Embarcadero Media

Name

Embarcadero Media

Legal name

Embarcadero Media Foundation

Website

https://embarcaderomediagroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local News Media

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations (MPAJADAF)

Keywords

• Local journalism
• Community news
• Newspaper publishing
• Digital news media
• Nonprofit news

Headquarters

HQ city

Palo Alto

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Community Support: As a nonprofit organization, relies primarily on community donations and charitable support from foundations and major donors to fund operations and journalism.
2. Advertising: Generates revenue through local advertising across print and digital platforms.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Embarcadero Media Foundation publishes and distributes local journalism through three printed weekly newspapers, seven hyperlocal news websites, and six email newsletters serving the MidPeninsula and East Bay Tri-Valley regions of the San Francisco Bay Area. The organization covers local government, schools, police, and community institutions, and runs public events such as candidate forums and the Peninsula Restaurant Week to engage residents. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, it is funded by community donations, foundation grants, and local advertising.

Product overview

Embarcadero Media Foundation operates a multi-platform local journalism network composed of three printed weekly newspapers (Palo Alto Weekly, The Almanac, Mountain View Voice), seven hyperlocal news websites (Palo Alto Online, Pleasanton Weekly, LivermoreVine, Danville San Ramon, RWC Pulse, plus two additional sites), and six email newsletters (Express, Weekend Express, The Six Fifty, Peninsula Foodist, Tri-Valley Preps Playbook, and one additional). This portfolio serves a population of more than 500,000 people on the MidPeninsula and the East Bay's Tri-Valley regions with balanced and fact-focused local journalism.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tri-Valley Preps Playbook: Sports coverage publication for Tri-Valley area high schools
• Express
• Weekend Express
• The Six Fifty
• Peninsula Foodist

Quantifiable outcome

• 57 California Journalism Awards in 2024
• +2 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

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Berkeleyside: Bay Area-based nonprofit local news organization covering Berkeley and Oakland. Directly comparable as a hyperlocal, community-funded digital news outlet serving an adjacent Bay Area sub-market with a similar donor-supported model.
• San Jose Spotlight: Nonprofit digital news organization covering San Jose and Silicon Valley civic affairs. Closely comparable in geography (Bay Area), mission (local accountability journalism), and nonprofit funding model.
• Voice of San Diego: Pioneering nonprofit investigative local news organization covering San Diego. Directly comparable in nonprofit news model, focus on government accountability, and reliance on foundation and donor funding.
• Block Club Chicago: Nonprofit hyperlocal news organization covering Chicago neighborhoods. Comparable as a community-funded, multi-platform local news outlet with a strong civic-accountability journalism focus.
• LAist: Southern California nonprofit local news organization (affiliated with KPCC/Southern California Public Radio). Comparable as a donor- and foundation-supported local news outlet with digital, newsletter, and event-based distribution.
• CalMatters: California-focused nonprofit newsroom covering state policy and accountability. Comparable as a California-based nonprofit news organization funded by foundations and major donors, with a similar accountability-journalism mission.
• Lookout Santa Cruz: California-based digital local news outlet covering Santa Cruz County. Comparable as a digitally native, community-focused local news organization operating in a California sub-market.

Broad incumbents

• KQED: San Francisco Bay Area's primary NPR/PBS public media station. Comparable as a major Bay Area nonprofit public-media organization funded by members, foundations, and corporate sponsors, operating at much larger scale.

Emerging players

• San Francisco Public Press: Bay Area nonprofit public-interest news organization. Comparable in nonprofit local news mission and Bay Area geography, but smaller in scale and primarily focused on radio and investigative reporting.

Others

• Embarcadero Media (historical for-profit entity): The predecessor for-profit company to the current nonprofit foundation, sharing identical publications and staff. Directly relevant context for understanding the structural transition the foundation has undergone.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Embarcadero Media