Opelika-Auburn News

What Opelika-Auburn News does

Opelika-Auburn News is a community newspaper serving Opelika, Auburn, and Lee County in east-central Alabama, operating continuously since 1890. The publication covers local breaking news, crime and courts, local government, education, high school and Auburn University athletics, obituaries, community events, and lifestyle content, and distributes that content across a website (oanow.com), iOS and Android mobile applications, a daily e-edition replica of the print paper, email newsletters, social media channels, and a podcast ('The Ethical Life'). The underlying technology platform is Blox Digital's BLOX Content Management System, which provides content management, subscription management, advertising operations, and mobile app infrastructure shared across the Lee Enterprises network.

The business operates on a direct-to-consumer go-to-market model combining digital and print subscription revenue (with 'All Access' and gift subscription tiers), advertising sold to local SMBs (display, classifieds, legal notices, jobs, cars, real estate), and transactional fees from event listings, obituary submissions, and marketplace activity. The publication is wholly owned by Lee Enterprises, Incorporated (NASDAQ: LEE), a publicly traded Delaware corporation headquartered in Davenport, Iowa, that operates more than 70 daily newspapers across the United States. Opelika-Auburn News benefits from shared corporate resources, technology, and advertising partnerships while retaining local editorial control. Content syndication partnerships with CNN, USA Today, Reuters, France 24, SNTV, and Video Elephant extend the national and international news footprint.

Name

Opelika-Auburn News

Legal name

Lee Enterprises, Incorporated

Website

https://oanow.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1890

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Opelika-Auburn News is a 135-year-old community newspaper serving Opelika, Auburn, and Lee County, Alabama, operating a digital news platform, e-edition, mobile apps, and podcasts as a subsidiary of Lee Enterprises (NASDAQ: LEE).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (51311)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Local news coverage
• Digital subscriptions
• Newspaper publishing
• Classified advertising
• Community journalism

Headquarters

HQ city

Opelika

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Digital Subscriptions: Paid digital subscriptions providing unlimited access to online content, e-edition, and exclusive subscriber features. The site operates on a freemium model with limited free access and premium paid content.
2. Print Subscriptions: Physical newspaper delivery subscriptions including home delivery and mail subscriptions.
3. Print and Digital Advertising: Advertising space sold to local businesses, including display ads, classifieds, legal notices, and branded content through Brand Ave. Studios.
4. Event Services and Marketplace: Event calendar listings, job postings, automotive marketplace, and real estate classifieds generating transaction fees.
5. Obituary Services: Paid obituary submissions and memorial services through partnerships with obituary platforms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Opelika-Auburn News is a local newspaper and digital news platform serving Opelika, Auburn, and Lee County, Alabama. It delivers hyperlocal breaking news, Auburn University and high school sports coverage, obituaries, opinion, and community content through a website, mobile apps, e-edition, email newsletters, and a print newspaper, monetized via digital and print subscriptions and local advertising.

Product overview

Opelika-Auburn News is a local digital news platform operated by Lee Enterprises, offering both free and subscription-based access to local journalism for Opelika, Auburn, and Alabama. The core product is the digital news platform (oanow.com) delivering breaking news, sports, weather, and lifestyle content. The portfolio includes an E-Edition digital replica of the print newspaper, mobile applications, podcast content including 'The Ethical Life,' obituary services, local event calendars, classifieds/marketplace, and a sponsored content division (Brand Ave. Studios). Subscription services provide 'All Access' unlimited content for subscribers. The site also supports video content through partner integrations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Opelika-Auburn News Digital Platform (oanow.com)

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and moderate.

• Lee EnterprisescoreOthersLee Enterprises is the parent company and parent organization of Opelika-Auburn News. The publication operates as part of Lee Enterprises' network of 70+ daily newspapers. Lee Enterprises provides corporate resources, advertising partnerships, technology infrastructure, and operational support.
• Video ElephantminorOthersContent syndication partnership providing video news content including sports highlights, entertainment news, and world news segments displayed on the Opelika-Auburn News website.
• CNNminorOthersContent partnership providing CNN video content syndicated to the Opelika-Auburn News platform, including feature stories and breaking news coverage.
• USA TodayminorOthersSyndicated content partnership providing USA Today news articles and video content on national topics relevant to local readers.
• ReutersminorOthersInternational news wire service providing national and world news content including political reporting, featured in Reuters-branded articles on the site.
• France 24minorOthersInternational news partnership providing France 24 video content covering world news events and international affairs.
• SNTV (Sports Video News)minorOthersSports video content partnership providing professional and international sports news coverage including tennis, football, and other sports highlights.
• GooglemoderateGTM or Marketing PartnerDigital distribution and marketing partnership through Google News and Google Discover. Lee Enterprises has an agreement to be featured as a preferred news source on Google, with SEO and content optimization for Google's platforms.
• BloX Digital (BLOX CMS)coreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology platform provider powering the Opelika-Auburn News website. BLOX Content Management System from Blox Digital provides the technical infrastructure for the news platform including content delivery, digital subscriptions, advertising management, and mobile applications.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Anniston Star: Local daily newspaper serving Anniston and Calhoun County in Alabama. Operates as a community newspaper with print and digital editions under similar business model dynamics, providing directly comparable local journalism economics in an adjacent Alabama market.
• The Tuscaloosa News: Daily newspaper serving Tuscaloosa, Alabama, with comparable coverage of the University of Alabama athletics — directly analogous to Opelika-Auburn News's Auburn University sports franchise. Same hyperlocal university-town newspaper business model.
• The Montgomery Advertiser: Alabama daily newspaper operated as part of the USA TODAY Network, covering state politics and community news. Comparable local newspaper operating model with print, digital subscription, and advertising monetization.
• AL.com (Alabama Media Group): Primary digital news platform covering Alabama statewide, including Auburn and Opelika local coverage. Directly competes for local news audience attention and digital advertising spend in the same geographic market.

Regional players

• Columbus Ledger-Enquirer: Daily newspaper serving Columbus, Georgia, immediately across the state line from the Auburn-Opelika market. Highly comparable regional newspaper business model with overlapping coverage area for the bi-state Auburn metro region.

Broad incumbents

• Lee Enterprises: Parent company of Opelika-Auburn News and operator of 70+ daily newspapers across the United States (NASDAQ: LEE). Provides the broader portfolio context and shared infrastructure that defines Opelika-Auburn News's operating economics.
• Gannett: Largest U.S. newspaper publisher (USA TODAY Network), operating hundreds of local daily newspapers with similar print/digital subscription and advertising models. Industry benchmark for local newspaper economics and digital transition trajectory.
• Tribune Publishing: Major U.S. newspaper operator (now part of Alden Global Capital's MediaNews Group) running metropolitan and local dailies. Comparable publicly-traded peer for evaluating local newspaper unit economics and digital subscription performance.

Emerging players

• Patch.com: Digital-native hyperlocal news network covering thousands of U.S. communities including local Alabama markets. Represents the digital-first competitive threat to legacy community newspapers for both reader attention and local SMB advertising.
• The Auburn Plainsman: Student-run newspaper of Auburn University covering campus and local Auburn news. Partial overlap in audience and coverage area, particularly for Auburn University sports and campus life content.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/oanow
• Facebookfacebook.com/oanow
• Instagramoanow.com/instagram
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/opelika-auburn-news

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 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 Opelika-Auburn News