The Journal Times

What The Journal Times does

The Journal Times is a local newspaper serving Racine, Wisconsin and surrounding Kenosha County communities, founded in 1852 and operated as a subsidiary of Lee Enterprises (NASDAQ: LEE). Its primary function is producing and distributing hyperlocal news, sports, weather, government, and community information to residents of southeast Wisconsin across print and digital channels. Core products include a daily print newspaper, an online news website (journaltimes.com), a digital e-edition replica, native iOS and Android mobile applications, and topic-specific email newsletters. Supporting offerings include a Shop Local business directory, online classifieds (jobs, autos, real estate, marketplace), an events calendar, Legacy.com-integrated obituaries, public notice listings, puzzles and games, and Brand Ave. Studios, a native advertising sub-brand for sponsored content and custom marketing solutions.

The technology stack is built on the BLOX Content Management System from TownNews (Bloxdigital.com), a shared industry-standard publishing platform rather than proprietary infrastructure. Revenue mechanics span three pillars: consumer subscriptions (digital access tiers, e-edition, print home delivery), advertising (display, classifieds, and native branded content via Brand Ave. Studios), and regulated/transactional streams (public notices, obituaries, job listings). Distribution combines traditional home delivery and newsstands with digital e-edition, mobile apps, and the website, supported by social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. The customer base consists of geographically concentrated individual subscribers and a long-tail of local SMB advertisers, with no disclosed enterprise concentration.

Name

The Journal Times

Legal name

Lee Enterprises

Website

https://journaltimes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1852

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Journal Times is a 170-year-old local newspaper serving Racine and Kenosha County, Wisconsin, operated as a subsidiary of Lee Enterprises, distributing hyperlocal news, sports, and community information across print, e-edition, mobile apps, and digital subscriptions to southeast Wisconsin residents and local advertisers.

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
• Community news coverage
• Digital news subscription
• Classified advertising marketplace
• Obituary and public notices

Headquarters

HQ city

Racine

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Journal Times publishes a local newspaper serving Racine, WI and surrounding Wisconsin communities, distributing content through a daily print edition, a digital e-edition replica, a website at journaltimes.com, native mobile applications, and email newsletters. Its commercial offering also includes a classifieds and jobs marketplace, a Shop Local business directory, an events calendar, obituary services integrated with Legacy.com, public notice listings, and Brand Ave. Studios native branded content for advertisers.

Product overview

The Journal Times is a local newspaper serving Racine, WI and surrounding communities, operated by Lee Enterprises. The offering consists of a core news platform combining the print newspaper with digital products including an E-edition digital replica, mobile applications, and newsletter services. Supporting products include classifieds/marketplace for jobs and merchandise, a local business directory, events calendar, and obituaries integration with Legacy.com. Revenue streams include digital subscriptions with tiered access, advertising (both display and native via Brand Ave. Studios), and public notice listings. The publication also offers ancillary services like puzzles, contests, and community announcements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online News Website (journaltimes.com) Primary digital news platform providing breaking news, local Racine and Wisconsin coverage, sports, entertainment, weather, and community information to readers in southeast Wisconsin.
• E-Edition (Digital Print Replica) Digital replica of the printed newspaper, updated daily, allowing subscribers to view the complete print edition online.
• Mobile Applications Native iOS and Android mobile apps providing a customized mobile news reading experience with push notifications and offline reading for Racine-area subscribers.
• Digital and Print Subscription Services Paid subscription tiers granting access to digital and print newspaper content, including unlimited article access, exclusive content, ad-free reading options, subscriber-only features, and home-delivery print editions for Racine-area readers.
• Classifieds and Online Marketplace Online marketplace featuring job listings, automotive classifieds, real estate listings, merchandise sales, and community announcements, serving local buyers, sellers, recruiters, and advertisers in southeast Wisconsin.
• Brand Ave. Studios Native advertising and branded content studio offering sponsored articles, video content, and custom marketing solutions for advertisers seeking to reach The Journal Times' Racine-area audience.
• Public Notices Service Legal and public notice listings including government announcements, community notices, and official proceedings, published in compliance with Wisconsin public notice requirements, including Racine Public Notices and Wisconsin Public Notices.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lee Enterprises: Direct parent and operator of The Journal Times, Lee Enterprises (NASDAQ: LEE) is a publicly traded media company that owns and operates a portfolio of local newspapers across the United States. It is the most directly comparable peer because The Journal Times shares its operational playbook, technology stack (BLOX CMS), and corporate revenue model with every other property in the Lee portfolio.
• Ogden Newspapers: Ogden is a family-owned operator of community and daily newspapers in small to mid-size markets across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. Its market profile (smaller metros, community focus) is the closest analog to The Journal Times among privately held multi-title newspaper groups.
• Tribune Publishing: Tribune Publishing (later Alden Global's Tribune) operates regional daily newspapers and shared digital services across markets. Comparable to The Journal Times in core digital subscription, classifieds, and Legacy.com obituary integrations, though its titles skew larger-metro.
• Adams Publishing Group: Adams Publishing Group is a family-owned community newspaper chain operating in the Midwest and Southeast U.S. Comparable as a peer in scale, mid-market positioning, and digital-local media product strategy, with overlapping coverage in Wisconsin.
• Kenosha News: The Kenosha News is a local daily newspaper serving Kenosha County, Wisconsin, also part of the Lee Enterprises portfolio. It is a near-clone comparable in market size, product mix (print, e-edition, mobile apps, classifieds), and operational structure to The Journal Times.
• McClatchy Co. McClatchy operates a portfolio of mid-market daily newspapers, very similar in market positioning to The Journal Times. It emerged from bankruptcy under Chatham Asset Management and offers a comparable template of mid-size local paper digital subscriptions, print home delivery, and digital ad offerings.
• Gannett Co. Gannett is the largest U.S. local newspaper operator (USA TODAY NETWORK), with hundreds of daily community titles using the BLOX CMS. Its scale, ad sales infrastructure, and digital subscription flywheel provide the most direct benchmark for subscription monetization, classifieds, and native content performance at local newspaper properties.

Broad incumbents

• Hearst Newspapers: Hearst's newspaper division operates a portfolio of regional dailies (Houston Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News, etc.). Comparable in business model and digital subscription trajectory, but operates primarily in larger metro markets and is part of a larger diversified media enterprise rather than a community-newspaper chain like Lee Enterprises.
• USA TODAY Network: USA TODAY Network, the national digital and brand flagship of Gannett, competes with The Journal Times for national news readership and digital ad dollars beyond the local footprint. Relevant as a broad incumbent defining reader expectations for state and national content delivered alongside local reporting.

Regional players

• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is the dominant regional newspaper of southeast Wisconsin, also owned by Gannett. It is comparable as a peer regional daily covering overlapping Wisconsin communities and competes with The Journal Times for regional advertising, sports coverage, and digital reader attention in the same geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/journaltimes
• Facebookfacebook.com/JournalTimes
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-journal-times
• Instagramjournaltimes.com/instagram

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 The Journal Times