Daily Herald Media Group

What Daily Herald Media Group does

Daily Herald Media Group, operating under the legal entity Paddock Publications, Inc., is a privately held, 100% employee-owned (ESOP) media and marketing-solutions group headquartered in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Founded in 1872, the company is best known for the Daily Herald, a daily suburban Chicago newspaper reaching more than 1.1 million adults across 90 communities, with a 75%-exclusive audience that does not consume other newspapers. The group is structured as a diversified media business built around an integrated content and advertising platform, with operating brands spanning print (Daily Herald, Suburban Business, Reflejos, community papers), niche special sections and chamber publishing (Town Square Publications, Oaklee's Family Guide), digital marketing services (Dhigital suite covering SEO, social, email, display, streaming radio, retargeting, and website design), the Compass digital ad network (190 million monthly unique users), experiential marketing (FACE Events), and in-house commercial printing (dhprinting at a 160,000 sq-ft Schaumburg facility).

The company monetizes through five primary revenue streams: print advertising, digital advertising (DailyHerald.com and Compass), recurring newspaper subscriptions, event sponsorship packages, and commercial printing services. Go-to-market is sales-led via dedicated account representatives who build customized multi-channel marketing packages for local suburban businesses, complemented by self-serve digital ad-buying on DailyHerald.com and Compass. The customer base is heavily weighted toward SMB advertisers in the affluent Chicago suburbs (median HHI $99,900+, 76% home ownership), with named enterprise references such as the Chicago Blackhawks and Paramount Theater. The company has executed an active M&A roll-up of 16+ downstate Illinois community newspaper titles between 2016 and 2020, and completed a full transition from 120 years of Paddock-family ownership to 100% ESOP employee ownership in 2021 under CEO Doug Ray.

Name

Daily Herald Media Group

Legal name

Paddock Publications, Inc.

Website

https://dailyheraldmediagroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1872

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Daily Herald Media Group (Paddock Publications) is an employee-owned Chicago-suburban media company that publishes the Daily Herald newspaper and sells integrated print, digital, event, and commercial-printing marketing solutions to local businesses across 90 communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Newspaper Publishing and Marketing Solutions

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (51311), Periodical Publishers (51312), Direct Mail Advertising (54186)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Commercial Printing (2750), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Community, Ethnic & Multilingual News Publishers (MPAJADAG), News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)

Keywords

• Newspaper publishing
• Print advertising
• Digital marketing services
• Commercial printing
• Experiential marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington Heights

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Print Advertising: Traditional newspaper advertising in Daily Herald and community papers, with various ad sizes, placements, and section-specific options including niche special sections.
2. Digital Advertising: Online advertising through DailyHerald.com and the Compass network, including display ads, retargeting, streaming radio, and cost-per-click campaigns.
3. Newspaper Subscriptions: Home delivery and digital subscriptions to Daily Herald newspaper content.
4. Event Sponsorship: Experiential marketing events including Fittest Loser and Cook of the Week, offering sponsorship packages with advertising, logo presence, and face-to-face engagement.
5. Commercial Printing: dhprinting division offers commercial printing services including magazines, business cards, banners, signs, catalogs, direct mail, and custom projects.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Daily Herald Media Group publishes the Daily Herald newspaper serving Chicago suburbs and sells integrated marketing solutions combining print advertising, digital advertising, digital marketing services (Dhigital), commercial printing (dhprinting), experiential marketing events (FACE Events), and niche publications to local businesses seeking to reach the affluent suburban Chicago audience. The company operates as both a content publisher and a full-service marketing solutions provider with the Compass ad network reaching 190 million unique users monthly.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Daily Herald newspaper: The primary daily newspaper serving suburban Chicago communities
• Suburban Business / Business Ledger
• Dhigital
• Niche Publications
• Town Square Publications
• FACE Events
• dhprinting
• Oaklee's Family Guide
• Reflejos

Products and services

• Daily Herald Newspaper Primary daily newspaper serving suburban Chicago communities, offering print and digital advertising placements for local businesses seeking to reach an affluent audience (median HHI $99,900+).
• Suburban Business B2B news publication providing access to business decision-makers at more than 15,000 suburban Chicago businesses, offering targeted advertising to executive readers.
• Dhigital Digital Marketing Suite Complete online and digital marketing solution integrating SEO, social media, reputation management, email marketing, digital display advertising, streaming radio, cost-per-click, online video, and website design for local businesses.
• Compass Ad Network Digital advertising network reaching 190 million unique users across the USA each month, targeting adults 25-44 and parents 25-44 using demographics, shopping and content interests.
• Niche Special Sections More than 200 hyper-focused special sections annually covering weddings, outdoor dining, healthy living, summer camp, and other topics that deliver dedicated audiences with specific interests to advertisers.
• Town Square Publications Custom publishing group producing high-quality print and digitally integrated publications for chambers of commerce and membership-focused organizations, including custom design, direct distribution, and targeted email marketing campaigns.
• FACE Events (Experiential Marketing) Experiential marketing division operating signature community events such as Fittest Loser and Cook of the Week, plus custom events providing face-to-face interaction opportunities with sponsorship packages including advertising, logo presence, and branding opportunities.
• dhprinting Commercial Printing Commercial printing services for external clients including magazines, business cards, banners, signs, catalogs, direct mail, and custom projects with full-service capabilities from concept design to delivery.
• Oaklee's Family Guide Digital E-Edition with seasonal events and family-focused information providing advertising opportunities for family-friendly businesses and organizations hosting events for children in suburban Chicago.
• Direct Mail Services Direct mail solutions allowing businesses to reach specific audiences based on location, demographics, and interests, with email campaign integration.
• Reflejos Bilingual Spanish-language publication serving Latino readers in Fox Valley and advertisers from Aurora to McHenry, providing a Spanish-language advertising channel for businesses.

Quantifiable outcome

• 75% of readers do not consume other newspapers, making Daily Herald a unique and essential resource for reaching this exclusive market.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Korea Future eco-Mobility Service Association (KFMSA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 April 2026Jointly organized the Future AI Mobility Summit 2026 in Seoul, which emphasizes electric vehicle innovation, clean energy, and sustainable mobility. The event brings together global mobility companies and stakeholders with plans for international cooperation and MoUs to develop global connectivity in mobility services.
• Chambers of Commerce (Nationwide)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTown Square Publications, a division of Daily Herald Media Group, specializes in developing partnerships with chambers of commerce and other membership-focused organizations to produce high-quality print and digitally integrated publications. Services include custom design, direct distribution, and targeted email marketing campaigns.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• MediaNews Group (Alden Global Capital): Owns numerous daily newspapers across the U.S., including the Chicago Tribune and other regional dailies in the same Chicago metro advertising market. Highly comparable as a regional newspaper publisher with adjacent geographic coverage and similar advertising offerings.
• Lee Enterprises: Public operator of mid-sized daily and weekly newspapers with integrated digital advertising platforms. Closely comparable as a multi-title community newspaper group with similar mix of print advertising, digital ads, and subscription revenue.
• CNHI (Community Newspaper Holdings Inc.): Operates daily, weekly, and Sunday newspapers in small to mid-sized U.S. markets, plus commercial printing operations. Strongly comparable diversified community newspaper group with analogous print + commercial printing + digital model.
• McClatchy: Operates 30+ daily newspapers and community publications across the U.S., focused on mid-sized markets. Highly comparable regional newspaper publisher with similar digital subscription and advertising strategies.
• Schurz Communications: Family-owned regional media company operating daily newspapers, radio stations, and digital marketing services. Closely comparable diversified local media group with print + digital + marketing services similar to Daily Herald's Dhigital/FACE/dhprinting stack.
• A.H. Belo Corporation: Owns The Dallas Morning News and other regional dailies, focused on local news, advertising, and marketing services. Comparable mid-sized regional newspaper publisher pursuing digital transformation with similar advertising and subscription revenue mix.
• Paddock Publications direct market competitor: Chicago Tribune: The principal Chicago metropolitan daily newspaper, competing head-to-head with Daily Herald for Chicago-area readers and advertisers. Closest direct geographic and audience competitor in the same regional advertising market.

Broad incumbents

• Hearst Newspapers: Division of Hearst Corporation operating 20+ dailies and dozens of weeklies. Comparable large-scale regional newspaper publisher with diversified revenue across print, digital, and marketing services.
• Tribune Publishing: Owns major metropolitan dailies including the Chicago Tribune. Comparable business model focused on print and digital publishing, with overlapping geographic coverage in the Chicago market where Daily Herald operates.
• Gannett: Largest U.S. newspaper publisher operating USA Today and hundreds of local dailies and community papers. Directly comparable business model of print + digital advertising and subscription revenue across local markets, but at vastly greater scale and with public market access.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DHMGmedia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/daily-herald

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries7 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 Daily Herald Media Group