What Phoenix New Times does

Phoenix New Times is an employee-owned alternative weekly newspaper and digital news publication serving the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area, founded in 1970 and operating under Voice Media Group, which has been employee-owned since a 2013 management buyout. The publication covers local news (politics, courts, crime, education, housing, immigration), arts and culture, music, food and drink, cannabis, opinion, and an annual Best of Phoenix awards franchise spanning 70+ categories. Its flagship digital property, phoenixnewtimes.com, attracts over 1 million monthly active users, supplemented by a weekly print edition reaching 100,000+ readers and email newsletters distributed across multiple verticals.

The publication was an early mover in digital alt-weekly journalism, restructuring its workflow in the late 1990s to publish stories web-first, which effectively converted the newsroom into a daily operation. There is no proprietary technology platform underpinning the publication; the technical surface consists of a standard content website, six social media profiles (Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, Bluesky, Threads), email newsletter infrastructure, and a digital flipbook archive of historical print issues. The technology field in source data explicitly notes no proprietary platform has been identified.

Phoenix New Times monetizes through four streams: traditional advertising (display, classifieds, sponsored content via its "Tell Your Story" section), a reader-supported membership program launched in 2020 accepting one-time gifts or recurring contributions, sponsored editorial placements, and V Digital Services — an in-house full-service marketing agency operating as a Google Premier Partner ranked in the top 3 percent of Google Partners, selling SEO, paid media, social media management, web development, and pay-per-click services to business clients. The go-to-market is hybrid: direct-to-consumer via digital and print distribution, community-led via reader membership and engagement, and B2B via V Digital Services. The publication is privately held, has no disclosed venture capital or private equity backing, and operates from a single headquarters in Phoenix.

Name

Phoenix New Times

Legal name

Phoenix New Times, LLC

Website

https://phoenixnewtimes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Phoenix New Times is an employee-owned alternative weekly newspaper and digital news outlet founded in 1970 in Phoenix, Arizona. It serves Phoenix metro residents with local news, arts, dining, cannabis, and culture coverage, monetizing through advertising, reader memberships, and V Digital Services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local News Media

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (51311), Advertising Agencies (541810)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)

Keywords

• Alternative weekly newspaper
• Local journalism
• Digital news media
• Arts and culture reporting
• Reader-supported membership

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising: Traditional advertising sales across website and print publications, including display ads, classifieds, and promotional placements.
2. Membership/Donations: Reader-supported membership program launched in 2020, accepting one-time gifts or recurring contributions to support journalism.
3. Sponsored Content: Sponsored content and Tell Your Story sections featuring promotional articles from local businesses.
4. V Digital Services: In-house full-service marketing company (V Digital Services) serving business clients seeking digital space success; Google Premier Partner providing SEO, paid media, social media, web development, and pay-per-click advertising.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Phoenix New Times is an alternative weekly newspaper and digital news publication covering local news, politics, arts, dining, music, and culture in the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area. The company distributes a print edition every Thursday and operates a continuous digital news website, supplemented by newsletters, a mobile app, podcasts, a Best of Phoenix annual awards franchise, and a reader-supported membership program. It also runs V Digital Services, an in-house full-service marketing agency offering SEO, paid media, and web development to external business clients.

Product overview

Phoenix New Times operates a single unified product offering as an alternative weekly publication and digital news organization. The core product encompasses both the print alt-weekly publication (founded in 1970) and its digital counterpart at phoenixnewtimes.com, which attracts over 1 million monthly active users. The publication expanded its reader-supported model with a membership program launched in 2020. The company also operates V Digital Services as an in-house marketing arm offering digital services to business clients, while Best of Phoenix represents its annual flagship guide product featuring Top 100 Restaurants and Top 100 Bars lists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Best of Phoenix: Annual Best of Phoenix issue featuring readers' choice awards for local businesses, restaurants, bars, and entertainment in the Phoenix metro area.
• Top 100 Restaurants
• Top 100 Bars
• V Digital Services

Products and services

• Phoenix New Times Weekly Newspaper Print alternative weekly newspaper covering Phoenix-area news, politics, arts, dining, music, and culture, distributed every Thursday throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area. Targeted at urban Phoenix adults seeking independent local journalism and cultural coverage.
• Phoenix New Times Digital News Website Continuously updated digital news site at phoenixnewtimes.com covering local news, politics, food, arts, music, and culture for Phoenix-area readers. The primary online destination for the publication's journalism and audience engagement.
• Best of Phoenix Annual Awards Annual reader-voted awards franchise recognizing the best restaurants, bars, shops, and cultural venues in Phoenix. Drives recurring audience engagement and serves as a major advertising and event-sponsorship property.
• Reader-Supported Membership Program Membership program introduced in 2020 enabling Phoenix-area readers to financially support the publication in exchange for perks, while diversifying revenue beyond advertising.
• Paid Newsletters (e.g., The Cobweb) Subscription email newsletters offering curated local news, culture, and commentary to paying subscribers as a direct-revenue product.
• Phoenix New Times Podcasts Original podcasts covering Phoenix news, culture, and city life, distributed to listeners as on-demand audio content. Examples named in the source material include Best of Phoenix and Feels Nice.
• Branded Live Events (e.g., Iron Fist Award) Live ticketed events tied to the Best of Phoenix franchise and other editorial properties, used for audience engagement and sponsorship revenue.
• V Digital Services In-house full-service digital marketing agency operated by Phoenix New Times' parent company, providing SEO, paid media, social advertising, and web development to external business clients seeking digital growth.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1 million+ monthly active users on phoenixnewtimes.com
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Voice Media GroupcoreOthers · 1 January 2013Phoenix New Times is part of Voice Media Group, a national network of alternative weekly publications. In 2013, a group of longtime employees purchased New Times' parent company Voice Media Group from its original owners, whose success in Phoenix had led them to build the nation's largest chain of alternative weekly publications.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Dallas Observer: Sister publication under Voice Media Group covering Dallas with the same alt-weekly news + arts + dining editorial model, sharing parent company structure, V Digital Services resources, and audience scale dynamics comparable to Phoenix New Times.
• Denver Westword: Voice Media Group sister alt-weekly serving Denver with parallel coverage of news, music, dining, and cannabis, and co-located V Digital Services revenue operations nearly identical to Phoenix New Times.
• Miami New Times: Voice Media Group alt-weekly for the Miami metro operating the same print + digital + membership + Best Of franchise playbook as Phoenix New Times, making it a directly comparable peer in audience, revenue model, and editorial mix.
• Broward-Palm Beach New Times: Voice Media Group alt-weekly covering South Florida with the same editorial structure, membership program, and Best of franchise as Phoenix New Times, validating a direct peer relationship on revenue mix, scale, and operating model.
• LA Weekly: Long-running independent alt-weekly covering Los Angeles with parallel editorial coverage of news, arts, dining, and culture, and a directly overlapping advertiser and reader base to Phoenix New Times within the alt-weekly category.
• Houston Press: Established alt-weekly serving the Houston metro with identical mix of local news, arts, dining, and culture coverage, comparable weekly print + daily digital publishing cadence, and a similar competitive set to Phoenix New Times.
• Chicago Reader: Iconic alt-weekly serving Chicago with the same news + arts + dining editorial template and an independent ownership model that mirrors Phoenix New Times' mission-aligned, reader-supported approach.
• The Village Voice: Historic alt-weekly now operating as a digital publication with a parallel editorial mix of investigative news and arts criticism, and an overlapping national audience of alt-weekly readers.
• Riverfront Times: St. Louis alt-weekly with the same weekly print + daily digital alt-weekly model, comparable Best Of franchise, and overlapping advertiser categories to Phoenix New Times.

Broad incumbents

• Arizona Republic: Gannett-owned mainstream daily newspaper serving the same Phoenix metropolitan market, competing with Phoenix New Times for local news audience share and advertising dollars at much greater scale through azcentral.com.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/phoenixnewtimes
• Facebookfacebook.com/phoenixnewtimes
• Instagraminstagram.com/phoenixnewtimes
• TikToktiktok.com/@phoenixnewtimes
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/phoenix-new-times

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 Phoenix New Times