The Ledger

What The Ledger does

The Ledger is a daily local newspaper serving Polk County, Florida, founded in 1924 as the Lakeland Evening Ledger by Samuel Farabee and currently owned by Gannett Co. as part of the USA TODAY Network. It delivers local news, high school and community sports coverage, government and public safety reporting, education coverage, business news, obituaries, and weather to readers across Lakeland, Winter Haven, Bartow, Haines City, Auburndale, Lake Wales, and surrounding communities. The publication has won state and national recognition including the 1989 Roy Howard Public Service Award, multiple Sunshine State Awards, and a 2024 Sunshine State Award for photographic storytelling after Hurricane Milton.

The Ledger's core products are built on a digital-first publishing platform consisting of the theledger.com website (launched in 1998), native iOS and Android mobile applications, an eNewspaper digital replica of the print edition accessible at user.theledger.com, and an email newsletter platform including the Daily Briefing and multiple topic-specific free newsletters. The publication's Lakeland print production facility is one of only two Gannett print facilities in Florida and prints not only The Ledger but also the Tampa Bay Times, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Sarasota Herald Tribune. Content archives span 1999 through 2026, providing a 25+ year structured historical record.

The business model combines monthly subscription revenue (digital-only and digital-plus-print), display and classified advertising, a jobs marketplace powered by Jobcase and distributed to Indeed and ZipRecruiter, general classifieds and Buy & Sell listings through AdPerfect, public notice and legal notice fees as the statutory newspaper of record for Polk County, and content licensing and reprints through Imagn. Distribution channels include home delivery, single-copy newsstand, self-serve website and mobile access, e-edition, email newsletters, and organic social on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Customer segments served include Polk County residents, the local schools and education community, government and public-sector readers, and local businesses and employers advertising jobs and commercial real estate.

Name

The Ledger

Legal name

The Ledger

Website

https://theledger.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1924

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Ledger is a daily local newspaper serving Polk County, Florida, distributed via print home delivery, website, mobile apps, e-edition, and newsletters, and operating since 1924 as part of Gannett's USA TODAY Network with subscriptions, advertising, and classifieds as primary revenue streams.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Newspaper

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Newspaper Publishers (51311)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Local newspaper publishing
• Daily news coverage
• Classified advertising
• Public notices
• Hyperlocal journalism

Headquarters

HQ city

Lakeland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Digital Subscriptions: Digital-only subscriptions providing online access to news content
2. Print Subscriptions: Daily print edition subscriptions, also available as digital plus print combination
3. Display Advertising: Traditional newspaper display advertising across multiple categories and placements
4. Job/Marketplace Listings: Employment and classified job postings through Jobcase, Indeed, ZipRecruiter partnerships; print and online options available
5. Classifieds: General classifieds including Buy and Sell marketplace through AdPerfect platform
6. Public Notices: Legal notices and public notice certification services
7. Licensing & Reprints: Content licensing and reprints through Imagn

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Ledger is a local newspaper that publishes daily news, sports, weather, opinion, obituaries, and community information for Polk County, Florida. It distributes content across print home delivery, the website theledger.com, an e-edition digital replica, iOS and Android mobile apps, and email newsletters, monetized via subscriptions, advertising, classifieds, job listings, and public notices. The Ledger is the newspaper of record for Polk County and operates as part of Gannett's USA TODAY Network.

Product overview

The Ledger operates as a local newspaper offering a unified platform combining digital and print content delivery. The core product is the theledger.com website providing online news coverage, supplemented by an eNewspaper digital edition, mobile app for iOS and Android, email newsletters including the Daily Briefing, and a jobs marketplace with classifieds. The publication also maintains print and digital subscription options, covering local news, sports, entertainment, opinion, real estate, obituaries, and weather for Polk County, Florida. The company is part of the Gannett/USA TODAY Network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• theledger.com Website Primary digital news platform providing latest news, sports, entertainment, opinion, real estate, obituaries, weather, and classifieds for Polk County, Florida. Includes a subscription gate for full access.
• eNewspaper (e-Edition) Digital version of the print newspaper accessible online as a replica e-edition for subscribers.
• Mobile App (iOS and Android) Native mobile applications available on Apple App Store and Google Play Store for receiving immediate news updates and push notifications on mobile devices.
• Email Newsletters Free email newsletters including the Daily Briefing rundown of the day's biggest local news, plus topic-specific newsletters managed through profile.theledger.com.
• Print Newspaper Subscription Daily print edition of The Ledger, printed at the Gannett Lakeland production facility, delivered to homes and businesses throughout Polk County with home delivery and Digital Plus Print combination options.
• Jobs Marketplace Job listing and classifieds section powered by Jobcase, enabling employers to post jobs that are distributed to Indeed, ZipRecruiter, and a network of more than 100 job sites reaching 100 million+ job seekers.
• Public Notices and Legal Advertising Legal notices and public notice publication services via marketplace.theledger.com/publicnotices, including public notice certification for government and legal filings.
• Display and Classified Advertising Traditional newspaper display advertising across multiple categories and placements on theledger.com, plus a Buy and Sell classifieds marketplace via AdPerfect, sold to local businesses and individuals.
• Licensing and Reprints (via Imagn) Licensing and reprints of The Ledger's editorial content and photography through the Imagn platform for content reproduction requests.

Quantifiable outcome

• Award-winning investigative journalism led to grand jury investigation and sheriff resignation (Dan Daniels case)
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Gannett / USA TODAY NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Ledger is owned by Gannett Co. and operates as part of the USA TODAY Network. Acquired through a chain of ownership: founded 1924 by Samuel Farabee, sold to NY Times Co. in 1970, sold to Halifax Media Holdings in 2012, merged with Gannett in 2019 when GateHouse Media merged with Gannett.
• JobcasecoreTechnology or IntegrationJob marketplace powered by Jobcase with postings distributed to Indeed, ZipRecruiter, and 100+ job sites reaching 100 million+ job seekers
• IndeedcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJob listings distributed through Indeed's job board network as part of the Jobcase partnership
• ZipRecruitercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJob listings distributed through ZipRecruiter's platform as part of the Jobcase partnership
• LocaliQ (Gannett)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDigital marketing solutions partner for local businesses advertising with The Ledger

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• The New York Times: National newspaper whose Florida edition is printed at The Ledger's Lakeland production facility; represents a broader publishing peer and customer relationship, and competes for digital subscription share in Florida.

Emerging players

• Axios: Digital-native newsletter-led media company with local Axios editions; competes with The Ledger's Daily Briefing newsletter for email-driven local news attention and ad dollars.
• Patch.com: Digital hyperlocal news network covering communities across the U.S., including Florida; competes with The Ledger for local online audience and digital advertising in Polk County municipalities.

Broad incumbents

• USA TODAY: Flagship national title of Gannett; The Ledger is part of the USA TODAY Network and shares content, technology, and ad sales infrastructure, making USA TODAY both a parent-network benchmark and a partial substitute for local news at the national level.

Direct peers

• Ocala Star-Banner: Florida regional daily newspaper historically co-owned with The Ledger under Cowles Publishing and now under Gannett; comparable product (print + digital + classifieds) serving a similarly-sized Central Florida market.
• Orlando Sentinel: Major Florida regional daily owned by Tribune Publishing; competes with The Ledger for Central Florida advertising, audience, and digital subscription dollars, particularly in northern Polk County suburbs.
• Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Gannett-owned Florida local newspaper also printed at The Ledger's Lakeland facility; serves an adjacent Florida county with a comparable digital-first + print + classifieds product mix.
• Tampa Bay Times: Major Florida regional daily newspaper; The Ledger's own print facility prints the Tampa Bay Times, indicating overlapping distribution footprint and direct competition for Polk County readers in the Tampa Bay media market.
• Gainesville Sun: Florida local daily under Gannett with a similar mix of print, digital, classifieds, and public-notice revenue, serving a comparable mid-sized Florida metro.

Regional players

• Newsday: Long-established U.S. regional daily with a similar print + digital subscription bundle model; useful comparable for valuation and operating-model benchmarking of community-newspaper economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/theledger
• Facebookfacebook.com/theledger
• Instagraminstagram.com/ledgernews

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 The Ledger