The Shawnee News-Star

What The Shawnee News-Star does

The Shawnee News-Star is a privately held local newspaper serving Shawnee and Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, operating under parent company CherryRoad Media. The publication delivers hyperlocal news, high school sports coverage, community events, lifestyle content, opinion, classifieds, and obituaries through both a digital news website (news-star.com) and a print edition delivered by mail and at retail. Its core technology is a digital news platform with WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility compliance, supplemented by an e-type services-powered classifieds portal and a Legacy.com-powered obituaries workflow. The company hosts the annual Best of Tri-County Area Preps awards gala, a ten-year-old sponsored community event that functions as both editorial flagship and advertising vehicle.

The business model rests on three revenue streams: recurring digital and print subscriptions (sold via news-star.com/plans/), local display and sponsored-content advertising from area SMBs, and classifieds/legal notices. Distribution is multi-channel: self-serve digital subscriptions, mail and single-copy print delivery, and event-based community engagement with partners including Citizen Potawatomi Nation, BancFirst, SSM Health, and Shawnee Forward. The customer base is geographically segmented — local households for subscriptions and local businesses for advertising — with no disclosed enterprise or national advertisers.

The operation is small (1-10 employees), led by Editor Kim Morava (since 1998, multiple SPJ/AP/Oklahoma Press Association first-place awards). Recent operating activity includes a May 2026 website redesign and the 10th annual Preps gala in June 2026. No funding rounds, M&A, or leadership changes are disclosed; the publication has been held by CherryRoad Media since CherryRoad entered the media space in 2020.

Name

The Shawnee News-Star

Legal name

Shawnee News-Star

Website

https://news-star.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Newspaper

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110)

akta.pro primary industry

News & Content Aggregation Portals (BPAMAAAI)

Keywords

• Local newspaper
• Community journalism
• News subscription
• Classified advertising
• Digital news

Headquarters

HQ city

Shawnee

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

Revenue model

1. Subscription Revenue: The newspaper generates revenue through paid digital and print subscriptions. Subscribers can access premium content through paid plans.
2. Advertising: Local businesses advertise through display ads, sponsored content, and special section placements throughout the newspaper and website.
3. Classifieds: The classifieds section includes obituaries, jobs, legal notices, and general classified advertisements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Shawnee News-Star is a local newspaper providing hyperlocal news, sports, community, lifestyle, and opinion coverage for Shawnee, Oklahoma and Pottawatomie County. It operates a digital-first news website at news-star.com alongside print newspaper distribution, and offers supplementary services including classified advertising, obituaries, digital issue archives, and paid subscription plans for digital and print content access.

Product overview

The Shawnee News-Star is a local digital-first newspaper operated by CherryRoad Media, serving Shawnee and Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma. The publication offers a comprehensive digital news platform featuring News, Sports, Community, Lifestyle, and Opinion coverage, supplemented by classifieds, obituaries, and digital issue archives. The company hosts the annual Best of Tri-County Area Preps awards gala since 2016, recognizing high school athletes and students. The Shawnee News-Star's product portfolio includes its core digital news website, classified advertising services, obituary services, and subscription-based content access. The company recently underwent a website redesign in May 2026 to improve readability and visual appeal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Shawnee News-Star Digital News Platform Primary digital news website providing local news coverage across News, Sports, Community, Lifestyle, and Opinion categories for Shawnee and Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma. Includes a WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility toolbar and subscription sign-up options.
• Classifieds Online classified advertising service for jobs, real estate, legal notices, and other categories, powered by the e-type services platform.
• Obituaries Obituary submission and browsing service for the Shawnee News-Star service area, integrated with Legacy.com for distribution.
• Digital Issues Archive Digital archive of newspaper issues and special editions available online to readers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Best of Tri-County Area Preps awards program has operated since 2016, reaching its 10th annual gala in 2026

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• Citizen Potawatomi Nation (CPN)majorGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 June 2026Citizen Potawatomi Nation partners with the newspaper for multiple programs including the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Male Athlete of the Year award, Student of the Year scholarship program ($5K), and Nurse of the Month sponsored content. CPN Vice-Chairman Linda Capps has 36 years of service to the tribe.
• BancFirstmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 June 2026BancFirst sponsors the Slow-Pitch Softball Player of the Year award at the Best of Tri-County Area Preps gala, demonstrating community banking support for local student athletes.
• Sovereign BankmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 June 2026Sovereign Bank sponsors the Soccer Players of the Year award at the Best of Tri-County Area Preps gala, supporting recognition of local student athletes.
• A/C DoctorsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 June 2026A/C Doctors sponsors the Baseball Player of the Year award at the Best of Tri-County Area Preps gala.
• Communication Federal Credit UnionminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 June 2026Communication Federal Credit Union sponsors the Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year award at the Best of Tri-County Area Preps gala.
• CherryRoad MediacoreOthersCherryRoad Media is the parent company of The Shawnee News-Star. The technology company founded in 1983 entered media in 2020 under CEO Jeremy Gulban. CherryRoad provides technology infrastructure and business support to the newspaper while maintaining local journalism operations.
• SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital - ShawneeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSSM Health St. Anthony Hospital - Shawnee partners with the newspaper for the Nurse of the Month program, with hospital staff featured in monthly recognition stories.
• Chick-fil-A ShawneeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerChick-fil-A sponsors the Difference Maker award at the Best of Tri-County Area Preps, recognizing seniors who make a difference in the community.
• Shawnee Forward Chamber of CommercemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerShawnee Forward is a key community partner that collaborates with the newspaper on business coverage, economic development stories, and community events. The organization celebrates ribbon cuttings and local business growth.
• Pottawatomie County Advocates for Voter Education (PAVE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPAVE conducts candidate forums with the newspaper covering elections for county commissioner, district attorney, and city commission seats, providing voter education content.
• Legacy.comminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLegacy.com provides obituary distribution services for the Shawnee News-Star, with obituaries accessible through their platform.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Enid News & Eagle: Daily newspaper serving Enid and Garfield County, Oklahoma. Operates the same subscription + advertising + classifieds mix for a single regional city, making it a directly comparable small-market Oklahoma daily.
• Tahlequah Daily Press: Cherokee County, Oklahoma daily newspaper providing hyperlocal news, sports, and government coverage to a similar small-market Oklahoma community. Closely comparable in business model and audience.
• The Norman Transcript: Local daily newspaper covering Norman, Oklahoma and Cleveland County, with the same digital-plus-print hyperlocal product orientation. Closely aligned business model within the same state media ecosystem.
• Ponca City News: Small-market Oklahoma daily serving Ponca City and Kay County with local news, sports, and classifieds. Closely comparable in scale, geographic scope, and revenue mix to The Shawnee News-Star.
• Stillwater News-Press: Daily local newspaper covering Stillwater, Oklahoma (Payne County), serving a similar small-to-mid Oklahoma city with hyperlocal news, sports, and classifieds. Comparable in scale, model, and editorial scope to The Shawnee News-Star.

Broad incumbents

• Gannett Co., Inc. Largest U.S. local newspaper chain operating hundreds of community dailies including multiple Oklahoma titles. Competes for the same SMB local advertising budgets and digital subscription dollars, though with vastly broader scale and resources.
• Paxton Media Group: Kentucky-based local newspaper chain operating community dailies across multiple U.S. states. Comparable subscriber- and ad-driven community newspaper model at scale, competing in the same SMB local ad market.
• Ogden Newspapers: Family-owned U.S. newspaper group operating community dailies across multiple states. Comparable hyperlocal community newspaper model with a multi-property operating platform similar to CherryRoad Media.
• Lee Enterprises: U.S. local newspaper group operating community dailies across the Midwest and South, including several Oklahoma titles. Directly comparable business model (subscription + advertising) at meaningfully larger scale.
• Tribune Publishing: U.S. media company operating regional and local newspapers across multiple markets. Competes for the same hyperlocal digital subscription and local display advertising demand, though with broader geographic reach and premium brand titles.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/shawneenewsstar
• Facebookfacebook.com/ShawneeNewsStar
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shawnee-news-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 The Shawnee News-Star