Bradenton Herald

What Bradenton Herald does

Bradenton Herald is a local daily newspaper founded in 1922 that serves as the primary news source for Manatee County, Florida, and portions of adjacent Hillsborough and northern Sarasota counties. The publication is owned by McClatchy, a Sacramento-based media conglomerate, and operates from Bradenton on Florida's Gulf Coast. Its core editorial coverage spans local news, crime, weather, politics, high school and professional sports, obituaries, and community events, with established editorial sub-brands including Reality Check (fact-checking), Uniquely (distinctive local features), and Bradenton's Best (community business awards).

The product stack is built on a digital-first content management system that powers a website (bradenton.com), iOS and Android mobile applications, an e-edition digital replica, and a broad newsletter portfolio (Morning News, Evening News Update, News Alerts, Around Bradenton, Taste, Destinations, Daily Tribute, and others). Adjacent digital products include a Games & Puzzles suite, classifieds and obituary placement (via partnerships with Legacy.com and Newspapers.com), and content verticals in weather, sports, and personal finance (the latter powered by a content partnership with Money Research Collective). Print home delivery remains a core offering, covering all of Manatee County plus portions of surrounding counties.

Bradenton Herald generates revenue through three primary streams: digital subscriptions ($1.99 first month, then $15.99/month, or $159.99/year), annual print home delivery subscriptions, and advertising (display, classified, obituary, and public notices), the latter sold primarily through McClatchy's centralized advertising network. The go-to-market motion is sales-led on the subscription side (direct via website, phone at 800-748-6666, and in-person) and a mix of self-serve and channel sales on the advertising side. The primary customer segment is Manatee County residents seeking hyper-local coverage, with a secondary segment of local businesses and advertisers.

Name

Bradenton Herald

Legal name

Bradenton Herald

Website

https://bradenton.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1922

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Bradenton Herald is a 100-year-old local newspaper serving Manatee County, Florida, providing hyper-local news, sports, weather, and community coverage via digital subscriptions, print home delivery, mobile apps, and newsletters under owner McClatchy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Newspaper

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)

Keywords

• Local newspaper
• Daily news
• Community journalism
• Digital subscriptions
• Print media

Headquarters

HQ city

Bradenton

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

Revenue model

1. Digital Subscriptions: Monthly and annual digital subscription plans providing unlimited access to website content, e-edition, and mobile apps with subscriber-only content and fewer ads.
2. Print Subscriptions: Home delivery of physical newspaper covering Manatee County and portions of Hillsborough and Sarasota counties.
3. Advertising Revenue: Display advertising, classified ads, obituary placements, public notices, and celebration/classified ads through McClatchy advertising network.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Bradenton Herald is a local newspaper providing metropolitan, state, national, world, sports, business, and entertainment news to Manatee County, Florida. It monetizes through recurring digital and print subscriptions (with website access, mobile apps, and an E-Edition) and advertising, supplemented by email newsletters, online games and puzzles, classifieds, and obituary placement services.

Product overview

The Bradenton Herald is a local news publication operated by McClatchy Media, serving Manatee County, Florida since 1922. The offering consists of a core digital subscription product providing unlimited access to the newspaper's website and content, supplemented by home delivery print subscriptions, mobile applications, and the E-Edition digital newspaper. Content verticals include local news, sports coverage, weather news, personal finance, and entertainment/restaurants. The publication also offers complementary digital services including newsletter subscriptions, online games and puzzles, classifieds, obituary placement, and community features such as Reality Check (fact-checking), Uniquely (local features), and Bradenton's Best (business awards). The Money section is powered by a content partnership with Money Research Collective.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Reality Check: Editorial initiative/topic section featuring investigative or analytical reporting
• Uniquely
• Bradenton's Best

Segments2 records

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 minor and core.

• Legacy.comminorOthersObituary partnership providing obituary listings and placement services. Links to legacy.com for browsing obituaries and bradenton.obituaries.com for placing obituaries.
• Newspapers.comminorOthersArchive partnership providing historical newspaper archives access through newspapers.com.
• McClatchy AdvertisingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorParent company McClatchy manages advertising sales through winwithmcclatchy.com, providing local businesses advertising options including display ads, classifieds, political advertising, and staffing solutions.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Orlando Sentinel:
• Miami Herald: Miami Herald is McClatchy's flagship Florida newspaper, sharing parent company infrastructure, technology stack, and advertising network with Bradenton Herald. Comparable business model and subscription tiers but operates at much larger metropolitan scale.

Direct peers

• Sarasota Herald-Tribune: The Sarasota Herald-Tribune is a sister McClatchy publication covering Sarasota County, directly bordering Bradenton Herald's northern Sarasota County coverage area. Operates on the same McClatchy tech stack and shared advertising network.
• Tampa Bay Times: The Tampa Bay Times is the dominant daily newspaper serving the Tampa Bay region adjacent to Bradenton Herald's Manatee County footprint. Both publications compete for Tampa-area subscribers and advertisers, covering overlapping Southwest Florida markets.
• The Ledger (Lakeland): The Ledger serves Lakeland and Polk County, Florida, and is part of the Gannett USA Today Network. Comparable mid-sized Florida regional daily newspaper with subscription and advertising model similar to Bradenton Herald.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bradentonherald
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/bradentonHerald
• Facebookfacebook.com/bradentonheraldnews
• Instagraminstagram.com/bradentonherald
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bradenton-herald

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Bradenton Herald