The Union Democrat

Name

The Union Democrat

Legal name

Union Democrat

Website

https://uniondemocrat.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1854

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Newspaper Publishers (51311), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)

Keywords

• Local newspaper publishing
• Community journalism subscriptions
• Classified advertising sales
• Print and digital media
• Obituaries and death notices

Headquarters

HQ city

Sonora

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Print Subscriptions: Carrier delivery and mail delivery subscription services for the print newspaper, published Tuesday through Saturday, reaching 12,500 readers daily.
2. Digital Subscriptions: E-Edition access and unlimited digital access to articles on uniondemocrat.com. All-Access subscriptions combine home delivery with digital access.
3. Print Advertising: Retail advertising sales and classified advertising sales targeting local businesses, individuals selling goods and services, employers with job openings, and real estate transactions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Union Democrat is a community newspaper that publishes a print edition Tuesday through Saturday covering local news, sports, obituaries, government, and events for Tuolumne and Calaveras counties. It sells print and digital subscriptions—including an All Access bundle combining home delivery, e-Edition, and website access—and monetizes retail and classified advertising sold to local businesses and individuals. Supplementary products include special themed publications, photo galleries, death notices, local weather, and the Newspaper in Education program.

Product overview

The Union Democrat is a traditional newspaper publisher operating a multi-platform news organization. The company offers a single print newspaper product (print edition published Tuesday through Saturday) complemented by two primary digital subscription tiers: the All Access Subscription (combining print delivery with e-Edition and website access) and the Total Digital Subscription (website and e-Edition only). Supporting digital services include the uniondemocrat.com website, online classifieds, local weather, death notices, and a collection of special themed publications including the Weekender, UDTV Magazine, and various seasonal and community-focused supplements. The company does not operate a modular or platform-based product architecture; its offerings are organized around print and digital subscription tiers with ancillary service features.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• UDTV Magazine: Special publication covering television and entertainment content
• Weekender
• Newspaper in Education (NIE) Program

Products and services

• The Union Democrat Print Edition Traditional print newspaper published Tuesday through Saturday, serving Tuolumne and Calaveras counties with local news, sports, obituaries, and classifieds. Reaches more than 12,500 daily print readers.
• All Access Subscription Combined home delivery and digital subscription offering print newspaper Tuesday through Saturday plus E-Edition and unlimited website access. Available with carrier delivery starting at $25 for 30 days (12-month at $300) or mail delivery (12-month at $360).
• Total Digital Subscription Digital-only subscription providing unlimited access to uniondemocrat.com articles and the E-Edition for $12.50 per month. Includes a 3-month option at $37.50.
• E-Edition Digital replica of the print edition accessible through the PressReader platform, included with All Access and Total Digital subscriptions.
• uniondemocrat.com Website News website providing local news, sports coverage, obituaries, death notices, photo galleries, classifieds, and multimedia content, with approximately 500,000 monthly page views and ad-supported free article access for non-subscribers.
• Classified Advertising Classified advertising platform covering real estate, property for rent, cars and vehicles, jobs, items for sale, pets, auctions and estate sales, services, legal notices, and personals. Sold via direct retail/classified advertising sales team.
• Retail Display Advertising Retail display advertising in the print newspaper and on uniondemocrat.com, sold by the advertising sales team to local businesses, employers, real estate professionals, and other advertisers.
• Special Publications Themed print and digital supplements including Active Living, Discover Highway 108, Discover Highway 120, Explore the Mother Lode, Football Playbook, Home and Garden Show, How to Choose, Know It All, Letters to Santa, Mother Lode Fair Program, Readers' Choice, Saluting Our Veterans, Sonora Chamber Magazine, UDTV Magazine, and Weekender.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reaches 12,500 readers daily across the Mother Lode region
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Modesto Bee: Regional California newspaper serving the Modesto/Central Valley area with print and digital subscriptions, local news coverage, and classified advertising—directly comparable business model to The Union Democrat at a larger scale in an adjacent California market.
• The Sacramento Bee: Major regional California newspaper providing print and digital news to the Sacramento metropolitan area. Operates an identical subscription and advertising model to The Union Democrat but at significantly larger scale, serving as a relevant comparison for operational and digital strategy benchmarks.
• Calaveras Enterprise: Local community newspaper serving Calaveras County in California's Sierra foothills, one of the two counties The Union Democrat covers. Directly competes for local news coverage and advertising dollars in the overlapping Calaveras County market.
• The Sonora Herald: Founded in 1850 as the first newspaper in Gold Rush Tuolumne County, predating The Union Democrat. Directly competes in the Sonora/Tuolumne County local news market with overlapping coverage of government, community events, and local advertising.
• The Fresno Bee: Another McClatchy regional California newspaper with print, digital subscriptions, and local advertising sales—offering a comparable multi-platform newspaper business model in California's Central Valley adjacent to The Union Democrat's market.
• Aspen Daily News: Independent small-market community newspaper in mountain/rural geography similar to The Union Democrat's Sierra foothills market. Comparable in scale (small staff, print + digital, local advertising dependence) and rural community positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Lee Enterprises: Large publicly-traded local newspaper publisher operating dozens of daily newspapers across the U.S. with print, digital subscription, and advertising revenue streams. Comparable in business model (subscription + advertising) but operates a much larger portfolio of local titles.
• Gannett Co. Largest U.S. newspaper publisher operating hundreds of local publications including USA Today. Operates identical print subscription, digital subscription, and advertising business model to The Union Democrat across a national footprint, providing industry benchmark.

Regional players

• Mother Lode Press: Regional newspaper covering portions of the Mother Lode/Sierra Nevada region in California. Operates as a community-focused newspaper with print and digital offerings in geography adjacent to or overlapping with The Union Democrat's coverage area.

Others

• PressReader: Digital news aggregation and e-Edition platform used by The Union Democrat to host its e-Edition product. Serves as a key technology partner and ecosystem enabler for digital newspaper distribution rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/uniondemocrat
• Facebookfacebook.com/theuniondemocrat
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/union-democrat

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 The Union Democrat