Telegram Newspaper

What Telegram Newspaper does

Telegram Newspaper, operating under the trade name Telegram News, is a privately held community newspaper founded in 1944 and headquartered in River Rouge, Michigan. The publication serves Metropolitan Detroit and Wayne County — including Detroit, Westland, Romulus, Ecorse, River Rouge, Inkster, and Dearborn — with local news, community events, public notices, classifieds, a business directory, opinion columns, and lifestyle coverage. It is positioned within the Black Press tradition, tracing its lineage to Freedom's Journal, and is a member of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA).

The product surface spans a print edition, the telegramnews.net website, an online Classifieds section, a community Directory, a Photo Gallery, a Community Events Calendar, an Opinion section, and subscription services with a free-trial pathway. The underlying technology stack is built on ROAR Online Publication Software from Lions Light Corporation; no proprietary technology, AI/ML capabilities, mobile applications, or APIs are disclosed.

Telegram Newspaper generates revenue from four streams: print and digital subscriptions (recurring), local display and sponsored-content advertising, paid classifieds, and reader donations collected through the Donorbox "Support Local Journalism" initiative. The publication is wholly owned by Gina Wilson Steward, who acquired it in 2006 and serves as CEO and Publisher. The company operates as a small, independent, family-controlled outlet with 11–50 employees and no institutional investors, parent entities, or subsidiaries.

Name

Telegram Newspaper

Legal name

Telegram Newspaper

Website

https://telegramnews.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1944

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Telegram Newspaper is a privately held community newspaper founded in 1944 in Wayne County, Michigan, serving Metropolitan Detroit's African American community with local news, classifieds, directory, events, and opinion coverage across print and digital channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Newspaper

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Newspaper Publishers (51311)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

Community, Ethnic & Multilingual News Publishers (MPAJADAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Community newspaper
• Local news coverage
• Black press media
• Classified advertising
• Public notice publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Ecorse

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

Revenue model

1. Print and Digital Subscriptions: The newspaper generates revenue through paid subscriptions for both print and digital access to content, with options for individual subscriptions and potential institutional access.
2. Advertising: Local businesses and organizations purchase advertising space on the website and in print editions, including display ads and sponsored content.
3. Classifieds: The publication accepts paid classified advertisements for jobs, real estate, services, and community notices.
4. Donations: The newspaper accepts donations through Donorbox platform under the 'Support Local Journalism' initiative.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Telegram Newspaper publishes a weekly community newspaper for Metropolitan Detroit (Wayne County), covering local news, lifestyle, business, events, education, faith, entertainment, opinion, and public notices for the African American community. Content is delivered in print and online via a dedicated website, an email newsletter ("Detroit Telegram: Weekly Digest"), and an online classifieds and business directory. The publication also accepts public notices and legal announcements as a newspaper of record.

Product overview

Telegram Newspaper is a local community newspaper serving Metropolitan Detroit since 1944. The company operates a dual offering: a traditional print newspaper (now in its 81st year) and a digital platform at telegramnews.net. The product portfolio includes the print edition, the news website, Classifieds, Directory, Photo Gallery, Community Events Calendar, Opinion section, and subscription services. Owned by Gina Wilson Steward since approximately 2006, the newspaper is part of the Black Press tradition and focuses on positive community news, civil rights coverage, and local Wayne County stories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Telegram Newspaper (print and digital weekly edition)
• Detroit Telegram: Weekly Digest (email newsletter)
• Online Classifieds and Business Directory
• Public Notices service
• Print and Digital Subscriptions

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 2026Telegram News is a member of the NNPA representing the Black Press of America. The partnership provides access to syndicated content from NNPA correspondents including Stacy M. Brown (NNPA National Correspondent) and connects the publication to the broader Black Press network.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Michigan Chronicle: Detroit-based African American-focused weekly newspaper and Black Press publication; directly comparable as a legacy local Black community newspaper serving a similar demographic and geography.
• The Final Call: National Black Press newspaper with community-focused coverage; comparable as a culturally-targeted Black newspaper serving an African American readership with print and digital editions.

Broad incumbents

• The Detroit News: Major regional daily serving Metro Detroit and broader Southeast Michigan; overlaps with Telegram's geographic market and local news coverage but operates at much larger scale across general-interest journalism.
• Detroit Free Press: The dominant regional daily newspaper in Metro Detroit, part of the USA TODAY Network; competes for local news readers and advertisers in the same Wayne County market as Telegram.
• ClickOnDetroit (WDIV): Local TV station digital news platform serving Metro Detroit; competes for local news audience attention and digital ad spend within Wayne County.

Emerging players

• BridgeDetroit: Nonprofit, digitally native local news outlet focused on Detroit civic and community reporting; competes for the same Wayne County audience with a digital-first, donor-supported model.
• Outlier Media: Detroit-based nonprofit local news service focused on community information access; overlaps with Telegram's mission of serving under-served local communities in Detroit.

Others

• NNPA (National Newspaper Publishers Association): Trade association representing the Black Press of America; not a competitor but an enabling network — Telegram is an NNPA member and benefits from syndicated content distribution.

Regional players

• South Florida Sun Times: Another Black Press community newspaper; comparable in format and audience focus but operates in a different metro market (South Florida) rather than directly competing with Telegram in Detroit.
• Crain's Detroit Business: Regional business publication serving Metro Detroit; competes for Wayne County advertising dollars (particularly local business advertisers) but focuses on B2B news rather than community/general news.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/telegramnews
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/telegram-newspaper

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Telegram Newspaper