The Jonesboro Sun

What The Jonesboro Sun does

The Jonesboro Sun is a community newspaper founded in 1901 serving Jonesboro, Arkansas and the broader Northeast Arkansas region. It operates as part of Paxton Media Group, a privately held, family-owned media conglomerate now in its fifth generation of family leadership and headquartered in Paducah, Kentucky. Beyond the main daily, the Jonesboro Sun operates sister publications including The Evening Times (West Memphis), the Times Dispatch (Walnut Ridge), and the Newport Independent, creating a multi-market community newspaper network across Arkansas. The publication describes itself as 'Arkansas' best community newspaper, serving Arkansas' best communities.'

The newspaper runs a multi-platform publishing operation. Its digital infrastructure is built on the BLOX Content Management System from BLOX Digital (TownNews), supporting the website jonesborosun.com, e-Edition digital subscriptions with archive browsing, native iOS and Android mobile applications, and SUN-TV video content distributed through dedicated Amazon Fire TV, Roku, and Apple TV applications. The company publishes recurring special sections including the NEA Healthcare Directory 2026, NEA Basketball, the 2025 NEA Football Preview, and a Campus Guide. Editorial coverage spans local news, high school and Arkansas State University sports, opinion (including Letters to the Editor), obituaries, classifieds, community events, and announcements. Historical archive access is provided through an integration with newspapers.com.

The Jonesboro Sun's revenue model combines consumer subscriptions and advertising. Revenue streams include annual print home delivery subscriptions, e-Edition digital subscriptions with automatic renewal, display advertising sold through a dedicated sales force including account executives and an Advertising Director, and transaction-based classified advertising across real estate, vehicles, jobs, legal notices, and community announcements. The company serves two primary customer segments: local residents in Jonesboro and surrounding communities seeking hyperlocal news coverage, and small and medium businesses in the same region purchasing advertising to reach local consumers. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, the company offers no public API or SDK, and operations are supported by an 11-50 employee base across offices in Jonesboro, Walnut Ridge, and West Memphis.

Name

The Jonesboro Sun

Legal name

The Jonesboro Sun

Website

https://jonesborosun.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1901

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Jonesboro Sun is a community newspaper founded in 1901 serving Jonesboro and Northeast Arkansas through daily print, e-Edition, mobile apps, and SUN-TV smart TV platforms. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paxton Media Group operating sister publications across multiple Arkansas markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (51311)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

News OTT & Live News Streaming Channels (MPABAHAK)

Keywords

• Community newspaper publishing
• Local news subscriptions
• Display advertising sales
• Classified advertising platform
• Multimedia news content

Headquarters

HQ city

Jonesboro

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Print and Digital Subscriptions: The newspaper generates revenue through paid subscriptions for both print editions and digital/e-Edition access. Subscribers can purchase annual or multi-year plans with automatic renewal options.
2. Display Advertising: Local businesses purchase display advertising space in the newspaper and on the website. The advertising department includes dedicated account executives for business development.
3. Classified Advertising: Revenue generated from classified ads including real estate listings, vehicle sales, job postings, legal notices, and community announcements. Online classified submission available through the website.
4. Special Sections and Publications: The newspaper publishes special sections such as the NEA Healthcare Directory, NEA Basketball, NEA Football Preview, and Campus Guide which generate additional advertising and publication revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Jonesboro Sun publishes a daily community newspaper covering local, national, and world news, sports, opinion, and community announcements for Jonesboro and Northeast Arkansas. It delivers content through print home delivery, digital e-Edition subscriptions, mobile apps, and SUN-TV multimedia channels, and sells local and classified advertising to regional businesses and residents. The publication also operates affiliated regional newspapers serving West Memphis, Walnut Ridge, and Newport.

Product overview

The Jonesboro Sun operates as a multi-platform local news organization serving Northeast Arkansas through its main newspaper publication, affiliated regional papers (Newport Independent, Times Dispatch, The Evening Times), and digital products including e-Edition, mobile apps, and SUN-TV multimedia content. The company provides news coverage across local, national, and world news, sports, opinion, classifieds, and community events, with online subscription services enabling digital access to print and video content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Evening Times: Sister publication serving West Memphis, Arkansas area
• Times Dispatch
• Newport Independent
• SUN-TV

Products and services

• The Jonesboro Sun Newspaper (Print Edition) Daily print newspaper covering local, national, and world news, sports, opinion, and community announcements for Jonesboro and Northeast Arkansas, delivered via home delivery subscription.
• E-Edition Digital Subscription Digital replica of the printed newspaper accessible online, available through annual subscription with archive browsing and search functionality for subscribers.
• SUN-TV Multimedia Video Platform Video content platform offering news videos and multimedia storytelling, available via dedicated apps on Amazon Fire TV, Roku, and Apple TV for viewers in the Jonesboro region.
• Online Classifieds Platform Self-service classified advertising platform with categories for real estate, vehicles, jobs, pets, services, and community announcements, with online submission and pay-as-you-go placement.
• Jonesboro Sun Mobile Applications (iOS and Android) Native mobile applications for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets providing access to news, e-Edition, and subscription management for readers on the go.
• Newport Independent (Newport and Jackson County Edition) Affiliated community newspaper serving Newport, Arkansas and Jackson County, part of The Jonesboro Sun network of sister publications.
• Times Dispatch (Walnut Ridge and Lawrence County Edition) Affiliated community newspaper serving Walnut Ridge, Arkansas and Lawrence County, part of The Jonesboro Sun network of sister publications.
• The Evening Times (West Memphis and Crittenden County Edition) Affiliated community newspaper serving West Memphis, Arkansas and Crittenden County, part of The Jonesboro Sun network of sister publications.
• Special Sections and Publications (NEA Healthcare Directory, NEA Basketball, NEA Football Preview, Campus Guide) Recurring special print and digital sections covering healthcare directories, sports previews, and campus guides that generate additional advertising and publication revenue for the Jonesboro Sun.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: The largest daily newspaper in Arkansas, headquartered in Little Rock, covering statewide and regional news. Comparable to The Jonesboro Sun as a regional Arkansas newspaper competing for the same local advertisers and reader attention across overlapping Arkansas markets.
• Lee Enterprises: A major publicly traded community newspaper group operating dozens of daily and weekly titles across the U.S. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the same community-newspaper category with similar subscription, display, and classified revenue dynamics, but at portfolio scale across many states.
• Gannett Co. The largest U.S. newspaper publisher (USA Today network and hundreds of local titles including community dailies). Comparable as a broad incumbent whose local-market titles compete with The Jonesboro Sun for SMB advertising and digital subscriptions in adjacent Arkansas and Mid-South markets.
• CNHI (Community Newspaper Holdings Inc.): A major community newspaper group operating dailies and weeklies across more than 20 U.S. states. Comparable as a broad incumbent peer in the local-news publishing category with comparable small-market titles, revenue mix (print + digital subs + display + classifieds), and operational scale.
• Paxton Media Group (parent flagship example: The Paducah Sun): The flagship daily of The Jonesboro Sun's parent company, serving Paducah, Kentucky. Directly comparable as a same-network community daily under shared infrastructure, staffing models, and revenue streams, serving as an internal benchmark for The Jonesboro Sun's operating approach.

Direct peers

• Paragould Daily Press: A community daily newspaper serving Paragould and Greene County in Northeast Arkansas. Directly comparable as a sister Paxton Media Group publication targeting an adjacent NEA market with the same hyperlocal coverage model, subscription+advertising revenue mix, and shared back-office infrastructure.
• The Baxter Bulletin: A community newspaper serving Mountain Home and Baxter County in north-central Arkansas, also operated under Paxton Media Group. Comparable as a small-market Arkansas daily with a similar print-plus-digital subscription model and reliance on local display and classified advertising.
• Courier News: A community newspaper in Russellville, Arkansas (Pope County) also under Paxton Media Group. Similar size and Arkansas small-market footprint, with cross-references in shared staff (e.g., Advertising Director at [email protected]), making it a directly comparable operating peer within the same parent network.
• Emerson Resort & Spa newspapers / Calkins Media (sub: The Vindicator type small dailies): Calkins Media operates a portfolio of small-market daily and weekly community newspapers in Pennsylvania and beyond. Comparable as a family/private operator of community newspaper clusters sharing similar scale, hyperlocal coverage model, and print+digital revenue mix with The Jonesboro Sun.

Others

• TownNews (BLOX Digital): The vendor of the BLOX CMS that powers jonesborosun.com and dozens of other community newspapers. Comparable as the enabling technology/partner whose product roadmap directly affects The Jonesboro Sun's digital publishing, subscription, and paywall capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thesunjonesboro
• Facebookfacebook.com/jonesborosun
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jonesboro-sun

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries4 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 The Jonesboro Sun