O'Rourke Media Group
O'Rourke Media Group is a family-owned, bootstrapped local media company operating 50+ hyper-local newspapers and digital news websites across 9 US states, combining community journalism with a full-service digital advertising agency serving primarily local SMBs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersSaint Albans, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What O'Rourke Media Group does
O'Rourke Media Group is a family-owned, bootstrapped local media company founded in December 2018 by CEO Jim O'Rourke, headquartered implicitly in Wisconsin. The company pursues a roll-up strategy, having completed 17 acquisitions of hyper-local community newspapers since founding and currently operating 50-64 publications and affiliated digital news websites across 9 US states (Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Minnesota, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Wisconsin) and 40-45 markets. Core products include award-winning hyper-local print newspapers and niche magazines, full-service digital advertising agency solutions (social media, SEM, SEO, targeted display, video advertising, website development, review management), commercial printing and graphic design services (via in-house Sussex Printing operation in Seaford, Delaware), and O'Rourke Technology Services, a managed IT services subsidiary launched in 2023.
The business model is diversified across four revenue streams: print and digital advertising (the primary stream, sold via Account Executives in each market with support from Digital Strategists who build national client books), printing and design services (~10-20% of total revenue), reader-generated subscription and obituary revenue (~15%), and managed IT services via the subsidiary. Pricing is primarily custom-quote based with monthly billing for digital campaigns and a recurring Preferred Business Program subscription offering SEO backlinks, online directory placement, content marketing, and category exclusivity. A self-serve obituary platform (built with Modulist) provides low-cost PLG-style onboarding for consumers and funeral homes.
Customers are primarily local SMBs across healthcare, education, real estate, retail, services, manufacturing, financial services, and hospitality, supplemented by larger brands (Mayo Clinic, 3M, Smucker's, Menards, Johnsonville) that advertise in select markets. Distribution is decentralized: Account Executives prospect locally across email, phone, Google Meet, social media, and in-person meetings, supported by Digital Strategists and a central team. The company manages 90% of digital campaigns and 100% of graphic design in-house, and reports digital revenue at ~27% of advertising revenue with same-store ad revenue growing +18% YTD 2022. EBITDA margin was 14% in 2021 with management targeting 20-25%, supported by low-cost corporate infrastructure and aggressive M&A-driven scale.
O'Rourke Media Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- O'Rourke Media Group
- Legal name
- O'Rourke Media Group
- Website
- https://orourkemediagroup.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- O'Rourke Media Group is a family-owned, bootstrapped local media company operating 50+ hyper-local newspapers and digital news websites across 9 US states, combining community journalism with a full-service digital advertising agency serving primarily local SMBs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
O'Rourke Media Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Local Media & Advertising
- NAICS
- Newspaper Publishers (51311), Advertising Agencies (54181), Periodical Publishers (513120)
- SIC
- Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Commercial Printing (2750)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)
Keywords
Where O'Rourke Media Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Saint Albans
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
O'Rourke Media Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Print and Digital Advertising: Primary revenue source selling print and digital advertising and marketing solutions to local businesses. Full-service digital agency providing customized digital marketing strategies. Omni-channel approach combining agency solutions with owned digital audience and print.
- Printing & Design Services: Supplemental revenue stream producing brochures, business cards, books, and promotional items. 10-20% of total revenue from printing & design services and reader-generated revenue combined.
- Reader Generated Revenue: Print subscriptions and reader revenue, approximately 15% of total company revenue. Includes e-edition subscriptions and obituaries.
- O'Rourke Technology Services: IT company launched in 2023 specializing in IT support, proactive maintenance, monitoring, OTS Locksmith protection for Windows PCs, and custom IT strategies.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Monthly | Digital advertising services - custom quote based |
| Subscription | Monthly | Preferred Business Program |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Obituaries and milestone listings |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels9 records
O'Rourke Media Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
O'Rourke Media Group owns and operates a portfolio of hyper-local community newspapers and affiliated digital news websites across nine U.S. states, and sells omnichannel print and digital advertising solutions to local businesses. The company also offers commercial print and design services, recruitment advertising through the OMGHired platform, and IT support through its O'Rourke Technology Services subsidiary.
Product overview
O'Rourke Media Group is a diversified local media company offering a portfolio of interconnected products and services. The core offering consists of hyper-local print newspapers, niche magazines, and affiliated digital news websites across nine states. Complementing the publishing business is a full-service digital agency providing advertising solutions (social media, SEO, SEM, targeted display, video, website development, email marketing, review management). Additional services include commercial print and design production, and IT services through the O'Rourke Technology Services subsidiary. The company serves local businesses seeking omnichannel advertising reach combining owned print and digital audiences with agency-managed digital campaigns.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Hyper-Local Newspapers and Publications Award-winning, hyper-local print newspapers and niche magazines covering local government, schools, business, sports, events, and community information across multiple U.S. markets.
- Digital Advertising Services Full-service digital agency providing omnichannel advertising solutions including social media marketing, search engine marketing (SEM/Google Ads), SEO, targeted display, video advertising (YouTube), website development, review management, and email marketing for local businesses of any size.
- Print and Design Services
Quantifiable outcome
- Digital revenue represents 29% of total company revenue with top performing market at 52% digital
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use O'Rourke Media Group
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
O'Rourke Media Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
O'Rourke Media Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- TeamworkcoreInvestment in Teamwork project management and collaboration platform built for agencies. Helps manage website development projects, SEO campaigns, creative workflows, client onboarding, content calendars, social media management, and integrates with Slack, HubSpot, Google Workspace, and QuickBooks.
- RecruitologycoreTechnology partnership to launch OMGHired, a new recruitment solution in each market. Positioned as the go-to source for local jobs combining digital and print presence.
- Village MediacoreQueenCreekSunTimes joins Village Media's Publisher Services Program which provides the technology powering the new website, back-office services, and audience growth services. Village Media's industry-leading platform 'Villager' is specifically designed for digital news publishers.
- Google News InitiativeminorGoogle News Initiative is sponsoring QueenCreekSunTimes into the Village Media Publisher Services Program.
- ModulistcoreStrategic partnership where Modulist handles processing of obituaries and milestones for O'Rourke Media's various digital and print publications across multiple states. Modulist provides software and customer service team for an online portal allowing consumers and funeral homes to complete customizable listings. Service includes obituaries, milestones, and business announcements categories.
- Grimes & McGovernminorInvestment bank represented the seller (Sussex Printing Corporation) in the acquisition transaction.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves12 records
Expansion highlights6 records
O'Rourke Media Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Gannett Co. Largest US newspaper publisher (USA Today network) operating hundreds of daily and weekly community publications. Comparable in hyper-local newspaper strategy and digital ad agency (ReachLocal) but operates at vastly greater scale.
- MediaNews Group (Alden Global Capital): Large-scale community and daily newspaper operator owned by Alden Global Capital. Operates hundreds of titles across the US with digital agency capabilities. Comparable at portfolio level but with PE ownership and cost-cutting focus rather than growth.
- Tribune Publishing: Mid-large newspaper publisher with regional dailies and digital platforms. While more metropolitan-focused than O'Rourke, comparable in operating digital advertising solutions alongside legacy print newspapers.
Direct peers
- Paxton Media Group: Family-owned private media company with community newspapers, digital platforms, and commercial printing across the Midwest and South. Closely matches O'Rourke's integrated print + digital + commercial printing model.
- Boone Newspapers: Family-owned private community newspaper group with publications across the Southeast and Midwest. Comparable as a smaller-scale family-owned community newspaper operator pursuing digital growth.
- Lee Enterprises: Mid-size public community newspaper group operating ~75 daily and ~200 weekly newspapers across the US. Closest comparable to O'Rourke in scale, multi-state community newspaper footprint, and digital agency expansion strategy.
- Adams Publishing Group: Family-owned private community newspaper company with operations across multiple US states. Closely mirrors O'Rourke's bootstrapped, decentralized approach to community newspaper roll-up and digital transformation.
- Ogden Newspapers: Family-owned private newspaper group operating daily and weekly publications across multiple states. Highly comparable as a multi-generational family-owned community newspaper consolidator with digital growth investments.
- CNHI (Community Newspaper Holdings Inc.): Community newspaper holding company with publications across ~20 US states. Directly comparable multi-state community newspaper roll-up operator with similar SMB advertiser base.
Emerging players
- Village Media: Digital local news platform provider with publisher services program. Partner of O'Rourke Media Group for QueenCreekSunTimes — adjacent rather than competing, but a comparable local digital news business model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
O'Rourke Media Group social profiles
Digital presenceO'Rourke Media Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
O'Rourke Media Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
O'Rourke Media Group subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
O'Rourke Media Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
O'Rourke Media Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A6 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about O'Rourke Media Group
What does O'Rourke Media Group do?
O'Rourke Media Group owns and operates a portfolio of hyper-local community newspapers and affiliated digital news websites across nine U.S. states, and sells omnichannel print and digital advertising solutions to local businesses. The company also offers commercial print and design services, recruitment advertising through the OMGHired platform, and IT support through its O'Rourke Technology Services subsidiary.
Is O'Rourke Media Group a public or private company?
O'Rourke Media Group is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was O'Rourke Media Group founded?
O'Rourke Media Group was founded in 2018. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is O'Rourke Media Group based?
O'Rourke Media Group is headquartered in Saint Albans, United States, in the North America region.
How does O'Rourke Media Group make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Print and Digital Advertising is the primary driver. The others are printing & Design Services, reader Generated Revenue and O'Rourke Technology Services.
Who are O'Rourke Media Group's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Gannett Co., MediaNews Group (Alden Global Capital) and Tribune Publishing. Direct peers are Paxton Media Group, Boone Newspapers, Lee Enterprises, Adams Publishing Group, Ogden Newspapers and CNHI (Community Newspaper Holdings Inc.). Village Media is listed as an emerging player.
Does O'Rourke Media Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for O'Rourke Media Group.
What industry is O'Rourke Media Group in?
O'Rourke Media Group's product category is Local Media & Advertising. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJADAB, Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital), with a secondary code of MPAJAEAO, News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines. Its NAICS code is 51311 and its SIC code is 2711.