Santa Maria Sun
Santa Maria Sun is a privately held weekly newspaper, founded in 2000, that covers news, arts, food, and culture for residents and local businesses across Northern Santa Barbara County, monetizing through advertising, print and digital subscriptions, and reader donations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersSanta Maria, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Santa Maria Sun does
Santa Maria Sun is a privately held local weekly newspaper that has covered Northern Santa Barbara County continuously since its first issue on March 31, 2000, and currently publishes Vol. 27 on a weekly cadence. Headquartered at 801 S Broadway, Suite 3, Santa Maria, California, the publication serves residents and local businesses across Santa Maria, Lompoc, Orcutt, Guadalupe, Solvang, Buellton, and surrounding communities with news, opinion, arts and culture, food and drink, and special themed issues such as Best of NSBC and the 55 Fiction writing contest.
The core product is a print-and-digital weekly publication built on the Newspack content management system (a WordPress-based platform), distributed through a self-serve website (santamariasun.com) and field-based advertising sales. The product surface has been extended with three recurring email newsletters (News Wire, Events Wire, and Ticket Wire), the My805Tix local ticketing platform, a shared Central Coast Calendar with sister publication New Times SLO, and a library of recurring special issues and contests.
Revenue is generated through three streams: (1) display, classified, and sponsored advertising sold to local SMBs (restaurants, retailers, entertainment venues, service providers, nonprofits); (2) print and newsstand subscription and single-copy distribution; and (3) reader donations and contributions offered on one-time, monthly, and annual cadences ranging from $5 to $365 or custom amounts. The publication operates under the New Times Media Group umbrella and shares ticketing, calendar, and content resources with New Times SLO, but no parent-company financials, headcount, or detailed advertiser mix are disclosed.
Santa Maria Sun firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Santa Maria Sun
- Legal name
- Santa Maria Sun
- Website
- https://santamariasun.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Santa Maria Sun is a privately held weekly newspaper, founded in 2000, that covers news, arts, food, and culture for residents and local businesses across Northern Santa Barbara County, monetizing through advertising, print and digital subscriptions, and reader donations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Santa Maria Sun industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Local Weekly Newspaper
- NAICS
- Newspaper Publishers (513110)
- SIC
- Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)
Keywords
Where Santa Maria Sun is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Santa Maria
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Santa Maria Sun business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Print and Digital Advertising: Display advertising, classified ads, and sponsored content sold to local businesses, restaurants, entertainment venues, and service providers in the Northern Santa Barbara County region.
- Subscriptions: Weekly print publication distributed to subscribers and newsstands across Northern Santa Barbara County.
- Donations and Support: Community-supported journalism model with one-time, monthly, and annual donation options ranging from $5 to $365 or custom amounts to support independent local journalism.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | One-time donation options |
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly support options |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual support option |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Santa Maria Sun product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Santa Maria Sun is a privately held weekly newspaper and digital publication covering local news, opinion, arts, food and drink, music, and community events for Northern Santa Barbara County. It distributes a Thursday print edition complemented by a digital website, three weekly email newsletters, a shared regional event calendar with New Times SLO, the My805Tix local ticketing platform, and recurring special issues such as the Best of NSBC readers' poll and the annual 55 Fiction writing contest.
Product overview
Santa Maria Sun is a single-product local weekly newspaper that has served Northern Santa Barbara County since 2000. The publication offers a unified print and digital news product covering local news, opinion, arts, food and drink, and special themed issues. The newspaper's digital presence includes three newsletter products (Sun News Wire, Sun Events Wire, and Ticket Wire), a ticket platform (My805Tix), a community event calendar, and the 55 Fiction annual writing contest. The site is published weekly on Thursdays under the New Times Media Group umbrella.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- News Wire: A weekly newsletter delivering local news, arts, and culture stories shaping Northern Santa Barbara County every Thursday.
- Events Wire
- Ticket Wire
- The Canary
Products and services
- Santa Maria Sun Weekly Newspaper A weekly Thursday print and digital newspaper providing local news, opinion, arts, music, food and drink, and community event coverage for residents of Northern Santa Barbara County, including Santa Maria, Lompoc, Orcutt, Guadalupe, Solvang, Buellton, and Arroyo Grande.
- Sun News Wire Newsletter A weekly Thursday-morning email newsletter delivering curated Northern Santa Barbara County news and entertainment headlines to subscribers.
- Sun Events Wire Newsletter A weekly Friday-morning email newsletter providing subscribers with a preview of upcoming local arts and community events across Northern Santa Barbara County.
- Sun Ticket Wire Newsletter A weekly Wednesday email newsletter providing subscribers with ticket access and giveaways for highlighted upcoming local Northern Santa Barbara County events.
- My805Tix Local Ticketing Platform A local event ticketing service for Central Coast events operated in partnership with New Times SLO, integrated into the Santa Maria Sun website to provide readers with ticket giveaways and event access.
- Central Coast Community Calendar A shared community event calendar with New Times SLO listing Northern Santa Barbara County and Central Coast events; embedded into the Santa Maria Sun website for reader and advertiser use.
- 55 Fiction Annual Writing Contest An annual short story contest run by the Santa Maria Sun that invites 55-word fiction submissions, publishes winners in the newspaper, and collects winning entries into published books.
- Best of NSBC Readers' Poll Special Issue An annual readers' poll and special editorial issue of the Santa Maria Sun highlighting the best local businesses, restaurants, and experiences across Northern Santa Barbara County as voted by readers.
Companies that use Santa Maria Sun
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Santa Maria Sun technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Santa Maria Sun partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- New Times SLO (New Times Media Group)coreLong-standing partnership with San Luis Obispo New Times for shared Central Coast community calendar, My805Tix local ticket service, and co-branded content including the 55 Fiction short story contest and various special issues. Both publications are part of the New Times Media Group network of alternative weekly newspapers.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Santa Maria Sun competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- New Times SLO: The San Luis Obispo counterpart in the same New Times Media Group, sharing the Central Coast Calendar, My805Tix, and co-branded content (55 Fiction, New Times Music Awards). Closely comparable alt-weekly newspaper covering an adjacent Central Coast geography with the same editorial and revenue model.
- Santa Barbara Independent: Long-running Santa Barbara County weekly newspaper and online publication covering news, arts, and culture. Directly competes for regional advertising dollars and reader attention in overlapping Santa Barbara County markets.
- Noozhawk: Digital-first local news outlet serving Santa Barbara County with reporting on local news, business, sports, and lifestyle. Competes for the same Northern Santa Barbara County audience and digital advertising budgets via a more modern publishing model.
- Edhat: Santa Barbara-based digital local news and community events platform. Competes for the same hyperlocal audience and SMB advertisers through a free online classifieds and news digest format.
- Lompoc Record: Local newspaper covering Lompoc and the Santa Ynez Valley, directly overlapping with Santa Maria Sun's Northern Santa Barbara County footprint for news coverage and regional ad sales.
- Santa Maria Times: Daily local newspaper covering the Santa Maria Valley. Directly comparable in geography and target audience, with a more traditional daily news cadence versus Santa Maria Sun's weekly alt-weekly format.
Broad incumbents
- Pacific Coast Business Times: Regional business journal covering the Tri-Counties (Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Ventura). Comparable as a paid local/regional publication competing for a portion of the same regional advertising market.
- KEYT-TV (NewsChannel 3): Local TV broadcast station serving Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. Competes for local news audience share and SMB advertising in overlapping markets, though with a broadcast rather than print model.
Regional players
- KCBX Public Radio: Central Coast public radio station covering San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. Comparable as a regional audio/news outlet competing for local listener attention and underwriter support in the same geographic market.
- Coastal View News: Carpinteria-based community newspaper serving the Santa Barbara coastal corridor. Comparable hyperlocal weekly newspaper model in an adjacent sub-region of Santa Barbara County, with similar alt-weekly positioning and SMB ad base.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Santa Maria Sun social profiles
Digital presenceSanta Maria Sun financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Santa Maria Sun leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Santa Maria Sun funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Santa Maria Sun M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Santa Maria Sun
What does Santa Maria Sun do?
The Santa Maria Sun is a privately held weekly newspaper and digital publication covering local news, opinion, arts, food and drink, music, and community events for Northern Santa Barbara County. It distributes a Thursday print edition complemented by a digital website, three weekly email newsletters, a shared regional event calendar with New Times SLO, the My805Tix local ticketing platform, and recurring special issues such as the Best of NSBC readers' poll and the annual 55 Fiction writing contest.
Is Santa Maria Sun a public or private company?
Santa Maria Sun is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Santa Maria Sun founded?
Santa Maria Sun was founded in 2000. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Santa Maria Sun based?
Santa Maria Sun is headquartered in Santa Maria, United States, in the North America region.
How does Santa Maria Sun make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Print and Digital Advertising is the primary driver. The others are subscriptions and donations and Support.
Who are Santa Maria Sun's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are New Times SLO, Santa Barbara Independent, Noozhawk, Edhat, Lompoc Record and Santa Maria Times. Broad incumbents are Pacific Coast Business Times and KEYT-TV (NewsChannel 3). Regional players are KCBX Public Radio and Coastal View News.
Does Santa Maria Sun have an API?
No public API is recorded for Santa Maria Sun.
What industry is Santa Maria Sun in?
Santa Maria Sun's product category is Local Weekly Newspaper. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJADAB, Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital). Its NAICS code is 513110 and its SIC code is 2711.