What Journal Communications does

Journal Communications, Inc. is a privately held, integrated media company founded in 1988 and headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee. The firm produces custom print magazines and digital content marketing programs for government and nonprofit clients, organized into three specialized divisions: Journal Communications Travel Publishing, Livability Media, and Farm Flavor Media. Its flagship product is the Tennessee Vacation Guide, a 150-plus page official state publication produced under contract with the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development since 2018 and distributed to nearly 500,000 visitors annually. Other anchor projects include the Nashville Visitors Guide, Nashville Meeting Planning Guide, Rutherford County Visitors Guide, and state and regional agriculture publications for Farm Bureaus and Departments of Agriculture.

The company operates two national consumer-facing digital platforms, Livability.com (city ranking and talent-attraction content including the annual Top 100 Best Places to Live) and FarmFlavor.com (agriculture storytelling covering agritourism, farm-to-table, crops and livestock, and ag education). Distribution is built on direct B2B sales into tourism departments, chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, state departments of agriculture, and Farm Bureaus, with the Livability.com and FarmFlavor.com sites generating organic reach into the millions. The company has not raised institutional funding, has no parent company, and remains under private ownership since founding.

Revenue is generated through advertising sales within print and digital publications, custom content marketing programs, and integrated print + digital campaigns sold on a multi-year contract basis. Select customers include the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp, Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce, Illinois Farm Bureau Partners, and multiple state agriculture departments. The company has received two U.S. Travel Association Mercury Awards for its print visitor guides and employs 101–250 people across editorial, sales, and production roles.

Name

Journal Communications

Legal name

Journal Communications, Inc.

Website

https://jnlcom.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Journal Communications is a privately held Franklin, Tennessee-based integrated media company that produces custom print magazines and digital content marketing programs for state tourism departments, chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, and Farm Bureaus through three divisions: Travel Publishing, Livability Media, and Farm Flavor Media.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Content Marketing & Publishing Services

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120), Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Travel & Outdoors Magazines (MPAJAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Custom content marketing
• Print and digital publishing
• Travel guide publishing
• Destination marketing services
• Agricultural content marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Franklin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising Sales: The company sells advertising space in its print magazines and digital publications to destination marketing organizations, chambers of commerce, local businesses, and tourism-related entities. Ad specifications show various ad sizes and formats available for purchase.
2. Content Marketing Services: Custom content marketing programs sold to chambers of commerce, economic development groups, state departments of agriculture, and Farm Bureaus. Services include custom print magazines, digital content marketing, and integrated campaigns.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Journal Communications is an integrated content marketing company that creates custom print and digital media programs through three specialized divisions: Journal Communications Travel Publishing, Livability Media, and Farm Flavor Media. It produces custom magazines, travel guides, and digital content for tourism departments, convention and visitors bureaus, chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, state departments of agriculture, and Farm Bureaus, operating the national digital platforms Livability.com and FarmFlavor.com alongside its print publications.

Product overview

Journal Communications is a full-service integrated media company offering custom print and digital content marketing programs through three specialized divisions: Journal Communications Travel Publishing, Livability Media, and Farm Flavor Media. Their core products include flagship travel guides such as the Tennessee Vacation Guide (produced with the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development), Nashville Visitors Guide, Nashville Meeting Planning Guide, and Rutherford County Visitors Guide. They also operate digital platforms including Livability.com (city/region storytelling and rankings) and FarmFlavor.com (agriculture content). The company partners with chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, tourism departments, state departments of agriculture, and Farm Bureaus to create custom magazines, guides, and digital content marketing programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Livability.com: Nationally recognized digital platform reaching millions of visitors annually through exclusive research and original content examining affordability, culture, and talent attraction. Features annual Top 100 Best Places to Live rankings.
• FarmFlavor.com

Products and services

• Tennessee Vacation Guide The state's official 150-plus page travel guide produced in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. Distributed to nearly 500,000 visitors annually, it features scenic beauty, music venues, restaurants, and family adventures across all 95 Tennessee counties.
• Nashville Visitors Guide

Quantifiable outcome

• Tennessee Vacation Guide distributed to nearly 500,000 visitors annually with over 500K copies printed and 100K additional copies ordered for 2026
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 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.

• Tennessee Department of Tourist DevelopmentflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerJournal Communications produces the official Tennessee Vacation Guide in partnership with TDTD. The 150-plus page guide highlights all 95 Tennessee counties and is distributed to nearly 500,000 visitors annually. This partnership has been active since 2018.
• Nashville Convention & Visitors CorpcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership since 2020 for producing the Nashville Meeting Planning Guide, an excellent planning tool for meetings and conventions in Music City.
• Rutherford County Chamber of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership since 2023 for the Rutherford County Visitors Guide, promoting the destination located just 30 miles outside Nashville.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• AdFarm: Agricultural marketing agency that produces custom content, publications, and digital campaigns for agriculture organizations and agribusiness — directly comparable to Journal Communications' Farm Flavor Media division.
• Miles Partnership: Tourism marketing agency specializing in destination marketing for state tourism offices, CVBs, and travel brands, with integrated content, media planning, and digital services — a direct competitor in the DMO/Tourism publishing space.
• Development Counsellors International (DCI): Economic development marketing firm serving state, regional, and local economic development organizations with content marketing, branding, and talent attraction campaigns — directly comparable to Journal Communications' Livability Media division.
• Two Rivers Marketing: Integrated marketing agency specializing in agriculture, food, and rural lifestyle clients, producing custom magazines and digital content — a direct peer in the agricultural content marketing vertical.
• Tempest Tourism: Tourism marketing agency serving destinations, hotels, and travel brands with digital advertising, content, and integrated campaigns — a comparable peer in destination content marketing services.
• Madden Media: Destination marketing agency that produces custom travel guides, visitor publications, and digital content for state tourism boards, DMOs, and CVBs — directly comparable to Journal Communications' Travel Publishing division in service offering, target customer, and delivery model.
• North Star Destination Strategies: Destination marketing and community branding firm serving cities, states, and CVBs with branding, research, and content strategy — comparable to Journal Communications' economic development and tourism work.

Broad incumbents

• Quarry Integrated Communications: Integrated communications agency producing custom content, publications, and digital marketing for associations and consumer brands — a broader incumbent with comparable custom publishing and content marketing capabilities.
• Swanson Russell: Integrated marketing agency with agriculture and outdoor lifestyle verticals, offering content, digital, and brand services — a broader incumbent with overlapping agriculture and lifestyle content offerings.
• Lewis Communications: Full-service integrated marketing agency with a strong tourism and lifestyle practice, producing destination and tourism content for regional clients — broader portfolio but overlapping DMO/tourism capabilities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/jnlcom

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Journal Communications