Colorado Community Media

What Colorado Community Media does

Colorado Community Media is a network of 21 local community newspapers serving eight counties along Colorado's Front Range (Weld, Adams, Jefferson, Clear Creek, Douglas, Elbert, Arapahoe, and Denver), with combined print circulation of 181,631 and over 350,000 total readers. The portfolio spans 14 publications under Times Media Group operation (including Arvada Press, Douglas County News-Press, Highlands Ranch Herald, Littleton Independent, and Parker Chronicle) and 7 publications under the stewardship of the Colorado Trust for Local News, a 501(c)(3) affiliate of the National Trust for Local News (Brighton Standard-Blade, Fort Lupton Press, Canyon Courier, Clear Creek Courant, Golden Transcript, Northglenn-Thornton Sentinel, and Westminster Window). The organization was restructured in 2025 through a partnership between the Colorado Trust and Times Media Group, combining nonprofit community journalism with commercial media operations.

The core product is hyperlocal news coverage of local government, courts, education, sports, arts, and lifestyle, delivered through print editions, a PageSuite-powered digital edition platform, dedicated publication websites, email newsletters, and a mobile-friendly content site. Underlying technology is the TownNews Blox CMS, with Goemerchant handling payment processing for subscriptions and advertising, and Evvnt powering local event listings. CCM generates revenue across six streams: print and digital advertising (primary), print subscriptions, classifieds, public and legal notices, obituary placements, and sponsored content/press releases. GTM is sales-led, with a direct sales team offering single-billing, multi-publication advertising packages; a freemium digital layer (free e-editions, free e-newsletters) builds audience to support the advertising business.

The company is led by an editor-in-chief (Lisa Schlichtman) and a small management team including a Director of Sales, Director of Operations, Editorial Supervisor, and Opinion Editor. Headcount is 101-250. CCM serves three primary customer segments: local community readers (geographic), local businesses and advertisers (SMBs seeking affluent local reach), and government and legal entities with mandated public notice requirements. The 2025 restructuring is the defining strategic event, designed to ensure financial sustainability for local news across Colorado's Front Range by combining the community-centered mission of a nonprofit with the operational scale of a commercial media operator.

Name

Colorado Community Media

Legal name

Colorado Community Media

Website

https://coloradocommunitymedia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Colorado Community Media is a network of 21 local community newspapers serving 8 counties along Colorado's Front Range, with 181,631 print circulation and 350,000+ total readers, monetized through advertising, subscriptions, classifieds, legal notices, obituaries, and sponsored content, operated jointly by the Colorado Trust for Local News and Times Media Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Newspapers

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Community newspapers
• Local news publishing
• Print advertising
• Digital news media
• Legal notices publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Englewood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Print and Digital Advertising: Primary revenue stream from local businesses purchasing print and digital advertising across the network of 21 local newspaper titles. Ads appear in full color without upgrade charges. Digital ads are included with print purchases and appear in e-editions reaching 83,000+ monthly visitors.
2. Print Subscriptions: Paid print newspaper subscriptions delivered to households. The company offers print subscription options through secure payment portals, with circulation of 181,631 across affluent Denver neighborhoods and surrounding suburbs.
3. Classifieds: Revenue from classified advertising across categories including real estate, vehicles, jobs, items for sale, and services. Online classified listings generate additional traffic and engagement.
4. Public Notices and Legal Advertising: Legal and public notice advertising services for government entities, businesses, and individuals. The company publishes legal notices for multiple counties with specific publication contacts and deadlines.
5. Obituaries and Memorial Services: Obituary placement services with online hosting capabilities through dedicated obituaries website.
6. Sponsored Content and Press Releases: Sponsored content opportunities for organizations to reach local news audiences through trusted community publications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Colorado Community Media operates a network of 21 local community newspapers serving Colorado's Front Range across eight counties. The company produces original hyperlocal journalism covering news, sports, arts, business, and lifestyle, and monetizes its audience through print and digital advertising, paid subscriptions, classifieds, public/legal notices, sponsored content, and obituaries. Distribution channels include physical print newspapers, digital e-editions, email newsletters, and an online content platform.

Product overview

Colorado Community Media is a comprehensive local news network consisting of 21 community newspapers and digital products serving Colorado's Front Range. The portfolio includes 14 publications under Times Media Group operation (Arvada Press, Castle Rock News-Press, Centennial Citizen, Commerce City Sentinel-Express, Denver Herald Dispatch, Denver North Star, Douglas County News-Press, Elbert County News, Englewood Herald, Highlands Ranch Herald, Jeffco Transcript, Littleton Independent, Parker Chronicle) and 7 under Colorado Trust for Local News stewardship (Brighton Standard-Blade, Fort Lupton Press, Canyon Courier, Clear Creek Courant, Golden Transcript, Northglenn-Thornton Sentinel, Westminster Window). The core offering combines print and digital news coverage with supplementary digital services including Digital Edition viewer, E-Newsletter subscriptions, Classifieds marketplace, Public/Legal Notices publishing, Advertising Solutions, Press Release distribution, Letters to the Editor, and Local Weather. The network reaches 181,631 print circulation with over 350,000 total readers, serving eight Colorado counties with hyperlocal journalism covering news, sports, arts, business, and lifestyle content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Colorado Trust for Local News Titles: Seven newspapers remaining under stewardship of the Colorado Trust for Local News: Brighton Standard-Blade, Fort Lupton Press, Canyon Courier, Clear Creek Courant, Golden Transcript, Northglenn-Thornton Sentinel, Westminster Window

Products and services

• Colorado Community Media Network of 21 Local Newspapers A network of 21 local community newspapers providing hyperlocal news, sports, business, arts, and lifestyle coverage to residents of eight Colorado counties along the Front Range.
• Digital Edition

Quantifiable outcome

• Readers spend 50% more time reading than national average
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Times Media GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTimes Media Group assumed ownership and operation of 14 publications in the Colorado Community Media network, including Arvada Press, Castle Pines News-Press, Castle Rock News-Press, Centennial Citizen, Commerce City Sentinel-Express, Denver Herald, Denver North Star, Douglas County News-Press, Elbert County News, Englewood Herald, Highlands Ranch Herald, Jeffco Transcript, Littleton Independent, and Parker Chronicle.
• Colorado Trust for Local NewscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorColorado Trust for Local News retains stewardship of 7 newspaper publications: Brighton Standard-Blade, Fort Lupton Press, Canyon Courier, Clear Creek Courant, Golden Transcript, Northglenn-Thornton Sentinel, and Westminster Window. Partnership ensures sustainable future for local news across Colorado.
• National Trust for Local NewscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent nonprofit organization providing operational support, shared services, and resources. Committed to informing and engaging communities with accurate, independent news and information.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Times Media Group: Active operational partner that already owns and operates 14 of CCM's 21 titles; a true direct peer running community newspapers in Arizona and Colorado with overlapping editorial and sales infrastructure.
• Patch.com: Hyperlocal digital news network owned by AOL/Verizon Media. Same target customer (local readers and SMB advertisers in suburban ZIP codes) and same revenue model (local display + sponsored content), making it the most relevant digital-native competitor.
• Lee Enterprises: Publicly traded owner of mid-size daily and weekly community newspapers across the U.S. Same core business (community print + digital advertising and subscriptions), making it the closest structural comparable to CCM.
• Advance Local: Operating division of Advance Publications running community newspapers, niche B2B publications, and digital marketing services. Closely mirrors CCM's multi-title community-newspaper + digital advertising model.
• Adams Publishing Group: Privately held group operating community newspapers, magazines, and digital products across the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. Closely matches CCM's multi-title community newspaper portfolio and hybrid print/digital ad + subscription model.

Broad incumbents

• The Denver Post: Major regional daily serving the same Front Range / Denver metro market. Overlaps on advertiser relationships (real estate, automotive, healthcare) and competes for higher-engagement civic/journalism content for overlapping suburbs.
• Gannett Co. Largest U.S. newspaper publisher (USA Today Network) operating hundreds of local community dailies and weeklies. Directly comparable operating model — print + digital subscriptions, display advertising, public notices — and overlapping competition for advertiser dollars in Colorado markets.
• Hearst Newspapers / Hearst Media: Division of Hearst Corporation operating a portfolio of daily and weekly community newspapers across multiple states. Similar community-newspaper business model; broader incumbent with deeper digital ad-sales infrastructure.

Regional players

• Boulder Daily Camera / Boulder's Camera: Long-standing community/regional daily covering adjacent Boulder County and Northern Front Range. Comparable local journalism + display ad model targeting the same general affluent-Suburban Denver reader demographics.

Emerging players

• Colorado Sun: Colorado-based nonprofit digital news outlet covering statewide and regional stories. Targets the same civic-minded reader audience via digital subscriptions, sponsored events, and reader donations; emerging threat to CCM's premium local journalism position.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/coloradonewsccm
• Facebookfacebook.com/ColoradoCommunityMedia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coloradocommunitymedia
• Instagraminstagram.com/coloradocommunitymedia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries21 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 Colorado Community Media