Dayton Daily News

What Dayton Daily News does

Dayton Daily News is a regional daily newspaper serving the Dayton, Ohio metropolitan area, founded in 1898 and currently operated as a division of Cox First Media, a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, Inc. The publication delivers local news across crime, business, sports, entertainment, lifestyle, and community coverage, anchored by a hyperlocal coverage footprint that includes Montgomery County and surrounding southwest Ohio communities. It is part of a network of regional outlets under Cox First Media that also includes Springfield News-Sun, Journal-News, and Dayton.com.

The company's core digital product is the daytondailynews.com website, built on the TownNews BLOX content management system, which provides digital publishing infrastructure for streaming video, photo galleries, and interactive content. Distribution is multi-channel: native iOS and Android mobile applications, an ePaper digital replica edition accessible through the website, and themed email newsletters covering Breaking News, Local News, Sports, and Entertainment. The site also integrates social media distribution across Facebook, X/Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram for top-of-funnel audience engagement.

The business model rests on three revenue streams: recurring digital subscriptions priced at a 99-cent introductory rate for new subscribers (with higher tiers available for full access including ePaper and exclusive content), display and classified digital advertising, and sponsored content partnerships such as the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield health and wellness deal. The go-to-market motion is direct-to-consumer, targeting Dayton-area residents as the primary customer segment, with a secondary legal/government vertical serving publication requirements for public notices, legal notices, and court records. Pricing is subscriber-acquisition-led with low introductory friction, while advertising and sponsored content monetize the broader readership through both programmatic and direct sales channels.

Name

Dayton Daily News

Legal name

Cox First Media (a division of Cox Enterprises, Inc.)

Website

https://daytondailynews.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1898

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Dayton Daily News is a regional daily newspaper serving Dayton, Ohio, operating under Cox First Media (Cox Enterprises). It delivers hyperlocal news via website, mobile apps, ePaper, and newsletters, monetizing through digital subscriptions, advertising, and sponsored content partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Newspaper / Regional News Media

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Local news
• Digital journalism
• Newspaper subscriptions
• Community news
• Local advertising

Headquarters

HQ city

Dayton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Digital Subscriptions: Paid digital subscriptions providing access to premium content, exclusive articles, and the ePaper digital edition. Subscription rates start at 99 cents for new subscribers with various tiers available.
2. Digital Advertising: Display advertising on the website including banner ads, sponsored content, and classified advertisements. The site features a Classifieds section and Legal Notices.
3. Sponsored Content: Native advertising and sponsored content sections including community features like 'Community Gems' and partner content from organizations like Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Dayton Daily News publishes local journalism for the Dayton, Ohio metropolitan area through its digital news website, mobile applications, ePaper digital replica edition, and themed email newsletters. Its editorial coverage spans local news, crime, business, politics, sports, entertainment, obituaries, classifieds, and legally required public notices. Access to premium content is gated by digital subscriptions priced from a 99¢ introductory rate, with additional revenue from digital advertising and sponsored content.

Product overview

Dayton Daily News operates a digital news platform offering local journalism across multiple channels. The core product is the daytondailynews.com website delivering news coverage. This is supplemented by the ePaper digital replica edition, native iOS and Android mobile applications, and email newsletter products. All offerings are subscription-based with a digital subscription model under the Cox First Media network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dayton Daily News Website Primary digital news platform delivering local news, crime, business, sports, entertainment, obituaries, classifieds, and community coverage for the Dayton, Ohio region, with subscription-gated premium articles.
• ePaper Digital Edition
• Dayton Daily News iOS Mobile App
• Dayton Daily News Android Mobile App
• Email Newsletters
• Classifieds and Legal Notices
• Digital Subscription

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Cox Enterprises / Cox First MediaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerDayton Daily News is operated by Cox First Media, a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, Inc. (CEI). The company is part of a network of local news outlets including Springfield News-Sun, Journal-News, and Dayton.com, all under the Cox corporate umbrella.
• TownNews (BLOX)coreTechnology or IntegrationThe Dayton Daily News website is powered by TownNews BLOX content management system, which provides the digital publishing infrastructure including website hosting, content management, and multimedia features.
• Anthem Blue Cross and Blue ShieldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsored content partnership featuring health and wellness content including mental health resources and community health initiatives. Includes bylined content from Anthem executives published on the Dayton Daily News platform.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Lee Enterprises: Publicly-traded owner of more than 70 daily newspapers across the U.S. Broad incumbent peer with overlapping digital subscription products, ePaper editions, and SMB advertising offerings targeted at the same local newspaper advertiser base.
• Tribune Publishing: Major U.S. newspaper chain operating regional dailies such as the Chicago Tribune and New York Daily News. Broad incumbent peer because it monetizes regional news via digital subscriptions and advertising using comparable technology stacks.
• McClatchy: U.S. regional newspaper chain operating titles such as the Miami Herald and Sacramento Bee. Broad incumbent peer in the same digital subscription / local advertising category with comparable local journalism and classified ad verticals.
• Gannett Co. Largest U.S. local newspaper publisher (USA Today Network) operating hundreds of regional dailies. Broad incumbent because it owns several direct Ohio competitors and operates the same digital subscription, ePaper, and classified ad infrastructure at scale.

Direct peers

• The Columbus Dispatch: Gannett-owned daily newspaper serving the Columbus, Ohio metro. Direct peer as another large Ohio regional daily covering local news, politics, and sports with a similar digital subscription and advertising business model.
• Akron Beacon Journal: Gannett-owned daily newspaper serving the Akron, Ohio metro. Direct peer given the same Ohio regional newspaper model with digital subscriptions, ePaper, and local advertising sales covering news, sports, and investigations.
• The Blade (Toledo): Family-owned daily newspaper serving the Toledo, Ohio market. Direct peer because it operates an analogous legacy-to-digital transformation, providing local news, ePaper, and subscription products in an Ohio mid-sized metro.
• Cincinnati Enquirer: Gannett-owned daily newspaper serving the Cincinnati metro in southwest Ohio. Direct peer because it competes in the same regional Ohio market with overlapping coverage of high school and professional sports, local politics, and advertising audiences.

Emerging players

• Patch: Hyperlocal digital news network covering thousands of U.S. communities, including Dayton-area towns. Emerging player peer because it directly addresses the same Dayton-area residents with free local news, competing for attention and local advertising dollars.
• Axios: Digital-first national and local news outlet owned by Cox Enterprises (the same parent as Dayton Daily News). Emerging player peer because it operates a competing digital subscription/newsletter product within the same Cox media portfolio and targets overlapping SMB and reader audiences.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/daytondailynews
• Facebookfacebook.com/daytondailynews
• Instagraminstagram.com/daytondailynews
• TikToktiktok.com/@daytondailynews
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/18218

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 Dayton Daily News