The San Bernardino American News

What The San Bernardino American News does

The San Bernardino American News is a family-owned community newspaper founded in 1969 by Samuel Martin Sr. in Victorville, California, and serving the Inland Empire — primarily San Bernardino County — as its oldest adjudicated, locally owned minority newspaper. The company publishes a weekly print edition delivered via mail subscription alongside a digital news portal at sb-american.com, an ISSUU-hosted digital edition, and a daily-updated arrest records database that extends to Riverside and Los Angeles counties. Its technology stack is a standard WordPress-based publishing platform with cookie consent management, ISSUU integration, and online payment processing for subscriptions and legal filings.

The publication was adjudicated a legal newspaper of general circulation by the Superior Court of San Bernardino County on September 30, 1971 (case number 153913), which provides a regulatory license to publish court notices, Fictitious Business Name filings, name changes, and other statutorily required public notices. Revenue is generated from three streams: print subscriptions ($30 for 6-month, $59 for annual, plus a pay-what-you-can tier starting at $10/month), print and digital advertising, and fees for legal notice publication and document upload services. Customers include San Bernardino County Courts, California state government entities, and local businesses requiring legal filings, alongside individual readers in the Inland Empire's Black community.

The company remains privately held within the Martin family, with no external investors, funding rounds, or holding company ownership identified. It is a member of the California Newspaper Publishers Association and operates a content syndication partnership with California Black Media. The business is small-scale (11–50 employees) and relies on its regulatory status, 50+ year content archive, and established community recognition as the primary competitive assets rather than technology differentiation.

Name

The San Bernardino American News

Legal name

The San Bernardino American News

Website

https://sb-american.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The San Bernardino American News is a family-owned community newspaper founded in 1969 in Victorville, California, serving the Inland Empire with a weekly print edition, digital news portal, arrest records database, and adjudicated legal notice publication services for San Bernardino County.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Community, Ethnic & Multilingual News Publishers (MPAJADAG), Government & Public Policy Publishing (Regulations, Gazettes, Legislative Tracking) (MPAJACAI), Data Journalism & News Intelligence Publishers (Indexes, Election/Market Data) (MPAJADAK)

Keywords

• Local newspaper publishing
• Community news media
• Legal notice publication
• Print newspaper subscriptions
• Digital news portal

Headquarters

HQ city

Victorville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Print Subscriptions: Physical newspaper subscriptions delivered via mail - 6-month and annual options available
2. Digital Advertising: Display advertising on website pages
3. Legal Notices and Public Notices: Publication of legal notices, fictitious business name filings, and public notices as an adjudicated legal newspaper
4. Digital and Print Rates: Charges for digital advertising placements and print advertising space

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The San Bernardino American News publishes a weekly community newspaper serving the Inland Empire of California, delivered to subscribers via mail print subscriptions and made available digitally through its WordPress website and ISSUU platform. In addition to general local news coverage, it operates as an adjudicated legal newspaper of general circulation, publishing legal notices, fictitious business name filings, and public notices for San Bernardino County courts and government agencies. Supplementary services include a daily-updated arrest records database and an online legal document upload portal with integrated payment processing.

Product overview

The San Bernardino American News is a traditional newspaper publisher offering a single flagship print product supplemented by a digital news portal. The core offering is the print newspaper, established in 1969, which is delivered via paid subscriptions. The company provides complementary digital access through its website, along with specialized services including a daily-updated arrest records database for San Bernardino County, legal notice publication services (as an adjudicated legal newspaper), and Fictitious Business Name filing services with document upload capabilities. Revenue is derived from print and digital subscriptions, print and digital advertising sales, and legal publication fees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• San Bernardino American Newspaper (Print Edition) Flagship weekly print newspaper providing local news, community affairs, government coverage, and lifestyle content to Inland Empire readers since 1969, delivered via mail subscription.
• Online News Portal (sb-american.com)

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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.

• California Newspaper Publisher's Association (CNPA)minorOthersMember organization providing support, resources, and advocacy for California newspaper publishers; represents the publication within the state's newspaper industry

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Essence Communications: Large-scale, multi-platform Black media brand (print magazine, digital, events) targeting African-American women nationally. Comparable in serving the Black community with news, lifestyle, and culture, but at vastly larger scale and with broader reach than the Inland Empire local focus.

Direct peers

• The Sacramento Observer: California's oldest Black-owned newspaper, serving Sacramento's African-American community. Direct peer in the California Black community newspaper space, with similar weekly print, digital, and community advocacy model.
• Black Voice News: Riverside/San Bernardino-based Black community newspaper also founded by Samuel Martin Sr. in 1972. Direct peer in the same Black community newspaper niche serving the Inland Empire, with overlapping coverage of local government, civil rights, and community affairs.
• Precinct Reporter: Inland Empire Black newspaper co-founded by Samuel Martin Sr. Direct peer in the Black community newspaper category, covering San Bernardino and Riverside counties with similar legal notice publication, local news, and community affairs focus.
• The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint: San Diego-based Black community newspaper covering local news, community affairs, and issues affecting African Americans. Comparable California Black newspaper peer with similar print + digital distribution and community-focused editorial mission.
• Los Angeles Sentinel: Long-established Black community newspaper in Los Angeles, the largest African-American newspaper in the Western United States. Comparable in its role serving California's Black community with local news, legal notices, and advocacy coverage.
• Wave Newspapers: LA-based Black community newspaper group (The Wave, Our Weekly) serving South Los Angeles. Comparable ethnic-community newspaper peer with adjudicated legal newspaper status and similar community-focused editorial model.

Emerging players

• California Black Media: Network of more than 40 Black newspapers across California that syndicates content to member publications including The San Bernardino American News. Comparable as a California Black news ecosystem player and a current content partner.

Regional players

• Inland Valley Daily Bulletin: Daily newspaper serving the Inland Empire region with broader general-interest coverage. Adjacent regional competitor for local news advertising and readership in the same geography, though not focused on the Black community niche.
• Daily Press (Victorville): Local daily newspaper serving Victorville and the High Desert area of San Bernardino County. Direct geographic competitor for local news, advertising, and subscriptions in the same primary market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sbamericannews
• Facebookfacebook.com/San-Bernardino-American-News-99505446979
• Instagraminstagram.com/sbamericannews

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 San Bernardino American News