What Denver Westword does

Denver Westword is a privately held digital alternative-weekly news publication headquartered in Denver, Colorado, founded in 1977 and operating as Denver Westword, LLC. It produces local journalism, reviews, and event coverage spanning news and politics, cannabis and psychedelics, food and drink, arts and culture, music (with particular emphasis on Red Rocks and the local scene), opinion, and Things To Do in the Denver metro area and Colorado more broadly. The publication also runs the annual Best of Denver reader-choice awards program across multiple consumer verticals, a Flipbook Archive of historical print issues, a Weekly WTF satirical column, and a membership program offering perks such as swag, events, and newsletters.

The company's core technology is a WordPress-based digital publishing platform with email newsletter delivery and broad social-media distribution across Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, and Threads. Supporting products include Story Console, a dedicated sponsored-content subdomain; a Promotions and free-stuff section; and multiple topic-specific newsletters (This Week's Top Stories, Insiders, Things to Do, Best of Denver). Editorial and operational scale is small — 1–10 employees — with the publication operating as part of the Voice Media Group network of alternative weeklies, which also includes Dallas Observer, Miami New Times, Phoenix New Times, and New Times Broward-Palm Beach, and which has partnered with V Digital Services for shared digital infrastructure.

Westword's revenue model is freemium and advertising-led: core content is free to readers, with display and sponsored advertising sold to local and national advertisers, dedicated sponsored-content sections (Travel Westword, Tell Your Story, Story Console), event-promotion listings, and a voluntary recurring membership program that functions as a direct reader-support stream. Geographic scope is domestic and narrowly focused on the Denver metropolitan area and Colorado, with no international footprint. No revenue, funding, headcount trend, or M&A data is publicly disclosed, and no AI/ML capabilities are evident in the platform description or product set.

Name

Denver Westword

Legal name

Denver Westword, LLC

Website

https://westword.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Advertising: Digital advertising space sold to local and national advertisers, including display ads and sponsored content placements throughout the website.
2. Membership/Support: Voluntary membership program offering exclusive benefits including swag, events, and supporter recognition in exchange for financial contributions.
3. Sponsored Content: Sponsored articles and branded content sections including Travel Westword and Tell Your Story sponsored content.
4. Event Promotions: Promotional listings and featured placement for local events, concerts, and activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Denver Westword is an alternative newsweekly and digital news publication covering local news, politics, crime, arts, music, food, drink, and entertainment in the Denver metropolitan area. Content is delivered free via its website, email newsletters, and social media, supported by advertising, sponsored content, and a voluntary membership program. The publication also operates the annual Best of Denver awards program and a digital archive of past print issues.

Product overview

Denver Westword is a news publication website covering local news, politics, crime, cannabis, arts, culture, music, food, drink, and events in Denver, Colorado. The company operates primarily through its main website (westword.com) and offers supplementary products including the Weekly WTF satirical column, a Flipbook Archive of past print issues, a membership program with exclusive perks, a sponsored content platform called Story Console, the annual Best of Denver Awards, a Promotions section with giveaways, and various email newsletters. The publication is owned by Voice Media Group.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Westword: Primary publication brand name used for the Denver-based alternative newsweekly
• Best of Denver
• Westword Insider

Products and services

• Denver Westword Website

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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 GroupcoreOthersParent company ownership structure. Voice Media Group is a national alternative weekly newspaper network that owns Denver Westword along with other major city publications including Dallas Observer, New Times Broward-Palm Beach, Miami New Times, Phoenix New Times, and V Digital Services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Pitch: Kansas City alternative weekly covering news, arts, music, and dining. Comparable format, scope, and target demographic to Denver Westword at a smaller-market scale.
• Riverfront Times: St. Louis alternative weekly covering news, music, food, and arts. Comparable alt-newsweekly format and audience, though under different ownership than Denver Westword.
• Chicago Reader: Chicago alternative weekly with deep local news, arts, and culture coverage. Directly comparable as a city-level alt-weekly targeting the same kind of urban readership and content verticals.
• Dallas Observer: Dallas-based alternative weekly under the same Voice Media Group parent, with parallel news, music, food, and arts coverage of its metro. Same business model, brand architecture, and product mix as Denver Westword.
• Austin Chronicle: Austin alternative weekly covering news, music, food, and arts. Strongly comparable in format and target reader, with a similarly heavy emphasis on live music coverage to Westword's Red Rocks focus.
• Nashville Scene: Nashville alternative weekly covering local news, music, food, and culture. Comparable editorial voice and music-vertical emphasis to Denver Westword's local music coverage.
• LA Weekly: Long-running Los Angeles alternative weekly covering news, arts, music, and food. Closely comparable in editorial format, irreverent voice, and audience proposition to Denver Westword, though operating as an independent brand.
• The Stranger: Seattle-based alternative weekly covering local news, music, arts, and culture with a similar irreverent editorial voice. Directly comparable in product format and target demographic to Denver Westword.
• Phoenix New Times: Phoenix alternative weekly owned by Voice Media Group with an analogous mix of news, dining, music, and culture coverage and a similar advertising-driven business model to Denver Westword.
• Miami New Times: Miami alternative weekly under Voice Media Group, covering local news, music, restaurants, and arts with the same alt-newsweekly format and ad-supported revenue model as Denver Westword.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/denverwestword
• Facebookfacebook.com/denverwestword
• Instagraminstagram.com/denverwestword
• TikToktiktok.com/@denverwestword
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/denver-westword-llc

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 Denver Westword