Tampa Bay Times

What Tampa Bay Times does

Tampa Bay Times, legally Times Publishing Company, is a nonprofit regional newspaper headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida, serving the Tampa Bay metropolitan area across Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, and Hernando counties. Originally operating as the St. Petersburg Times, the publication converted to nonprofit status in 1978, making it one of the earliest legacy U.S. newspapers to adopt that structure amid declining advertising and circulation revenues industry-wide. Its editorial scope spans local news, politics, investigations, sports (Bucs, Rays, Lightning), business, real estate, health, transportation, environment, crime, weather, culture, and food, with Pulitzer recognition and a national fact-checking brand in PolitiFact.

The company operates a multi-platform product portfolio: a core print newspaper distributed via home delivery and newsstand, an e-Newspaper digital replica, iOS and Android mobile apps, the DayStarter morning email newsletter, podcasts, Games & Puzzles, and ancillary merchandise and licensing products including Photo Reprints, Article Reprints, Historic Front Pages, and Article Licensing via PARS International. Underlying technology consists of a digital publishing platform with content management, newsletter distribution, and mobile delivery systems, supplemented by archival access through newspapers.com. Distribution spans its own website, social channels (Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube, LinkedIn), and community touchpoints such as the annual Top Workplaces rankings (165 companies recognized in 2026) and the 'It's Your Times' donation campaign.

The business model combines subscription revenue (digital, e-Newspaper, and home delivery on a recurring cadence), advertising (display, classifieds, public notices, and sponsored content), donations supporting nonprofit operations, content licensing royalties, and event/special-section sponsorships. Neil Brown serves as vice president and editor and was named chairman of the Poynter Institute's Board of Trustees in March 2026 while continuing as Poynter president since 2017. The go-to-market motion is direct-to-consumer via self-serve digital subscriptions, field home delivery, retail newsstand, and enterprise public-notice sales, with no disclosed venture or private equity ownership.

Name

Tampa Bay Times

Legal name

Times Publishing Company

Website

https://tampabay.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Tampa Bay Times is a nonprofit regional newspaper headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida, serving the Tampa Bay metropolitan area (Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando counties) since 1978 across print, e-Newspaper, mobile apps, newsletters, and podcasts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Newspaper Publishers (51311), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Regional newspaper publishing
• Local journalism
• Digital news subscription
• Investigative reporting
• News media

Headquarters

HQ city

St. Petersburg

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, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Subscription Revenue: Digital subscriptions, home delivery subscriptions, and e-Newspaper subscriptions for readers seeking ongoing access to local journalism
2. Advertising: Display advertising, classifieds, public notices, and sponsored content across print and digital platforms
3. Donations: Charitable donations through the 'It's Your Times' campaign supporting local journalism
4. Licensing and Content: Article licensing, photo reprints, historic front pages, and other content licensing opportunities
5. Events and Special Sections: Sponsored content sections, expos, special publications, and community events

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Tampa Bay Times is a nonprofit regional newspaper that publishes comprehensive local journalism covering news, sports, politics, business, crime, weather, culture, and food across the Tampa Bay metropolitan area. It distributes content through a printed daily newspaper, a digital e-Newspaper replica, native mobile applications, email newsletters, podcasts, and an online archive of historic front pages and articles.

Product overview

Tampa Bay Times is a nonprofit regional newspaper operating since 1978, serving the Tampa Bay, Florida area with comprehensive local journalism. The company offers a multi-platform portfolio consisting of its core print and digital newspaper products, the e-Newspaper digital replica subscription, Times Apps for mobile access, the DayStarter morning newsletter, Podcasts for audio content, Games & Puzzles for subscriber engagement, and merchandise products including Photo Reprints, Article Reprints, Historic Front Pages, and Article Licensing services. The publication covers news across Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, and surrounding counties, with sections spanning news, sports, politics, business, crime, weather, entertainment, culture, and food.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tampa Bay Times Newspaper A nonprofit regional newspaper serving Tampa Bay, Florida since 1978, covering local news, sports, politics, business, crime, weather, entertainment, and culture through print and digital formats for residents of the Tampa Bay metropolitan area.
• e-Newspaper A digital replica of the printed paper available seven days a week for subscribers to read on desktop, mobile, and apps, providing the same daily edition in a digital format.
• Times Mobile Apps Mobile applications for accessing Tampa Bay Times content on iOS and Android devices.
• DayStarter Newsletter A free morning newsletter delivering the latest Tampa Bay news and information to subscribers' inboxes daily.
• Tampa Bay Times Podcasts Audio podcast content produced by Tampa Bay Times covering local stories and news coverage for on-the-go listening.
• Games & Puzzles Online games and puzzles available through the Tampa Bay Times website for subscriber engagement.
• Photo Reprints Photo reprint service allowing customers to order high-quality prints of published photographs from the Tampa Bay Times archive.
• Article Reprints Reprint service for archived articles from Tampa Bay Times archives, producing keepsake reprints for purchase.
• Historic Front Pages Sale of historic Tampa Bay Times front pages as collectibles and merchandise, preserving milestone editions.
• Article Licensing Licensing services operated through partner Pars International for reprinting or using Tampa Bay Times content in other publications or media.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Poynter InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 March 2026Neil Brown, vice president and editor of Tampa Bay Times, was named chairman of the Poynter Institute's Board of Trustees, succeeding Paul Tash after 20 years. Brown has served as president of Poynter since 2017. The Poynter Institute is a school for journalism and media, providing training and education resources.
• Sophie CulpepperminorOthersThe Tampa Bay Times started monthly 'article clubs' for news stories, led by Sophie Culpepper, to discuss the substance of chosen stories and examine the reporting process.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The New York Times Company: The New York Times is the largest US newspaper publisher, with a digital subscription model the Tampa Bay Times partially mirrors. It is comparable as a multi-platform news brand with subscription, advertising, and ancillary revenue streams, though it operates nationally rather than regionally.
• Washington Post: The Washington Post is a major legacy newspaper that has pivoted aggressively to digital subscriptions and operates a multi-platform portfolio (news, audio, video). It is comparable to the Tampa Bay Times as a Pulitzer-recognized news brand pursuing digital reader revenue, though with a much larger national and international audience.
• Gannett / USA Today Network: Gannett is the largest US newspaper chain, operating USA Today and hundreds of local titles. It is comparable to the Tampa Bay Times as a multi-title news publisher with print and digital subscriptions, classifieds, and local advertising, though it competes with the Times in many of the same Florida markets.

Direct peers

• Los Angeles Times: The Los Angeles Times is a major regional newspaper that recently converted to nonprofit status under Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong. It is directly comparable to the Tampa Bay Times as a large, Pulitzer-recognized regional newspaper that has made the same for-profit-to-nonprofit structural transition and competes in print, digital, and event revenue.
• Chicago Tribune / Chicago Sun-Times: The Chicago Tribune (and its nonprofit-converted sister title Chicago Sun-Times since 2022) is a major metropolitan daily newspaper. It is directly comparable to the Tampa Bay Times in size, regional scope, and multi-platform subscription model, and is explicitly cited in the Times' own history as a peer nonprofit conversion.
• The Boston Globe: The Boston Globe is a large regional newspaper owned by Red Sox owner John Henry that has executed a successful digital subscription pivot. It is comparable to the Tampa Bay Times as a similarly sized metro daily with strong local brand equity, digital subscription growth, and event/experiential revenue.
• Miami Herald (McClatchy): The Miami Herald is a major Florida regional newspaper and the former employer of Tampa Bay Times editor Neil Brown. It is directly comparable as a Florida metro daily covering overlapping state politics, weather, and regional news, and competes for the same statewide advertising and digital audiences.
• Orlando Sentinel (Tribune Publishing): The Orlando Sentinel is another major Florida regional newspaper serving Central Florida. It is directly comparable to the Tampa Bay Times as a same-state regional competitor covering Florida politics, tourism, hurricanes, and sports — competing for overlapping digital and print audiences.
• The Salt Lake Tribune: The Salt Lake Tribune became a nonprofit in 2019 and is explicitly cited alongside the Tampa Bay Times as one of the first legacy newspapers to adopt nonprofit status. It is directly comparable as a structural peer in the nonprofit local news movement, though smaller in audience and geography.

Others

• Poynter Institute: The Poynter Institute is a journalism school and media think tank, and Tampa Bay Times editor Neil Brown serves as its Board Chair. It is thematically adjacent — not a competitor but a partner/ecosystem player — and comparable because it shares leadership and represents the educational pillar of the U.S. local journalism ecosystem the Times operates in.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks3 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tb_times
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/wwwtampabaycom/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/tampabaycom
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tampa-bay-times-times-publishing-co
• Instagraminstagram.com/tampabaytimes

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 Tampa Bay Times