The Roanoke Times

What The Roanoke Times does

The Roanoke Times is a regional newspaper company founded in 1886, headquartered at 210 Church Ave. S.W. in Roanoke, Virginia, and serving Roanoke, Southwest Virginia, and broader statewide Virginia audiences. The company is wholly owned by Lee Enterprises, Incorporated (NASDAQ: LEE), a diversified media company headquartered in Davenport, Iowa. The Roanoke Times publishes a daily print edition Tuesday through Sunday and operates the roanoke.com digital news platform, mobile applications, and an E-edition PDF replica of the print newspaper. Headcount is stated at 251-500 employees, with operational status confirmed as actively publishing.

Core technology infrastructure includes the BLOX Content Management System from Bloxdigital.com, Google DoubleClick for Publishers (DFP) for ad serving, Google Analytics and Adobe Analytics for measurement, and social authentication via Facebook Login and Google Sign-In. Product surfaces include specialty verticals such as Brand Ave. Studios (native advertising), Explore Virginia (travel), and en forme (lifestyle/health), along with podcasts (The Ethical Life, Streamed Screened) distributed across major podcast platforms.

The business model combines recurring subscription revenue (Digital Only, Digital+Print bundle, and News+ ad-free premium tiers) with multi-channel advertising (digital display, search-related, pop-up, and print classifieds/legals), transactional revenue from marketplace verticals (Jobs, Cars, general marketplace, public notices), and sponsored content via Brand Ave. Studios. Customer segments include local community readers, sports enthusiasts (with particular focus on Virginia Tech, UVa, and high school athletics), government and politics watchers, obituary/life-event users, and employment seekers. Pricing structure includes a $6.99 account setup fee for new subscribers, $35 early termination fee for balances over $35, and mandatory 21-day cancellation notice for auto-renewing subscriptions. Strategic positioning rests on local journalism, comprehensive regional sports coverage, investigative reporting, and brand legacy from continuous operation since 1886.

Name

The Roanoke Times

Legal name

Lee Enterprises, Incorporated

Website

https://roanoke.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1886

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Roanoke Times, founded in 1886 and owned by Lee Enterprises, publishes a regional daily newspaper and operates roanoke.com, mobile apps, and E-edition for Roanoke, Southwest Virginia, and statewide Virginia audiences, monetizing via digital and print subscriptions, advertising, classifieds, and sponsored content.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Newspaper Publishers (51311)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Community, Ethnic & Multilingual News Publishers (MPAJADAG)

Keywords

• Local newspaper publishing
• Digital news subscription
• Print newspaper delivery
• Regional news coverage
• Classified advertising

Headquarters

HQ city

Roanoke

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Digital Subscriptions: Revenue from digital-only subscriptions providing unlimited access to roanoke.com content on any device, including mobile app access
2. Print Subscriptions: Revenue from print newspaper delivery (Tuesday-Sunday) with optional Digital+Print bundle subscriptions
3. Digital Advertising: Revenue from online advertising including banner ads, pop-up ads, search-related advertisements, and sponsored content through Google Doubleclick for Publishers
4. Print Classifieds and Marketplace: Revenue from classified advertising including obituaries, jobs, cars, real estate, and public notices
5. E-Edition and Premium Content: Revenue from E-edition PDF replica of print edition and premium sponsored content through Brand Ave. Studios

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Roanoke Times is a regional daily newspaper publishing breaking news, local news, sports, weather, obituaries, opinion, and lifestyle content for Roanoke and Southwest Virginia. Content is distributed through print home delivery (Tuesday-Sunday), the roanoke.com website, mobile applications, an E-edition digital replica, podcasts, and email newsletters, supported by Digital Only, Digital+Print, and News+ subscription tiers and digital/print advertising.

Product overview

The Roanoke Times is a Lee Enterprises newspaper offering a multi-platform news and media portfolio. The core product is the roanoke.com website providing breaking news, local/state/national coverage, sports, weather, entertainment, and lifestyle content. The product suite includes mobile apps, an E-Edition digital replica of the print newspaper, and premium News+ subscriptions for ad-free access. Specialized content verticals include Brand Ave. Studios (sponsored content), Explore Virginia (travel), and en forme (lifestyle). The company also offers podcasts (The Ethical Life, Streamed Screened), community services (obituaries, event calendars), and classified marketplaces (jobs, cars, general marketplace). Subscriptions are available in Digital Only, Digital+Print, and premium News+ tiers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Roanoke Times Website (roanoke.com) The primary digital news platform providing breaking news, local Roanoke and Virginia news, sports, weather, entertainment, opinion, obituaries, and lifestyle coverage. Free with registration; full access requires a paid subscription.
• Mobile App

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

AI capability2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Lee EnterprisescoreOthersLee Enterprises, Incorporated is the parent company and owner of The Roanoke Times. All operations including digital infrastructure, content management (BLOX CMS), advertising technology, and corporate policies are governed by Lee Enterprises.
• CNNminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorContent partnership providing CNN video content and national/international news updates displayed on roanoke.com partner sections
• Google Doubleclick for Publishers (DFP)coreTechnology or IntegrationGoogle DFP is the primary ad network partner displaying advertisements on The Roanoke Times website, providing targeted advertising capabilities and ad serving technology
• Brand Ave. StudiosminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsored content division of Lee Enterprises that creates branded content experiences for advertisers, displayed on roanoke.com Brand Ave. Studios section
• Bloxdigital (BLOX CMS)coreTechnology or IntegrationBloxdigital provides the BLOX Content Management System powering The Roanoke Times website, enabling content publishing, digital content management, and website functionality
• USA Today NetworkminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorContent partnership providing USA Today TV/entertainment content and syndicated reporting from USA Today journalists
• The ConversationminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAcademic partnership providing research-based journalism content from university scholars for publication on roanoke.com

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• The Tennessean: USA Today Network regional daily covering Nashville with print, digital subscription, and classified marketplace models closely analogous to The Roanoke Times, but in a different regional market.
• The News & Observer (Raleigh): McClatchy-owned regional daily covering the Raleigh-Durham market with similar print, digital, classified, and subscription products — comparable in operating model but in a different geography.

Broad incumbents

• The Washington Post: National newspaper with strong regional Virginia readership; competes for Virginia-based digital subscribers, national advertising, and breaking news attention with substantially larger editorial resources.
• Tribune Publishing: Owns a portfolio of major metropolitan dailies (Chicago Tribune, New York Daily News, etc.) with comparable digital subscription, E-edition, and classified advertising products targeting local audiences.
• The New York Times: National digital subscription leader whose bundling and aggressive digital paywall strategy set industry pricing benchmarks for the kind of premium subscription (News+) The Roanoke Times now offers.
• Gannett | USA TODAY Network: Largest U.S. newspaper publisher operating hundreds of local titles plus USA Today; competes for digital advertising spend, subscription dollars, and syndicated content in overlapping markets with comparable subscription products.

Direct peers

• Richmond Times-Dispatch: Virginia's other major daily regional newspaper, also owned by Lee Enterprises, serving the Richmond market with print and digital subscription, classifieds, and local news coverage — directly comparable in product mix, distribution model, and parent backing.
• The Virginian-Pilot: Hampton Roads regional daily newspaper offering print, digital, mobile, and E-edition products with similar subscription tiers and classified marketplace — a directly comparable Virginia regional daily.
• The Daily Progress: Charlottesville-area daily newspaper owned by Lee Enterprises, with overlapping digital and print subscription products, local news focus, and content verticals — directly comparable in scale, market, and operating model.

Emerging players

• Patch: Digital-first hyperlocal news network competing for local readership and SMB advertising in the same Southwest Virginia geography with a cost structure advantage over print-legacy publishers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/roanoketimes
• Facebookfacebook.com/roanoketimes
• Instagramroanoke.com/instagram
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-roanoke-times

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 Roanoke Times