Cleveland Magazine

What Cleveland Magazine does

Cleveland Magazine is a privately held regional lifestyle media company founded in 1972 and headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, that publishes a monthly magazine eleven times per year covering local news, restaurants, events, health, home and style, and community content for Northeast Ohio readers. The company operates a multi-channel content platform spanning a flagship print and digital magazine, five email newsletters (CLE Daily delivered six days a week plus weekly Food & Drink, Things to Do, Home & Style, and Promotions editions), an active social presence on Facebook, X, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube, and a proprietary event ticketing platform called CLEtix. Its product portfolio also includes hyperlocal community magazines covering Cleveland suburbs such as Beachwood, Rocky River, Mayfield Heights, Strongsville, and Western Lake County, plus a Custom Publications service that produces sponsored editorial content for municipalities and businesses.

Name

Cleveland Magazine

Legal name

Cleveland Magazine

Website

https://clevelandmagazine.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Cleveland Magazine is a privately held, Cleveland-based regional lifestyle media company founded in 1972 that publishes a monthly magazine, multiple email newsletters, and signature annual events serving Northeast Ohio consumers and local advertisers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Lifestyle Magazine

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Consumer Lifestyle & Fashion Magazines (MPAJAEAA)

Keywords

• Regional lifestyle magazine
• Print media publishing
• Local news coverage
• Event marketing services
• Digital newsletter publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

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, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions: Paid subscriptions for the print and digital magazine, published 11 times annually. Subscribers receive print copies via mail and access to digital editions.
2. Magazine Advertising: Advertising revenue from businesses promoting products and services to the Cleveland Magazine readership audience.
3. Event Tickets and Sponsorships: Revenue from ticket sales for signature events including Best of Cleveland (October 9, 2025 at Great Lakes Science Center), Best of the East (April 30, 2026 at Landerhaven), and other community events. Events feature sponsors including Paul Davis Restoration, Tri-C, Akron Cleveland Association of Realtors, and others.
4. Custom Publications: Sponsored and custom editorial content partnerships with local businesses, municipalities, and organizations (e.g., Beachwood, Rocky River, Mayfield Heights, Strongsville community magazines).
5. Newsletter Marketing: Multiple email newsletters (Daily, Food & Drink, Things to Do, Home & Style, Promotions) delivered to subscribers six days a week.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cleveland Magazine publishes a regional lifestyle magazine 11 times per year covering Cleveland and Northeast Ohio news, dining, events, health, home style, and community profiles. It operates a digital-first content platform with email newsletters, community-specific editions for Cleveland suburbs, annual signature events (Best of Cleveland, Best of the East, Best of the West), custom publication services for businesses, and an event ticketing platform (CLEtix).

Product overview

Cleveland Magazine operates as a print and digital media company publishing a regional magazine 11 times per year, complemented by an ecosystem of newsletter products (Daily, Food & Drink, Things to Do, Home & Style), event programs (Best of Cleveland, Best of the East, Best of the West, Business Hall of Fame, Faces of Care, Silver Spoons), and subscription services. The company also produces hyperlocal community magazines for Cleveland suburbs and offers custom publication services. The product portfolio centers on editorial content about local news, dining, events, health, home style, and community profiles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cleveland Magazine (Print and Digital Edition) The flagship monthly print and digital regional lifestyle magazine serving Cleveland and Northeast Ohio readers with immersive profiles, thought-provoking reporting, restaurant reviews, event coverage, and engaging photography and design.
• Magazine Subscription Service

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cleveland ScenecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 October 2025Cleveland Magazine and Cleveland Scene co-host the annual Best of Cleveland Party, combining editorial resources and audiences for enhanced regional impact.
• Great Lakes Science CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for the Best of Cleveland 2025 event at Great Lakes Science Center in downtown Cleveland.
• Paul Davis RestorationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent sponsor for Best of Cleveland events, providing marketing support and visibility at regional events.
• Tri-C (Cuyahoga Community College)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor for Best of Cleveland and Best of the East events, supporting community events and gaining visibility.
• LanderhavencoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent venue for Best of the East 2026 party on April 30, 2026 in Mayfield Heights area.
• Bradley Stone Industries LimitedminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent sponsor for Best of the East.
• Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities (CCBDD)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent sponsor for Best of the East.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cleveland Scene: Cleveland's alternative weekly magazine and digital outlet covering news, arts, dining, and events. Direct competitor in the same metro for local advertising, audience attention, and event audiences; in fact co-hosts the Best of Cleveland event with Cleveland Magazine.
• Cincinnati Magazine: Emmis Communications–owned monthly city magazine covering Cincinnati dining, culture, and neighborhoods. Closest analog: another Ohio-based monthly city magazine with the same mix of editorial, advertising, events, and custom publishing.
• Columbus Monthly: Monthly lifestyle magazine covering Columbus, Ohio, with a comparable mix of local news, dining, home, and event coverage plus Best of Columbus and other city-wide awards programs.
• Pittsburgh Magazine: Regional monthly magazine for the greater Pittsburgh market, publishing dining, arts, and community content with signature events and awards. Strong peer on Rust Belt city magazine economics and audience profile.
• Indianapolis Monthly: Emmis-published city magazine covering Indianapolis lifestyle, dining, and events. Operates with a similar Midwestern city-magazine model, including events and awards franchises.
• Baltimore Magazine: Independently owned monthly city magazine covering Baltimore with dining, entertainment, and home content. Comparable on privately held regional lifestyle publisher economics and event-driven revenue.
• Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine: Twin Cities monthly lifestyle magazine covering dining, arts, and home with signature awards programs. Closely comparable Midwest city-magazine operating model with parallel events, advertising, and subscription streams.
• St. Louis Magazine: Independent regional magazine covering the St. Louis metro with editorial, events, and custom publishing. Similar privately held scale and revenue mix to Cleveland Magazine.

Broad incumbents

• Boston Magazine: City/regional magazine under Boston Globe Media. Comparable product mix but operates as part of a larger media group with significantly greater scale, digital infrastructure, and audience reach than Cleveland Magazine.

Emerging players

• Axios Media: Digital-first local news operator running Axios Cleveland and other city newsletters. Represents the new-format competitive threat to legacy print magazines in the same metro: high-frequency email newsletters and short-form local journalism aimed at the same advertisers and audiences.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ClevelandMag
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ClevelandMagazine
• Facebookfacebook.com/ClevelandMagazine
• Instagraminstagram.com/clevelandmagazine
• Pinterestpinterest.com/pin/197525133633465269
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cleveland-magazine

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 Cleveland Magazine