Willamette Week
Willamette Week is an independently owned Portland, Oregon alternative weekly news publication delivering investigative local journalism, arts, food, and culture coverage since 1974 across digital, print, and email channels to Portland metro residents and advertisers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1974
- HeadquartersPortland, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Willamette Week does
Willamette Week (legally City of Roses Media Company) is an independently owned alternative weekly news publication serving the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area, in operation since 1974. The company produces comprehensive local journalism across verticals including city hall, county, state government, health, schools, food, drink, music, arts, movies, and books, distributed through a digital news website, weekly print editions archived on FlipHTML5, a daily email newsletter, RSS feeds, and an active presence across major social platforms.
The core product is the wweek.com news website, supported by an Arc Publishing-hosted CMS, Google Analytics for traffic monitoring, and FlipHTML5 for digital print edition archive access. Adjacent products include the WW Store for branded merchandise, the Friends of Willamette Week (FOWW) recurring membership program, the annual Give!Guide charitable giving campaign connecting donors with Portland-area nonprofits, and a community events calendar. The team, based in NW Portland under a hybrid work model, consists of a small core staff of approximately 17-18 members led by Publisher Anna Zusman and Editor Aaron Mesh, covering editorial, advertising sales, circulation, creative, and membership functions.
Revenue is generated across four principal streams: local business advertising (the largest stream, sold via a dedicated ad sales team across multiple editorial sections), print and digital subscriptions, sponsored or promotional content (including branded guides and partner sections), and merchandise sales through the WW Store. The company also benefits from reader-supported donations through the FOWW membership and Give!Guide campaign infrastructure. Customer base is dual: Portland-metro residents consuming content via digital, print, and newsletter channels, and local businesses purchasing advertising or sponsored partnerships to reach that audience.
Willamette Week firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Willamette Week
- Legal name
- City of Roses Media Company
- Website
- https://wweek.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1974
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Willamette Week is an independently owned Portland, Oregon alternative weekly news publication delivering investigative local journalism, arts, food, and culture coverage since 1974 across digital, print, and email channels to Portland metro residents and advertisers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Willamette Week industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Local News Publishing
- NAICS
- Newspaper Publishers (513110)
- SIC
- Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)
Keywords
Where Willamette Week is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Portland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Willamette Week business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Advertising: Local business advertising across multiple categories including City, County, State, Health, Schools, Culture, Food, Drink, and Music sections. Revenue from display ads, classifieds, and promotional content.
- Subscriptions: Print and digital subscriptions providing ongoing revenue. Includes 'Friends of Willamette Week' membership program and support donations.
- Sponsored/Promotional Content: Partner content and promotional features such as the 'All In' gambling section and 'Oregon Adventure Hot List' guides that generate promotional revenue.
- Merchandise Sales: WW Store sells merchandise including publications and branded items.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Three-month summer internships with $500/month stipend |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Willamette Week product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Willamette Week is a Portland-based alternative weekly newspaper and digital media company that publishes local investigative journalism, news, arts, culture, food, drink, and music coverage. The company distributes content through a news website, print editions, email newsletters, social media channels, and a paid events calendar, monetizing through advertising, subscriptions, memberships, merchandise sales, and charitable giving campaigns.
Product overview
Willamette Week is a local Portland news publication operating as a single unified news platform with supporting reader engagement and commerce modules. The core offering is the news website delivering reporting across City, County, State, Health, Schools, Culture, Food, Drink, Music, and Arts categories. The publication also offers digital print editions via Fliphtml5, the WW Store for merchandise, the annual Give!Guide charitable campaign, the Friends of Willamette Week membership program, and a community events calendar.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Willamette Week News Website The flagship digital news property delivering local investigative journalism, news, arts, culture, food, drink, and music coverage to Portland metro readers.
- Print Editions Weekly printed newspaper and digital flipbook editions delivering Willamette Week's journalism to subscribers and newsstand readers in the Portland metro area.
- WW Store
Quantifiable outcome
- Local journalism impacts that change laws, force action by civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office
Companies that use Willamette Week
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Willamette Week technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Willamette Week partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- PadSplitminorPadSplit is an Atlanta-based home-sharing listing platform company. The City of Portland, in collaboration with Willamette Week's coverage of Mayor Wilson's initiatives, partnered with PadSplit for a home-sharing pilot program where Portland homeowners can list spare bedrooms for rent.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Willamette Week competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Street Roots: Portland-based street newspaper covering local news, social justice, and community issues. Direct regional competitor for Portland readership, advertising share, and mission-driven local journalism positioning.
- Chicago Reader: Chicago alt-weekly covering local news, arts, and culture. Shares the same alt-weekly editorial DNA and single-city focus as Willamette Week, with a similar mix of investigative journalism and lifestyle coverage.
- The Stranger: Seattle alt-weekly covering news, arts, food, and music with a strong investigative voice. Closest analog in business model, editorial positioning, and weekly publication cadence to Willamette Week.
- Portland Monthly: Portland-focused monthly magazine covering city news, restaurants, and culture with print and digital editions. Direct alt-media peer serving the same Portland consumer and local advertiser base with a similar high-touch editorial voice.
- Riverfront Times: St. Louis alt-weekly news and culture publication. Comparable weekly cadence, mix of investigative reporting and lifestyle content, and independent-for-profit model to Willamette Week.
- Austin Chronicle: Independently-owned alt-weekly in Austin covering news, arts, food, and music. Closest peer on ownership structure (independent, for-profit, parent company: Glass Conti) and editorial mix to Willamette Week.
- Portland Mercury: Portland alt-weekly published by Index Publishers (defunct as of 2024, but historically a direct competitor). Closest historical analog as a Portland-based alt-weekly with overlapping coverage and competing alt-weekly voice; relevant for benchmarking audience overlap.
Broad incumbents
- The Oregonian / OregonLive: Portland's dominant daily newspaper (legacy Advance Local/East Oregonian property) covering the same metro. Shares advertisers and readers but operates at much larger scale with a daily news cycle and broad regional coverage.
- Pamplin Media Group (Portland Tribune): Portland-based community newspaper group including Portland Tribune and suburban papers. Competes directly for hyper-local news and small-business advertising across the Portland metro.
Others
- Willamette Collegian: Willamette University student newspaper, local to the Pacific Northwest ecosystem but focused on higher-ed coverage rather than city alt-weekly news. Adjacent for talent overlap and regional brand affinity.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Willamette Week social profiles
Digital presenceWillamette Week financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Willamette Week leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Willamette Week funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Willamette Week M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Willamette Week
What does Willamette Week do?
Willamette Week is a Portland-based alternative weekly newspaper and digital media company that publishes local investigative journalism, news, arts, culture, food, drink, and music coverage. The company distributes content through a news website, print editions, email newsletters, social media channels, and a paid events calendar, monetizing through advertising, subscriptions, memberships, merchandise sales, and charitable giving campaigns.
Is Willamette Week a public or private company?
Willamette Week is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Willamette Week founded?
Willamette Week was founded in 1974. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Willamette Week based?
Willamette Week is headquartered in Portland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Willamette Week make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Advertising is the primary driver. The others are subscriptions, sponsored/Promotional Content and merchandise Sales.
Who are Willamette Week's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Street Roots, Chicago Reader, The Stranger, Portland Monthly, Riverfront Times, Austin Chronicle and Portland Mercury. Broad incumbents are The Oregonian / OregonLive and Pamplin Media Group (Portland Tribune). Willamette Collegian is listed as an others.
Does Willamette Week have an API?
No public API is recorded for Willamette Week.
What industry is Willamette Week in?
Willamette Week's product category is Local News Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJADAB, Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital). Its NAICS code is 513110 and its SIC code is 2711.