The Manhattan Mercury

What The Manhattan Mercury does

The Manhattan Mercury is a privately held local newspaper founded in 1884 and headquartered at 2414 Casement Rd in Manhattan, Kansas, serving Manhattan and the surrounding Riley County community. It publishes original local journalism covering city and area news, education, crime and courts, features, opinion, and an extensive slate of Kansas State University and high school sports, supported by a news archive, multimedia galleries, and a local events calendar. The publication operates as the de facto local paper of record for the Manhattan market, an audience anchored by residents, the K-State community, and local businesses.

The company's product portfolio is built around the themercury.com digital platform, which is powered by the BLOX Content Management System from BLOX Digital. Core products include the website itself, an e-Edition digital replica of the print newspaper, a classifieds and marketplace offering (including the FlintHillsHomes.net real estate vertical and jobs.themercury.com job network), themed special sections such as Flint Hills Finest, and obituaries delivered through a Legacy.com integration. Public notices are published through a column.us workflow that supports both viewing and placement, reinforcing the paper's role in legal and governmental notice publication.

Revenue is generated from four streams: print and digital subscriptions, advertising (display, classifieds, and marketplace), public notice publication, and sponsored special sections. Distribution combines home-delivery print, the e-edition, the website, email alerts and newsletters, and social media on Facebook (TheManhattanMercury) and Twitter (MERCnewsroom), with a cross-promotional tie to KMAN 1350 AM radio. Customer segments are local residents (primary), the Kansas State University community, and local businesses and advertisers.

Name

The Manhattan Mercury

Legal name

The Manhattan Mercury

Website

https://themercury.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1884

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Manhattan Mercury is a privately held local newspaper founded in 1884 that serves Manhattan, Kansas and Riley County with print and digital news, classifieds, public notices, and Kansas State University and high school sports coverage.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Newspaper Publishing

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
• Print and digital news
• Community journalism
• News advertising services
• Public notice publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Manhattan

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, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Print and Digital Subscriptions: Newspaper subscription services including home delivery and e-edition digital access, providing recurring revenue from individual readers
2. Advertising: Display advertising, classified ads, and marketplace listings sold to local businesses and individuals
3. Public Notices: Legal public notice publications for government entities and businesses, a traditional revenue stream for newspapers
4. Special Sections: Sponsored content sections including Flint Hills Finest and other community publications

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Manhattan Mercury is a local newspaper that publishes daily news, sports (with heavy emphasis on Kansas State University athletics), opinion, and feature content for Manhattan, Kansas and Riley County. It operates both a print edition with home delivery and a digital presence via themercury.com, e-Edition, and email alerts, and monetizes through subscriptions, advertising, public notices, classifieds, and sponsored special sections.

Product overview

The Manhattan Mercury operates a traditional local newspaper business with its primary digital presence at themercury.com. The core offering is local journalism coverage for Manhattan, Kansas, including news, sports (particularly K-State sports), opinion, and feature content. The product portfolio includes the main website with multimedia capabilities, an e-Edition digital replica of the print version, classifieds/marketplace for job listings and ads, themed special sections, and subscription-based premium services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KMAN: News Radio KMAN - mentioned as a radio partner/listen link on the website

Products and services

• The Manhattan Mercury Newspaper (themercury.com) Daily local newspaper and primary digital news platform providing local news, sports (including K-State athletics), opinion, features, and multimedia content for Manhattan, Kansas and Riley County.
• e-Edition Online digital replica of the print newspaper edition, accessible to subscribers for viewing the full paper digitally.
• Classifieds and Online Marketplace Online classified marketplace offering newspaper display ads, real estate listings via FlintHillsHomes.net, job postings via the Job Network portal, and public notices.
• Special Sections Themed editorial and sponsored community sections such as Flint Hills Finest and Smoke Signal, covering community profiles, lifestyle, and sponsored content.
• Subscription Services Paid subscription plans providing print newspaper home delivery and access to premium digital content and e-Edition for subscribers in Manhattan, KS and Riley County.
• Public Notices Legal public notice publication service for government entities and businesses, accessed and submitted through the column.us public notices portal.

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

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Legacy.comminorOthersObituary distribution partnership through Legacy.com integration for viewing and publishing obituaries
• BLOX DigitalcoreTechnology or IntegrationBLOX Content Management System powers the themercury.com website and digital publishing infrastructure
• KMAN Radio (1350 AM)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCross-promotional relationship with local radio station KMAN 1350 AM, including Listen to News Radio KMAN integration
• Visit Manhattan (CVB)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with local Convention and Visitors Bureau for promoting Manhattan area attractions and events coverage

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Lawrence Journal-World: Daily newspaper serving Lawrence, Kansas, the other major university town in the state. Highly comparable as a local paper with deep coverage of a Big 12 university's athletics and similar print + digital subscription, advertising, and public-notice revenue model.
• The Topeka Capital-Journal: Daily newspaper serving Topeka, Kansas, with a similar mix of local news, state government/politics coverage, public notices, and digital subscriptions. Operates in the same Kansas media market and competes for the same regional advertising pool.
• The Salina Journal: Regional daily newspaper serving Salina and north-central Kansas with comparable local news, classifieds, and public notice revenue streams. Similar scale and operating model to The Manhattan Mercury.
• Emporia Gazette: Long-running daily newspaper in Emporia, Kansas (another smaller college town with Emporia State University). Directly comparable as a small-market Kansas local newspaper serving a university community.
• The Hutchinson News: Regional newspaper serving Hutchinson, Kansas, with a comparable local news, sports, and advertising model. Operates as a similar standalone local paper in the Kansas media landscape.
• The Pott County Times (Smoke Signal): Partner publication referenced in The Mercury's own 'Special Sections' navigation; a small Kansas community newspaper. Highly comparable in scale, market type, and operational profile as a fellow rural/community Kansas paper.

Broad incumbents

• The Wichita Eagle: Largest newspaper in Kansas, serving the Wichita metro area and statewide. Comparable as a Kansas daily newspaper with overlapping local news, sports (including Wichita State), and advertising offerings, but at substantially greater scale and broader geographic reach.
• Gannett Co. Largest U.S. newspaper chain, owner of the USA Today Network and hundreds of local papers including the Topeka Capital-Journal. Comparable as an operator of community newspapers at scale and a likely acquirer of standalone local papers like The Manhattan Mercury.
• Lee Enterprises: Major U.S. newspaper chain operating dozens of local dailies across the Midwest and South. Comparable as an aggregator/operator of community newspapers with similar subscription, advertising, and digital transformation strategies.

Regional players

• Columbia Missourian: Local newspaper serving Columbia, Missouri, another Midwestern college town (University of Missouri / Mizzou). Comparable as a university-community daily newspaper with similar emphasis on local and collegiate sports coverage, but operating in a different state.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mercnewsroom
• YouTubelightningstream.com/player.aspx?call=KMAN
• Facebookfacebook.com/themanhattanmercury
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-manhattan-mercury

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 Manhattan Mercury