The McClatchy Company
The McClatchy Company is a privately held local media company operating 30 daily newspapers across the U.S. plus a portfolio of consumer magazines, monetizing through digital and print advertising, subscriptions, and content licensing under Chatham Asset Management ownership.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1857
- HeadquartersSacramento, United States
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What The McClatchy Company does
The McClatchy Company is a privately held local news and media company that operates 30 daily newspapers across 14+ U.S. states — anchored by flagship titles such as the Miami Herald, Sacramento Bee, Kansas City Star, and Charlotte Observer — and publishes a portfolio of consumer magazines (US Magazine, Woman's World, Life & Style, Soap Opera Digest) following its 2024 acquisition of Accelerate360 and planned merger with a360media. The company was founded in 1857 in Sacramento, California and emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September 2020 under private ownership of Chatham Asset Management, a special situations hedge fund. Today, McClatchy reaches 65M+ monthly readers across all platforms and generates 330mm monthly page views and 78mm monthly unique visitors, with 67% of digital traffic coming from mobile devices.
The company's business model rests on three revenue streams: digital and print advertising (sold directly to local/regional advertisers and through a Gannett/USA TODAY partnership for national brands), digital and print subscriptions across its news brands, and content licensing. McClatchy Advertising offers a unified platform across 29-30 markets with ad-tech integrations into Atex, Google Ad Manager, and Salesforce, augmented by Mediaferry's AI-powered creative operations workflow for print, digital, and video ad production. Distribution combines owned-and-operated local newspaper websites and apps, print editions reaching 4-6M daily/Sunday readers, digital replicas, and ecosystem partnerships including an iHeartMedia co-produced podcast (Longshot) and Google ad-platform integrations.
Technology and product differentiation centers on the Content Scaling Agent (CSA), a Claude-based generative AI tool rolled out across McClatchy newsrooms in Q1 2026 to summarize and re-version reporter content for different audience segments — notable as an early production deployment of generative AI in local newsroom workflows. The company has additionally built a strategic investments portfolio in media-tech adjacencies (Plex, Stringr, RadioPublic, Engage3, Offline, Pie) and has joined peers in antitrust litigation against Google seeking damages from alleged ad-tech monopolization.
The McClatchy Company firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The McClatchy Company
- Legal name
- McClatchy Media Company, LLC
- Website
- https://mcclatchy.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1857
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- The McClatchy Company is a privately held local media company operating 30 daily newspapers across the U.S. plus a portfolio of consumer magazines, monetizing through digital and print advertising, subscriptions, and content licensing under Chatham Asset Management ownership.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The McClatchy Company industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Local Newspaper Publishing
- NAICS
- Newspaper Publishers (513110), Periodical Publishers (513120)
- SIC
- Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Subscription & Fulfillment Services (Print & Digital) (MPAJAKAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Entertainment & Celebrity Magazines (MPAJAEAK), Newsletters & Email-Based News Publishers (B2B/B2C) (MPAJADAJ)
Keywords
Where The McClatchy Company is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sacramento
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
The McClatchy Company business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Digital Advertising: Digital advertising revenue from 330mm monthly page views and 78mm monthly unique visitors. Mobile accounts for 67% of digital visits. Includes programmatic, display, and native advertising across 30 markets.
- Print Advertising: Traditional print advertising across 30 newspaper markets, reaching 4mm daily print readers and 6mm Sunday print readers, plus 7mm through print community and advertising products.
- Digital Subscriptions: Subscription revenue from digital news content, with readers subscribing through mcclatchydc.com customer service. Subscription terms governed by separate Terms of Subscription.
- Print Subscriptions: Traditional newspaper subscription revenue for print editions across 30 markets including Miami Herald, Sacramento Bee, Kansas City Star, and others.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Digital subscription plans available per publication |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
The McClatchy Company product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The McClatchy Company operates 30 local daily newspapers and affiliated digital properties across 14 U.S. states (including the Miami Herald, Sacramento Bee, Kansas City Star, and Charlotte Observer), publishes a portfolio of acquired magazines (US Magazine, Life & Style, Woman's World, Soap Opera Digest), and sells advertising through McClatchy Advertising across digital, print, and video channels reaching 78 million monthly unique visitors. It also produces the Longshot branded podcast series with iHeartMedia, licenses content via PARS International, and sells digital and print subscriptions to consumers.
Product overview
McClatchy operates a diversified local media company with two primary product lines: (1) a network of 30 local newspapers spanning from California to Florida, including flagship titles like the Miami Herald, Sacramento Bee, and Kansas City Star, plus magazine properties (Life & Style, US Magazine, Woman's World, Soap Opera Digest, Bargain Hunter); and (2) McClatchy Advertising, a multi-channel advertising platform connecting local and national advertisers to 330mm monthly page views and 78mm monthly unique visitors across 29 markets. The portfolio also includes digital subscription services, podcast content (via the Longshot/iHeartMedia partnership), and content licensing. The company also recently deployed a Content Scaling Agent AI tool for article summarization and repurposing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Local Newspaper Portfolio A portfolio of 30 daily local newspapers and affiliated digital news sites serving communities across 14 U.S. states (California, Idaho, Washington, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina), with flagship titles including Miami Herald, Sacramento Bee, Kansas City Star, Charlotte Observer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and The News & Observer. The publications deliver local accountability journalism, investigative reporting, and community news to over 65 million monthly readers.
- Magazine Publications Entertainment and lifestyle magazine brands including US Magazine, Life & Style, Woman's World, Soap Opera Digest, and Bargain Hunter, distributed nationally to consumer audiences.
- McClatchy Advertising Integrated digital and traditional advertising platform offering programmatic, display, native, print, and video ad placements to local, regional, and national advertisers across 29-30 markets. Delivers 330 million monthly page views, 78 million monthly unique visitors, 10.2 million monthly video views, and 67% mobile traffic. National advertiser sales are conducted through Gannett's USA TODAY Network sales force, providing combined access to 300 local markets and over 200 million consumers.
- Digital Subscriptions Recurring digital subscription service providing consumer access to local news content, print replica editions, and archives across McClatchy's 30 news brands. Subscription terms and customer service are managed centrally via mcclatchydc.com and a toll-free number (1-844-445-5715).
- Print Subscriptions Traditional home-delivery and single-copy print newspaper subscriptions across 30 U.S. markets reaching 4 million daily readers and 6 million Sunday readers, plus 7 million through community and advertising products.
- Content Licensing Third-party content licensing services managed through PARS International, allowing organizations to obtain reproduction rights for McClatchy journalism. Rights and reprint requests are handled centrally at 212-221-9595.
- Longshot Podcast Series Character-driven audio documentary anthology podcast co-produced with iHeartMedia and distributed through the iHeartPodcast Network, focusing on sports and social change topics.
Quantifiable outcome
- 65+ million monthly readers across all platforms
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use The McClatchy Company
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The McClatchy Company technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
AI capability5 records
Feature2 records
The McClatchy Company partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, flagship and minor.
- MediaferrycoreMediaferry provided end-to-end creative operations workflow management solution integrated with McClatchy's existing systems including Atex, Google Ad Manager, and Salesforce. Solution utilizes AI-powered tools to semi-automate production workflows for print, digital, and video advertising campaigns.
- a360mediamajorMcClatchy announced a planned merger with a360media (accelerate360), a major magazine publisher owned by Chatham Asset Management. The merger aims to combine local journalism with celebrity and lifestyle magazines, potentially tripling profits and revenues. a360media publishes Us Weekly and Woman's World.
- iHeartMediacoreCo-production partnership for 'Longshot' anthology podcast series exploring intersection of sports and social change. First season 'Return Man' distributed through iHeartPodcast Network. McClatchy provides investigative journalism while iHeartMedia provides podcast distribution and reach.
- GannettflagshipNational brands and agencies gain access to 300 local markets in the U.S. and more than 200M highly-engaged consumers through combined McClatchy and Gannett local media reach. Gannett's USA TODAY national sales team serves as go-to-market partner.
- Local Media ConsortiumminorStrategic partnership of leading local media companies working together to create new opportunities for revenue and audience growth.
- The Seattle Times CompanyminorThe Seattle Times Co. is an investment in smart growth, extending McClatchy's ability to connect with important audiences. Seattle Times publishes The Seattle Times newspaper and three affiliated newspapers in Washington state.
- PlexminorInvestment in smart growth. A new way to organize and share video, music, and photo collections with instant access on all devices.
- Engage3minorInvestment in smart growth. Engage3 is revolutionizing retail with predictive analytics and big data, changing how fast-moving consumer products are priced, bought, and sold.
- RadioPublicminorInvestment in smart growth. Digital platform founded by Public Radio Exchange for podcast subscription management.
- StringrminorInvestment in smart growth. Online marketplace enabling media content contributors to upload and submit photos, videos, and other media for licensing to media organizations.
- OfflineminorInvestment in smart growth. Leading technology platform giving people instant access to best events and experiences in their city, curated daily.
- PieminorInvestment in smart growth. Platform for discovering and creating 360 videos using 360 camera or smartphone.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The McClatchy Company competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The McClatchy Company social profiles
Digital presenceThe McClatchy Company financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The McClatchy Company leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
The McClatchy Company subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries35 records
The McClatchy Company funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The McClatchy Company M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A4 records
Investments18 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The McClatchy Company
What does The McClatchy Company do?
The McClatchy Company operates 30 local daily newspapers and affiliated digital properties across 14 U.S. states (including the Miami Herald, Sacramento Bee, Kansas City Star, and Charlotte Observer), publishes a portfolio of acquired magazines (US Magazine, Life & Style, Woman's World, Soap Opera Digest), and sells advertising through McClatchy Advertising across digital, print, and video channels reaching 78 million monthly unique visitors. It also produces the Longshot branded podcast series with iHeartMedia, licenses content via PARS International, and sells digital and print subscriptions to consumers.
Is The McClatchy Company a public or private company?
The McClatchy Company is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was The McClatchy Company founded?
The McClatchy Company was founded in 1857. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is The McClatchy Company based?
The McClatchy Company is headquartered in Sacramento, United States, in the North America region.
How does The McClatchy Company make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Digital Advertising is the primary driver. The others are print Advertising, digital Subscriptions and print Subscriptions.
Does The McClatchy Company have an API?
No public API is recorded for The McClatchy Company.
What industry is The McClatchy Company in?
The McClatchy Company's product category is Local Newspaper Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAKAB, Subscription & Fulfillment Services (Print & Digital), with a secondary code of MPAJAEAK, Entertainment & Celebrity Magazines. Its NAICS code is 513110 and its SIC code is 2711.