Arizona Daily Star

What Arizona Daily Star does

Arizona Daily Star is the primary daily newspaper serving Tucson, Arizona, and the surrounding Pima County region. Founded circa 1870 by L. C. Hughes and currently led by President and Publisher Chase Rankin, the paper has operated continuously for over 150 years and is one of the few remaining metropolitan dailies in its market. It is wholly owned by Lee Enterprises (NYSE: LEE), a publicly traded diversified media conglomerate, and operates as part of Lee's portfolio of local newspapers.

The company's core product is a Monday–Sunday print newspaper bundled with digital access under "Full Access" subscriptions, complemented by a Digital-only tier, a flip-page E-Edition replica, and native mobile applications for iOS and Android. Content extends beyond hard news into sports (Arizona Wildcats, Cardinals, high schools), opinion, obituaries, lifestyle, and original podcasts (The Ethical Life, Here Weed Go!). The digital publishing platform runs on the BLOX Content Management System from bloxdigital.com, with Gannett providing authentication and subscription management infrastructure — both shared services provided by the corporate parents and their technology partners.

Arizona Daily Star generates revenue through four streams: recurring print and digital subscriptions, single-copy retail sales distributed through Fry's, Circle K, QuikTrip, Albertsons, and Bashas', and advertising across display, classifieds, and branded content. Subscription tiers range from a $14/month digital-only plan to a $30/month Monday–Sunday Full Access plan, with aggressive promotional pricing ($1 for 3 months) used as an acquisition lever. The customer base is geographically segmented across the Tucson metropolitan area and broader Arizona market, with no enterprise or advertising anchor customers disclosed in the source material.

Name

Arizona Daily Star

Legal name

Lee Enterprises

Website

https://tucson.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1870

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Arizona Daily Star is Tucson, Arizona's primary daily newspaper, founded circa 1870 and owned by Lee Enterprises. It delivers local news, sports, and lifestyle content to Southern Arizona consumers via print, digital subscriptions, e-Edition, mobile apps, and podcasts.

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

Digital Newsstand & Aggregation Platforms (Magazine/News Apps, Bundles) (MPAJAKAE)

Keywords

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

Headquarters

HQ city

Tucson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Print Subscription: Home delivery of print newspaper with Full Access to digital content included
2. Digital Subscription: Online only subscription including access to tucson.com content, apps, e-Edition and archives
3. Single Copy Sales: Individual newspaper sales at retail locations including Fry's, Circle K, QuikTrip, Albertsons and Bashas'
4. Advertising: Revenue from display advertising, classifieds, and branded content

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Arizona Daily Star publishes a daily newspaper and associated digital content serving Tucson and Southern Arizona. The core offering is local news coverage distributed through print home delivery, the tucson.com website, an e-Edition digital replica, iOS/Android mobile apps, and original podcasts. Revenue is generated through bundled print-and-digital Full Access subscriptions, digital-only subscriptions, retail single-copy sales, and display and classified advertising.

Product overview

Arizona Daily Star operates as a traditional newspaper publisher offering both print and digital products. The core product is the daily newspaper, supplemented by digital offerings including the E-Edition (a digital replica of the print edition), a mobile app for customized mobile access, and Full Access Subscriptions that bundle print delivery with unlimited digital access. Digital-only subscription tiers are also available. Content extensions include specialty podcasts such as the Here Weed Go! cannabis podcast and The Ethical Life opinion podcast. The publication is powered by Lee Enterprises and uses BLOX Content Management System from bloxdigital.com for its web platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Star: Common shortened reference for Arizona Daily Star

Products and services

• Full Access Subscription A combined print and digital subscription product providing home delivery of the Arizona Daily Star newspaper along with unlimited access to tucson.com content, all mobile apps, the e-Edition digital replica, and online archives dating back to 2007.
• Digital Only Subscription An online-only subscription providing unlimited access to tucson.com content, all mobile apps, the e-Edition digital replica, and online archives back to 2007, without print home delivery.
• Arizona Daily Star E-Edition A digital replica of the daily print newspaper that reads like a newspaper with pages that flip; viewable on computers, tablets, and smartphones, with options to increase print size, print puzzles, and email stories.
• Arizona Daily Star Mobile App A mobile application providing a customized experience for accessing Arizona Daily Star news content on iOS and Android smartphones and tablets.
• Here Weed Go! Podcast A cannabis-focused podcast covering Arizona's marijuana industry, featuring interviews with industry professionals and exploring topics related to edibles, vape products, and cannabis culture.
• The Ethical Life Podcast A podcast featuring hosts who examine topics of ethics, patriotism, historical memory, servant leadership, and evolving family norms through conversational discussions.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Lee EnterprisescoreOthersLee Enterprises is the parent company that owns the Arizona Daily Star. The newspaper operates under the Lee Enterprises banner and uses their centralized systems and platforms.
• GannettminorOthersArizona Daily Star's digital platforms use Gannett's authentication and subscription management systems for user login and subscription services.
• BLOX Digital (bloxdigital.com)coreTechnology or IntegrationThe Arizona Daily Star website and digital publishing infrastructure is powered by BLOX Content Management System from bloxdigital.com.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tucsonstar
• YouTubetucson.com/youtube
• Facebookfacebook.com/ArizonaDailyStar
• Instagramtucson.com/instagram
• Pinteresttucson.com/pinterest
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arizona-daily-star

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Arizona Daily Star