The Coaster

What The Coaster does

The Coaster is a family-operated paid weekly print newspaper, established in 1983 and operated as The New Coaster, LLC out of Asbury Park, New Jersey. The publication delivers hyperlocal news — town hall proceedings, business events, social news, school happenings, and local sports — across 13 municipalities in Monmouth County (Allenhurst, Asbury Park, Avon, Bradley Beach, Deal, Interlaken, Loch Arbour, Long Branch, Neptune, Neptune City, Ocean Grove, Ocean Township, and Tinton Falls). Weekly print distribution totals 5,400 copies via mail delivery to subscribers and through newsstands and convenience stores in the coverage area.

The product portfolio centers on the weekly print newspaper, supplemented by a digital e-Edition (PDF delivered online), an email newsletter sent a few times per month, and the company's WordPress-based website thecoaster.net. Underlying technology is standard CMS-grade rather than proprietary, with no APIs, SDKs, integrations, or AI capabilities disclosed. Production follows a traditional weekly print workflow with digital supplements.

Revenue is generated through three streams: (i) print subscriptions priced at $34/year in-county, $29 for in-county seniors, with multi-year and out-of-county tiers; (ii) digital e-Edition subscriptions at $20/year (bundled free with print); and (iii) advertising — print units priced at $8 per column inch, full-page B&W at $560, plus color premiums, premium-position premiums, and digital banner placements at $25/week. Long-term advertiser commitments are encouraged through 10-week packages and frequency discounts. The go-to-market is sales-led, with direct subscription sales via website/phone/mail and local-business ad sales driven through dedicated sales contacts.

Name

The Coaster

Legal name

The New Coaster, LLC

Website

https://thecoaster.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Family-operated weekly paid newspaper and digital e-Edition providing hyperlocal news, business, school, and sports coverage to residents and local advertisers across 13 Monmouth County, NJ municipalities.

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)

Keywords

• Local newspaper
• Weekly print edition
• Newspaper subscriptions
• Community journalism
• Newspaper advertising

Headquarters

HQ city

Asbury Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Print Subscriptions: Paid weekly print newspaper delivered by mail to subscribers. Annual and two-year subscription options available with in-county and out-of-county pricing tiers, including senior citizen discounts.
2. Digital e-Edition Subscriptions: Weekly digital access to The Coaster e-Edition for $20/year. Print subscribers receive free digital access.
3. Print Advertising: Traditional newspaper advertising with various sizes (full page, half page, quarter page, eighth page, business card, square, rectangle). Color advertising available at 35% additional charge. Premium positions (pages 2, 3, back page) command 10% premium.
4. Digital Advertising: Digital banner ads available for $25/week additional charge (300x250 or 728x90 in JPEG, GIF or PNG format).
5. Special Advertising Packages: Volume advertising packages offering discounted rates for running 10 consecutive weeks. Includes color at special rates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Coaster publishes a paid weekly print newspaper delivered by mail to subscribers on Thursdays, covering local news, business events, social news, school events, and local sports across 13 municipalities in Monmouth County, NJ. The publication also offers a digital e-Edition (PDF) accessible online, with print subscribers receiving free digital access. Revenue is generated from individual consumer subscriptions and from print and digital advertising sold to local small businesses.

Product overview

The Coaster is a family-operated local news publication offering a single print product (the weekly paid newspaper) distributed to subscribers by mail and available at newsstands, plus a digital e-Edition companion. An email newsletter is provided as a supplementary communication channel. The product portfolio is unified around local news coverage rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Coaster Print Edition A paid weekly print newspaper covering local news, town hall events, business news, social news, school happenings, and local sports in 13 Monmouth County municipalities. Published on Thursdays with a weekly distribution of 5,400 copies, available by mail subscription or at newsstands.
• The Coaster e-Edition
• Newspaper Advertising Services

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• 13 Monmouth County MunicipalitiescoreOthersThe Coaster covers news from 13 municipalities in Monmouth County, NJ: Allenhurst, Asbury Park, Avon, Bradley Beach, Deal, Interlaken, Loch Arbour, Long Branch, Neptune, Neptune City, Ocean Grove, Ocean Township, and Tinton Falls. This coverage creates ongoing content relationships with local governments, schools, and community organizations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Coast Star: Weekly paid community newspaper serving Monmouth County's Shore region, including towns neighboring The Coaster's footprint. Direct print and digital competitor.
• Two River Times: Paid weekly community newspaper covering Red Bank and surrounding Monmouth County towns. Competes head-to-head with The Coaster in the same geography and weekly print cadence.
• The Monmouth Journal: Long-running weekly newspaper covering Freehold and broader Monmouth County municipalities. Competes with The Coaster for hyperlocal news readers and local business advertising across the county.
• Asbury Park Press: Regional daily covering Asbury Park and Monmouth County under USA Today Network/Gannett. Directly competes with The Coaster for local news readership and local advertising in the same 13-municipality footprint.

Emerging players

• TAPinto Asbury Park: Digital-first hyperlocal news network operating franchise sites in New Jersey towns including Asbury Park. Competes with The Coaster for online local news audience and digital ad dollars in the same market.
• Patch.com: National hyperlocal digital news network with multiple Monmouth County sites. Competes with The Coaster for online local news consumption and local SMB advertising at the community level.

Broad incumbents

• NJ Advance Media (Star-Ledger / NJ.com): Statewide New Jersey news publisher (NJ.com, Star-Ledger, Times of Trenton, etc.) under Advance Local. Covers Monmouth County alongside The Coaster and competes for both readers and local advertisers at scale.

Regional players

• Atlanticville (Atlanticville Press): Weekly paid community newspaper covering towns in the Monmouth/Ocean area. Comparable model and audience but adjacent geography to The Coaster's core footprint.
• The SandPaper (Shore Media): Jersey Shore weekly newspaper covering northern Ocean County communities. Adjacent hyperlocal print competitor; comparable product/cadence but different geography than The Coaster.
• New Jersey Hills Media: Group of weekly community newspapers in Morris and Somerset counties, NJ. Comparable paid weekly newspaper business model covering suburban New Jersey, but in a different geography than The Coaster.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheCoasterNews
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheCoasterNewspaper
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-coaster

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 Coaster