Kentucky living

What Kentucky living does

Kentucky Living is a regional lifestyle magazine and digital publication serving Kentucky residents, with a structurally privileged distribution channel through Kentucky Electric Cooperatives. Founded in 1951 and headquartered in Louisville, it is owned and operated by Kentucky Electric Cooperatives, a trade association representing 16 electric cooperatives across the Commonwealth. The magazine reaches over 1 million readers across 89 Kentucky counties, primarily by being delivered as a free member benefit to electric cooperative households, with additional direct subscriptions sold at $15 for one year or $25 for three years. Content spans Kentucky-specific travel, recipes, home and garden, energy, community events, and local personalities, with supporting categories including Explore, Lifestyle, Home & Garden, Cook, Energy, News, and Events published across print, the kentuckyliving.com WordPress site (built by Louisville firm Makespace), and social channels.

The business operates on three revenue streams: subscription revenue (largely indirect, since co-op members receive the magazine free), advertising sold to Kentucky-based businesses targeting Commonwealth consumers, and a small online shop selling branded merchandise such as the 2027 Kentucky Living Calendar and the $10 book "Frozen State - The Deadly Beauty of the 2009 Ice Storm." The publication is staffed by a small editorial team of 11-50 employees, led by Editor Shannon Brock (appointed 15th editor in 2023), Managing Editor Joel Sams, and Vice-President of Strategic Communications Joe Arnold, with parent-organization leadership from Chris Perry, President and CEO of Kentucky Electric Cooperatives.

There are no funding rounds, M&A activity, patents, or AI/ML capabilities disclosed. The publication's economic engine rests on a cooperative-owned distribution model rather than venture-backed or market-financed growth; revenue is not publicly disclosed and primary expansion has consisted of incremental digital channels (e-newsletter, events calendar, social media, contests) plus modest merchandise line extensions rather than horizontal or geographic expansion.

Name

Kentucky living

Legal name

Kentucky Living

Website

https://www.kentuckyliving.com/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kentucky Living is a regional lifestyle magazine owned by Kentucky Electric Cooperatives, serving over 1 million readers across 89 Kentucky counties as a free member benefit of 16 electric cooperatives, with content on Kentucky culture, travel, recipes, home & garden, and energy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Louisville

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions: Kentucky Living magazine generates subscription revenue from readers. Electric co-op members typically receive the magazine as a member benefit at no additional cost, while non-members and additional subscriptions are sold at $15 for 1 year or $25 for 3 years.
2. Advertising: The magazine sells advertising space to businesses and products targeting Kentucky consumers. The advertising page encourages reaching 'millions of readers across the Commonwealth' through the magazine and its digital properties.
3. Shop / Product Sales: The shop section sells products including the Kentucky Living Magazine Subscription, the 2027 Kentucky Living Calendar, and the book Frozen State - The Deadly Beauty of the 2009 Ice Storm ($10).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kentucky Living is a regional lifestyle magazine covering Kentucky culture, travel, recipes, home & garden, energy information, and local news. It is distributed as a member benefit to over 1 million electric cooperative households across Kentucky and is also available via paid subscription, with content published both in print and on a companion WordPress-based website.

Product overview

Kentucky Living is a lifestyle magazine publication covering Kentucky culture across multiple content categories including Explore (travel, destinations, outdoors), Lifestyle, Home & Garden, Cook (recipes), Energy, and News. The publication offers a subscription-based magazine as its core product, along with branded merchandise including calendars and books. The magazine is distributed primarily as a member benefit to electric cooperative consumers in Kentucky, though anyone can subscribe. Content includes articles on Kentucky personalities, business development, social trends, recipes, gardening tips, and local events. The publication also operates an online shop selling magazines, calendars, and specialty books.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kentucky Living Magazine Subscription A magazine subscription covering Kentucky culture, lifestyle, travel, recipes, and local news. Available as a 1-year subscription ($15) or 3-year subscription ($25), and provided as a member benefit to electric co-op members in Kentucky.
• Frozen State - The Deadly Beauty of the 2009 Ice Storm

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1 million readers served across Kentucky
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Kentucky Electric CooperativescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKentucky Living is published by Kentucky Electric Cooperatives and serves as the official magazine for Kentucky's electric cooperative network. The publication is distributed to 1.1 million co-op members across 16 cooperatives and 89 counties. The relationship is integral to both organizations — Kentucky Living serves as a member communications vehicle while Kentucky Electric Cooperatives provides the distribution channel and organizational backing.
• East Kentucky Power Cooperative (EKPC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEKPC is the wholesale power supplier for 16 electric cooperatives in Kentucky serving 1.1 million people. Kentucky Living covers EKPC news, energy policy, and grid reliability topics. EKPC content in the magazine includes CEO perspectives and co-op community stories.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Texas Co-op Power: Monthly magazine published by Texas Electric Cooperatives and distributed as a member benefit to Texas co-op households. Directly comparable state-level electric cooperative magazine with the same member-benefit distribution model and lifestyle/co-op content mix.
• Tennessee Magazine: Official magazine of the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association, distributed to members across Tennessee. Comparable in mission, distribution mechanism, and mix of state lifestyle, travel, and co-op energy content.
• Carolina Country: Publication of North Carolina's Electric Cooperatives, distributed to members statewide. Same cooperative-ownership structure and member-benefit distribution, with parallel editorial categories covering travel, food, and energy.
• Indiana Connection: Member-benefit magazine of Indiana Electric Cooperatives serving Indiana co-op households. Direct peer in co-op-affiliated state magazine publishing, with overlapping lifestyle, recipes, and energy content.
• Ohio Cooperative Living: Ohio's Electric Cooperatives' statewide member magazine, covering Ohio lifestyle, food, travel, and cooperative news. Direct functional and structural peer to Kentucky Living.
• Ruralite: Electric cooperative member-benefit magazine serving multiple cooperatives across the Pacific Northwest. Comparable in co-op distribution, lifestyle editorial, and small-team publishing structure.
• Virginia Living: State-level lifestyle magazine covering Virginia culture, food, travel, and home. Comparable in statewide lifestyle editorial scope and regional advertising model, though not co-op affiliated.

Broad incumbents

• Southern Living: Major regional lifestyle magazine covering Southern U.S. culture, food, travel, and home. Overlaps Kentucky Living's content categories and demographic but operates at a national/Southern scale as a large incumbent.
• Country Living: National lifestyle magazine with rural, home, garden, and regional culture content overlapping Kentucky Living's editorial pillars, but operating at a much larger, national scale as an established incumbent.

Regional players

• Alaska Magazine: State-level regional magazine serving a single state's audience with culture, travel, and lifestyle content. Comparable in single-state regional scope and editorial structure, though serving a different geography than Kentucky.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kentuckyliving

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Kentucky living