Times of San Diego

What Times of San Diego does

Times of San Diego is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit digital news organization founded around 2014-2015 and headquartered in San Diego, California, serving San Diego County residents with free local journalism across politics, business, sports, crime, education, arts, science, immigration, military, and lifestyle coverage. Its product portfolio centers on the main website (timesofsandiego.com), a daily 7 a.m. email newsletter reaching 20,000+ subscribers, seven hyperlocal neighborhood sections (Beach and Bay Press, Downtown News, La Jolla, La Mesa Courier, Mission Times, Peninsula Beacon, Uptown News), and Tiempos de San Diego, a Spanish-language WhatsApp community, collectively reaching approximately 600,000 unique visitors monthly and making it the largest nonprofit digital news outlet in the region. On June 6, 2024, the organization was acquired by NEWSWELL, an Arizona State University-based nonprofit that operates a network of community newsrooms; it now operates under a diversified revenue model spanning advertising (display and underwritten/sponsored content), memberships, philanthropy, and sponsorships of recurring series and live community events.

Name

Times of San Diego

Legal name

Times of San Diego

Website

https://timesofsandiego.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Times of San Diego is a nonprofit digital news outlet serving San Diego County with free local journalism across a website, 20,000+ daily newsletter subscribers, seven hyperlocal neighborhood sections, and a Spanish-language WhatsApp community, reaching roughly 600,000 monthly unique visitors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Local News

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Newspaper Publishers (51311)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ)

Keywords

• Local digital news
• Nonprofit journalism
• Hyperlocal news coverage
• Community newsletters
• Sponsored news content

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising and Sponsorships: Display advertising labeled as 'advertisement'; underwritten or sponsored content (independent editorial financially supported by entities); branded or advertising content (paid content where clients develop material). NEWSWELL uses a diversified revenue model utilizing memberships, philanthropy, sponsorships and advertising.
2. Donations and Philanthropy: 501(c)(3) nonprofit accepting gifts, grants and sponsorships from individuals and organizations for general support. Makes public all revenue sources and donors giving $5,000 or more per year.
3. Memberships: Membership revenue stream part of NEWSWELL's diversified revenue model supporting sustainable nonprofit community newsrooms.

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Times of San Diego is a nonprofit digital news outlet that publishes free local news and opinion covering politics, business, sports, crime, education, arts, science, and life for San Diego County residents. Its offerings include the main website (timesofsandiego.com), hyperlocal neighborhood news sections, a Spanish-language WhatsApp community, a daily email newsletter, print editions, an events calendar, and sponsored underwritten content.

Product overview

Times of San Diego operates as a nonprofit digital news platform delivering local news and opinion for San Diego County. The organization offers a multi-platform news portfolio centered on its main website (timesofsandiego.com), complemented by seven hyperlocal neighborhood news sections covering specific communities across San Diego. Additional offerings include Tiempos de San Diego (a Spanish-language WhatsApp community), a daily email newsletter with over 20,000 subscribers, an events calendar, and live community events. The platform reaches approximately 600,000 unique visitors monthly, making it the largest nonprofit digital news outlet in the San Diego region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tiempos de San Diego: A Spanish WhatsApp community offering news and key information for the San Diego community.

Products and services

• Times of San Diego Main Website Flagship free digital news platform delivering local news and opinion for San Diego County, covering politics, business, sports, crime, education, arts, science, life, immigration, health and events, reaching approximately 600,000 unique visitors monthly.
• Neighborhood News Sections Hyperlocal community news sections covering specific San Diego neighborhoods including Beach and Bay Press (Pacific/Mission Beach), Downtown News, La Jolla, La Mesa Courier, Mission Times (Navajo/College Area), Peninsula Beacon (Pt. Loma/Ocean Beach), and Uptown News.
• Tiempos de San Diego Spanish-language news service delivered via WhatsApp community, providing key news and information about San Diego to Spanish-speaking audiences.
• Daily Newsletter Daily email newsletter delivered at 7 a.m. with breaking news alerts, reaching over 20,000 subscribers in San Diego County.
• Print Editions Physical print versions of selected Times of San Diego news content distributed to readers.
• Live Community Events In-person community events promoting lifelong learning, civic engagement and democracy, with sponsorship opportunities for brands to align with the trusted Times of San Diego news brand.
• Underwritten Content Sponsorships Opportunities for sponsors to underwrite recurring news series or specific topic coverage, providing sponsored content revenue that supports Times of San Diego's independent journalism.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NEWSWELLcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEWSWELL is the parent nonprofit organization based at Arizona State University that operates Times of San Diego. NEWSWELL uses a diversified revenue model utilizing memberships, philanthropy, sponsorships and advertising to support sustainable nonprofit community newsrooms. Times of San Diego is part of the NEWSWELL network of nonprofit news organizations.
• Arizona State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEWSWELL, the parent organization of Times of San Diego, is a nonprofit organization based at Arizona State University.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• LAist: Direct peer — nonprofit digital news outlet serving the greater Los Angeles region, also part of the Southern California public-media/news ecosystem. Comparable nonprofit structure, audience scale, and diversified revenue mix.
• CalMatters: Direct peer — California-focused nonprofit digital news organization covering state policy. Comparable mission-driven nonprofit structure with donations, memberships, and major-foundation funding.
• Block Club Chicago: Direct peer — nonprofit, neighborhood-driven digital news outlet covering Chicago. Operates a hyperlocal section model similar to Times of San Diego's seven neighborhood editions, supported by donations and memberships.
• Voice of San Diego: Direct peer — San Diego-based nonprofit digital news outlet with investigative journalism focus, supported by donations and memberships. Highly comparable business model, geography, and audience to Times of San Diego.
• The Texas Tribune: Direct peer — one of the largest nonprofit digital news organizations in the U.S., supported by memberships, events, and major philanthropy. Demonstrates the upper bound of nonprofit local-news scale and serves as a comparable operating model.

Broad incumbents

• KPBS: Broader incumbent — San Diego's primary public radio and TV broadcaster with extensive local news operation. Competes for the same local news audience, advertisers, and member/donor support in the San Diego market.
• The San Diego Union-Tribune: Broader incumbent — legacy regional daily newspaper (now owned by Alden Global Capital) covering San Diego. Direct competitor for local news readership and digital advertising, though operating under a for-profit model with shrinking newsroom.

Others

• LION Publishers: Others — industry association representing local independent online news publishers. Provides shared services, training, and advocacy for nonprofit digital newsrooms including Times of San Diego's peer set.
• Arizona State University / NEWSWELL: Others — parent nonprofit network for Times of San Diego, based at ASU. Houses multiple regional nonprofit newsrooms, providing back-office, fundraising, and editorial infrastructure support.

Regional players

• The San Diego Reader: Regional player — alternative weekly publication covering San Diego with similar local-news and arts/event coverage focus. Comparable audience demographics, though operates under a different (alt-weekly) business model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@TimesofsandiegoNews
• Facebookfacebook.com/TimesOfSanDiego
• Instagraminstagram.com/timesofsandiego
• TikToktiktok.com/@timesofsandiego
• Xx.com/TimesofSanDiego

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Times of San Diego