing and search service allowing families to submit paid obituaries and readers to access death notices, memorials, and funeral information.
• Real Estate Listings Marketplace Property search marketplace integrated with AddressUSA delivering home buying, selling, and real estate listing information to Middle Tennessee consumers.
• Public Notices / Legals Statutory platform for publishing and searching Tennessee public notices including legal announcements, government notices, foreclosure notices, and other statutory publications required by law.
• PLAY Entertainment Hub Interactive entertainment hub featuring puzzles, games, comics (including Spider-Man TODAY), horoscopes, and crosswords for readers of tennessean.com and play.usatoday.com.
• Classifieds and Marketplace Online classified advertising platform serving jobs, real estate, autos, and general merchandise listings through classifieds.tennessean.com and place-a-ad services for the Middle Tennessee market.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Gannett / USA TODAY NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Tennessean operates as part of the Gannett company and USA TODAY Network, sharing content, technology platforms, advertising systems, and operational resources across the network of local publications.
• EnergagecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThird-party research firm that administers the employee survey program used for The Tennessean's Top Workplaces awards recognition.
• AddressUSAminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReal estate listing partner providing featured properties section on tennessean.com, driving real estate marketplace content and referrals.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Des Moines Register: Iowa's largest daily and a longstanding Gannett property. Strong functional twin to The Tennessean in terms of digital platform, subscription product, classifieds, and Top Workplaces-style community programs.
• The Arizona Republic: Arizona's largest daily newspaper and Gannett/USA TODAY Network flagship. Directly comparable in scale, product suite (web, app, eNewspaper, newsletters), and revenue model serving a fast-growing Sun Belt metro (Phoenix).
• The Detroit Free Press: Another Gannett/USA TODAY Network daily serving a major US metro with the same digital platform stack, advertising infrastructure, and subscription model as The Tennessean.
• The Indianapolis Star: Gannett/USA TODAY Network sister publication serving Indianapolis and Central Indiana. Closest comparable: same ownership, same digital-first platform, same revenue mix of subscriptions, advertising, and marketplace services in a major Midwest metro.
• The Courier-Journal (Louisville): Kentucky's flagship daily, Gannett/USA TODAY Network peer in the regional daily newspaper space. Comparable geographic scope (Metro Louisville), editorial coverage, and digital subscription model.

Broad incumbents

• Lee Enterprises: Publicly traded local newspaper company (Nasdaq: LEE) that owns dozens of regional dailies. Directly comparable business at the portfolio level but smaller metro footprints on average; competitor for digital ad spend and local content.
• The New York Times Company: National/regional incumbent in subscription news publishing. While not a same-market peer, NYT sets the digital subscription benchmark, pricing ceiling, and reader expectations that constrain The Tennessean's pricing power.
• Advance Local: Operator of regional dailies including cleveland.com, AL.com, and OregonLive. Closest structural competitor to Gannett at the multi-title local newspaper chain level, with similar digital-first strategy and revenue mix.

Emerging players

• Nashville Banner: Digital-first Nashville local news startup. Direct competitor inside the Tennessean's home market, targeting the same advertisers and subscribers with a newsletter-led, no-paywall-adjacent model.
• Axios Nashville: Local edition of Axios, a national digital-native newsletter publisher competing for Nashville local-news attention and B2B sponsored newsletter dollars that would otherwise flow to The Tennessean.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tennessean
• Facebookfacebook.com/tennessean
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tennessean

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 The Tennessean