Tribune-Star News

What Tribune-Star News does

Tribune-Star is a daily local newspaper serving Terre Haute and Vigo County, Indiana, with continuous publication dating to 1854. It functions as the primary community news source for the region, covering local government, schools, sports, business, and community events. The publication operates across multiple distribution channels including a legacy print edition, a website built on the BLOX Content Management System, a mobile application, e-paper, SMS text alerts, and email newsletters distributed via a Constant Contact integration. Reader engagement features such as puzzles and games have been introduced to support digital retention.

The business model is a traditional community newspaper revenue stack: paid print and digital subscriptions, display and classified advertising, special publications, and sponsored content arrangements with local advertisers such as Dorsett Automotive. Tribune-Star operates as a subsidiary within CNHI LLC (Community Newspaper Holdings Inc.), a Montgomery, Alabama-based media company that owns a portfolio of community newspapers. The newspaper employs 51-100 staff in editorial, advertising, production, and circulation roles.

The company faces structural headwinds common to the US local newspaper industry, including multi-year declines in print circulation and advertising revenue. Its strategic response has been a measured digital pivot rather than aggressive expansion: no new geographic markets, vertical diversification, or significant product diversification beyond digital delivery formats have been identified. There is no disclosed AI or advanced technology capability, no recent funding rounds (operating under parent company CNHI's balance sheet), and no public M&A or partnership transactions beyond operational integrations and local advertiser relationships.

Name

Tribune-Star News

Legal name

CNHI LLC

Website

https://tribstar.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1854

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Tribune-Star is a community daily newspaper serving Terre Haute and Vigo County, Indiana, operating across print, web, mobile, and e-paper channels. It generates revenue from subscriptions, advertising, classifieds, and sponsored content as a subsidiary of CNHI LLC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Local newspaper publishing
• Digital news subscriptions
• Community news coverage
• Classified advertising
• Print media services

Headquarters

HQ city

Terre Haute

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Print and Digital Subscriptions: Home delivery subscriptions and digital-only e-paper subscriptions for local news, sports, weather, and community content
2. Advertising: Display advertising, classifieds, newspaper ads, and premium text ads as well as sponsored breaking news content from local business partners
3. Classifieds and Marketplace: Job listings, auto classifieds, real estate listings, garage sales, public notices, and obituary placements
4. Special Publications and Guides: Specialty publications including Terre Haute Living magazine, Readers' Choice guides, Senior Expo Guide, College & Careers Guide, and City/Visitor Guide

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Tribune-Star News is a local newspaper and digital news platform serving Terre Haute, Indiana and Vigo County. It publishes daily local news, sports, weather, community events, opinion columns, and obituaries through a print edition, website, mobile app, e-paper, text alerts, and email newsletters. It also operates an online classifieds marketplace and produces special publications such as Terre Haute Living magazine and city/visitor guides.

Product overview

Tribune-Star News is a local digital news platform providing comprehensive coverage of Terre Haute, Indiana and surrounding areas. The offering consists of the core Tribune-Star News Website powered by BLOX Content Management System, complemented by an E-Paper digital edition, mobile applications, Text Alert and Newsletter services for notifications, an online Classifieds marketplace, Weather forecasting, and interactive Puzzles and Games. The platform covers local news, sports, community events, opinion columns, photo galleries, video content, and obituaries, serving as the primary digital information source for Vigo County residents.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tribune-Star News Website Primary digital news platform providing local news, sports, community coverage, opinion pieces, photo galleries, and video content for Terre Haute, Indiana and surrounding Vigo County.
• E-Paper Digital Edition Digital replica of the print newspaper available for online viewing and reading for subscribers.
• Mobile App Mobile application for accessing news, sports, weather, and local content on iOS and Android devices.
• Online Classifieds Marketplace Online marketplace featuring job listings, auto classifieds, real estate listings, garage sales, public notices, and obituary placements connecting local buyers and sellers.
• Weather Service Local weather forecasting and alerts service for the Terre Haute area, including severe weather warnings.
• Text Alerts SMS/text message notification service delivering breaking news and weather alerts to subscribers.
• Email Newsletter Email newsletter subscription service delivering daily news updates to subscribers via Constant Contact.
• Terre Haute Living Magazine Specialty lifestyle publication covering local culture, features, and community highlights for the Terre Haute area.
• City/Visitor Guide

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CNHI LLCcoreOthersCNHI (Community Newspaper Holdings Inc.) LLC is the parent company that owns and operates the Tribune-Star along with hundreds of other local news publications across the United States. CNHI provides shared technology infrastructure including the BLOX Content Management System, advertising technology, subscription management systems, and operational support services including human resources, legal, and financial administration. The Tribune-Star operates as part of the CNHI network while maintaining local editorial independence for its Terre Haute coverage.

Scale indicators1 record

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Lee Enterprises: Publicly traded operator of mid-sized local newspapers across the U.S., with a comparable mix of print, digital subscription, and local advertising revenue. Closely comparable in scale, operating model, and digital transition challenges to a CNHI-owned property like Tribune-Star.
• Paxton Media Group: Family-owned operator of community newspapers across the Midwest and South, including many comparable small-market dailies and weeklies. Closely matches Tribune-Star's community-newspaper operating model and CNHI-like multi-state footprint.
• Adams Publishing Group: Private operator of local community newspapers, shoppers, and digital media platforms in small and mid-sized U.S. markets. Operates with a similar local-editorial-independence model under a shared corporate parent structure, comparable to the CNHI/Tribune-Star relationship.
• Ogden Newspapers: Family-owned operator of dozens of community newspapers across multiple states, with a comparable focus on local news, print subscriptions, and digital editions. Highly comparable in operating philosophy and community-newspaper focus to Tribune-Star.
• Schurz Communications: Historically family-owned media company operating local newspapers, radio, and TV stations in small-to-mid U.S. markets. Operates community newspapers using a similar local-news-plus-digital-edition business model, though it has diversified beyond print.
• AIM Media (Brownfield Network): Operates community newspapers and digital media properties across multiple U.S. states, focused on hyperlocal news in small-to-mid markets. Comparable in business model, scale, and audience to Tribune-Star.

Broad incumbents

• Tribune Publishing: Operates regional metro dailies (Chicago Tribune, New York Daily News, Baltimore Sun, etc.) plus several local papers. Comparable in print + digital subscription model but skewed toward larger metro markets rather than community newspapers like Tribune-Star.
• Gannett (USA Today Network): Largest U.S. newspaper publisher, operating hundreds of local daily and community papers including comparable mid-market properties. Operates the same general model of local news + digital subscriptions + advertising, but at vastly greater scale and with national brand presence (USA Today).

Regional players

• Emmis Communications: U.S. media company operating local radio stations and formerly local publications; provides a comparable mid-market local-media operating environment. Less direct overlap in print, but comparable in scale of local-market media operations.

Others

• CNHI LLC (parent): Direct parent company of Tribune-Star and operator of hundreds of community newspapers. Not a peer in the competitive sense but provides direct insight into Tribune-Star's corporate parent, shared services, and benchmark operating model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/tribstar
• Instagraminstagram.com/thtribstar
• Xx.com/tribstar

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 Tribune-Star News