High Country News

What High Country News does

High Country News is a nonprofit independent magazine and digital news organization that produces journalism focused exclusively on the American West. Headquartered in Paonia, Colorado and operating under Colorado governing law, the publication has been continuously active since its 1970 renaming from Camping News Weekly, with its roots in 1969 founder Tom Bell's conservation-focused reporting in Lander, Wyoming. The audience is general readers, donors, and advocates interested in Western U.S. public lands, water, climate change, Indigenous affairs, and rural community issues — a persona-based, horizontal segment served through the hcn.org website, a monthly print magazine, twice-weekly email newsletters, classifieds/job listings for the outdoor and conservation sector, and a Creative Commons syndication channel.

The core product is editorial output delivered through a Newspack-based digital platform (a WordPress-derived publishing system widely used by independent newsrooms) and a print magazine distributed to subscribers. Supporting product surfaces include newsletter sign-ups, a dedicated classifieds marketplace (classifieds.hcn.org), advertising sales (display ads and self-service classifieds), and a syndication/republishing program that allows other outlets to carry HCN articles under Creative Commons terms.

The business model is direct-to-consumer and reader-supported. Revenue comes from recurring digital and print subscriptions and from reader donations and contributions, with the source data explicitly stating that reader contributions make up 75% of revenue. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; the site offers subscription trials (e.g., 2 free issues) as a conversion mechanism, and tax-deductible donations are solicited alongside subscriptions. Marketing and audience development rely on content, email newsletters, and an active presence across Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn, with no enterprise sales motion, no parent company, and no disclosed institutional or private-equity ownership.

Name

High Country News

Legal name

High Country News

Website

https://hcn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

High Country News is a Paonia, Colorado-based nonprofit magazine and digital news outlet that covers public lands, water, climate, and Indigenous affairs across the American West for a broad readership of subscribers, donors, and engaged Western-issues readers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit News Media Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Newspaper Publishers (513110)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Nonprofit journalism
• Print magazine publishing
• Digital news media
• Environmental reporting
• Reader-supported media

Headquarters

HQ city

Paonia

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, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Reader Contributions and Donations: Reader contributions make up 75% of revenue. The publication relies on donations from readers to fund independent reporting on the West.
2. Subscriptions: The organization generates revenue through both digital and print magazine subscriptions. Subscribers pay for access to in-depth reporting on Western U.S. issues.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

High Country News is a nonprofit independent magazine and digital news organization producing in-depth journalism on the American West, covering public lands, water, climate change, Indigenous affairs, and rural communities. It delivers content through a website, a monthly print magazine, email newsletters, and syndication, funded primarily by reader donations and subscriptions.

Product overview

High Country News is a nonprofit independent magazine offering unified journalism products focused on Western U.S. environmental, political, and social issues. The core offering combines a digital website platform delivering online articles and multimedia content with a monthly print magazine for subscribers. Supporting products include twice-weekly email newsletters, a classifieds/jobs marketplace, a content syndication program allowing republishing under Creative Commons licenses, and a reader-supported donations model. The publication covers topics including public lands, Indigenous affairs, water, climate change, wildlife, and community issues across the Western United States.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• High Country News Website The primary digital platform offering online journalism covering Western U.S. environmental, political, and social issues through articles, features, and multimedia content, aimed at readers interested in the American West.
• The Magazine Monthly print publication featuring in-depth reporting and analysis on Western environmental and community issues, distributed to paying subscribers.
• Newsletters Email newsletter offerings providing twice-weekly updates with on-the-ground reporting from across the West for subscribers and free sign-ups.
• Classifieds Jobs and classified advertising platform featuring employment opportunities, particularly related to outdoor, conservation, and public lands sectors.
• Content Syndication / Republishing Creative Commons licensing program allowing news organizations to republish HCN articles, essays, and feature stories for free under specified terms.
• Donations / Support Reader-supported funding model accepting tax-deductible contributions and subscription fees to fund independent journalism on the West.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Grist: Nonprofit independent media organization covering climate, environment, and sustainability. Comparable to HCN as a mission-driven nonprofit news outlet focused on environmental and climate topics with a reader-supported funding model.
• The Texas Tribune: Nonprofit statewide news organization providing in-depth reporting on Texas politics and policy. Comparable to HCN as a regional nonprofit news publisher with a donor/subscription-supported model covering Western-state-style civic and policy issues.
• The Colorado Sun: Colorado-focused nonprofit digital news outlet launched in 2018. Directly comparable to HCN as a nonprofit, reader-supported regional news organization covering Colorado and the Western U.S.
• Montana Free Press: Nonprofit statewide news outlet providing in-depth reporting on Montana policy and communities. Comparable to HCN as a donor-supported nonprofit regional news publication covering Western-state policy and civic issues.
• CalMatters: California-focused nonprofit news organization covering state policy, politics, and social issues. Comparable to HCN as a nonprofit reader-funded regional outlet covering Western-state civic and environmental topics.
• The Nevada Independent: Nonprofit nonpartisan news outlet covering Nevada politics, policy, and community issues. Directly comparable to HCN as a Western-state-focused nonprofit news organization with a donor-supported revenue model.
• The Daily Yonder: Nonprofit news organization covering rural America and small communities. Comparable to HCN as a nonprofit outlet focused on under-covered rural and regional topics with reader and foundation support.
• Arizona Mirror: Nonprofit Arizona-focused digital news outlet providing coverage of state government, politics, and policy. Directly comparable to HCN as a Western-state nonprofit news publisher with donor/subscription revenue.
• Idaho Capital Sun: Nonprofit statewide news outlet covering Idaho policy, politics, and civic affairs. Comparable to HCN as a donor-supported nonprofit regional news organization serving a Western U.S. state.

Broad incumbents

• ProPublica: Large national nonprofit investigative newsroom producing award-winning journalism. Comparable to HCN through its nonprofit funding model and investigative focus, though it operates nationally rather than regionally and at far greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/highcountrynews
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/highcountrynews
• Facebookfacebook.com/highcountrynews
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/high-country-news
• Instagraminstagram.com/highcountrynews
• TikToktiktok.com/@highcountrynews

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 High Country News