The Charleston Gazette

What The Charleston Gazette does

The Charleston Gazette-Mail is a Pulitzer Prize-winning regional newspaper published in Charleston, West Virginia, serving the Kanawha Valley and broader West Virginia community. The publication was formed in 2016 through the merger of the historic Charleston Gazette (founded 1873) and the Charleston Daily Mail, and is owned by HD Media LLC. The company operates as a multi-format local news outlet, delivering coverage across politics, legislative affairs, energy and environment, legal affairs, education, health, business, sports, opinion, and community events — content increasingly directed through digital rather than print channels.

Its core product is the Charleston Gazette-Mail Digital Edition (wvgazettemail.com), powered by the BLOX Content Management System from BLOX Digital. Surrounding the core news product are several auxiliary offerings: HD Media Gameday for live and video high school and college sports; Health Source, a dedicated health section and podcast; Pulse Digital, a lifestyle and food/dining/gardening vertical; a Marketplace for classifieds (cars, real estate, jobs); a mobile application on iOS and Android; an e-Edition digital replica; and searchable historical archives. Public notices publication provides statutory, government-driven revenue.

The business model is a hybrid of subscription recurring revenue (digital and print home delivery), advertising (display, digital, classifieds), sponsored content, and public-notice fees. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the website, mobile app, e-edition, and print home delivery, with supplementary reach through Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube channels. The company serves a hybrid customer segmentation: geographically (West Virginia residents), by use case (digital readers vs. print subscribers), and includes a small institutional/government stream via public notices. Strategic monetization efforts include 'i support local' community subscription campaigns and vertically branded sponsored content sections such as Tech Talk and Community Cares.

Name

The Charleston Gazette

Legal name

Charleston Gazette-Mail

Website

https://wvgazette.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Charleston Gazette-Mail is a Pulitzer Prize-winning regional newspaper serving Charleston and the broader West Virginia community, delivering local news, politics, sports, and community coverage via website, mobile app, e-edition, print home delivery, and classifieds under HD Media LLC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Newsletters & Email-Based News Publishers (B2B/B2C) (MPAJADAJ)

Keywords

• Local newspaper publishing
• Digital news subscription
• Classified advertising
• Community journalism
• Print news delivery

Headquarters

HQ city

Charleston

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Subscription Revenue: Digital and print newspaper subscriptions providing recurring revenue from home delivery and digital-only subscribers.
2. Advertising: Display advertising, classified ads, and digital advertising placements on the website.
3. Classifieds and Marketplace: Revenue from classifieds including cars, real estate, jobs, and general classified listings.
4. Sponsored Content: Sponsored articles and content sections including sponsored posts in categories like Tech Talk and Innovation and Community Cares.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Charleston Gazette-Mail is a Pulitzer Prize-winning regional newspaper publishing local news, politics, sports, business, opinion, and obituaries for Charleston and the broader West Virginia community. It offers its journalism through a print edition, a digital website (wvgazettemail.com), a mobile app, an e-edition replica, and email newsletters, supported by subscription, advertising, classifieds, and sponsored content revenue.

Product overview

The Charleston Gazette-Mail operates as a traditional newspaper with a digital-first online presence. The core offering is the Charleston Gazette-Mail Digital Edition providing comprehensive local news coverage across categories including news, politics, sports, business, opinion, and obituaries. The product portfolio includes specialized content hubs like HD Media Gameday for sports coverage, Health Source for wellness content, Pulse Digital for lifestyle features, and Marketplace for classifieds. Additional services include a mobile application, searchable archives, and e-edition access. The publication is part of HD Media and serves the Charleston, West Virginia metropolitan area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Charleston Gazette-Mail Digital Edition The primary digital news platform providing access to the newspaper's journalism, including local news, politics, sports, business, opinion, and obituaries for the Charleston, WV area.
• Print Newspaper Subscription Physical weekly newspaper delivered via home delivery or sold as single copies, providing traditional print journalism to readers across the West Virginia region.
• Mobile Application A mobile app available on iOS and Android providing on-the-go access to the newspaper's content, push notifications, and account management features for subscribers.
• Classifieds Marketplace Online marketplace for classified listings including cars, real estate, job postings, and general classified advertisements serving the West Virginia community.
• Email Newsletters Email newsletter subscriptions delivering regular news updates, headlines, and topical content to subscriber inboxes.
• Public Notices Legal public notices publication service required by government entities and legal proceedings, published in print and online editions.

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

One partnership is on record.

• Legacy.comminorOthersPartnership with Legacy.com for obituary services, providing obituary listings and guest book functionality for readers to leave condolences.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Herald-Dispatch: Sister publication of The Charleston Gazette-Mail under HD Media LLC, serving Huntington and the western West Virginia market with the same print/digital local newspaper model, shared corporate infrastructure, and comparable subscription/advertising revenue mix.
• The Register-Herald: Daily newspaper serving Beckley and southern West Virginia, competing with the Gazette-Mail for regional advertising and digital readership within the same state; operated by an adjacent media group with overlapping coverage areas.
• The Dominion Post: Daily newspaper serving Morgantown and north-central West Virginia with a comparable mix of local news, sports, classifieds, and digital subscriptions; directly comparable in audience scale and product offering.

Regional players

• The Parkersburg News and Sentinel: Regional daily newspaper serving the Parkersburg-Marietta area along the Ohio River, with traditional print/digital subscription model and classifieds; comparable in scale and product mix though in a distinct West Virginia sub-market.
• The Wheeling Intelligencer: Daily newspaper serving Wheeling and the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia with similar print-and-digital local news product; comparable regional newspaper business model though geographically separate from Charleston.

Broad incumbents

• Lee Enterprises: Large publicly traded newspaper company operating dozens of daily newspapers across the U.S., including several in West Virginia. Provides direct strategic context as a multi-paper operator with comparable local news economics and digital transition challenges.
• Gannett: Largest U.S. newspaper publisher, operating USA TODAY and hundreds of local publications including papers in West Virginia. Sets the competitive benchmark for digital subscription scale, advertising technology, and multi-paper operational models.
• The New York Times Company: National digital subscription leader whose success in converting readers to paid digital access serves as the strategic template for regional papers pursuing digital-first revenue models, even though its scale and national focus differ from the Charleston market.

Emerging players

• Axios Local: Digital-native local news venture using a short-form, newsletter-heavy format to cover metro markets. Represents the emerging competitive threat from venture-backed digital local news models that compete for the same advertiser and reader attention.
• Patch Media: Digital local news network operating hyperlocal sites across thousands of U.S. communities, including West Virginia. Represents the free, advertising-supported digital model that pressures traditional regional papers' digital ad pricing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wvgazette
• YouTubeyoutube.com/wvgazettemail
• Facebookfacebook.com/wvgazette
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/charleston-gazette-mail
• Instagraminstagram.com/wvgazettemail

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 Charleston Gazette