Community Newspapers

What Community Newspapers does

Community Newspapers, Inc. (CNI) is a privately held, family-influenced community newspaper publishing group headquartered in Athens, Georgia, operating a portfolio of 12 weekly newspapers across North Florida and Northeast/North Georgia. The company traces its history through publications dating to the 1800s (Toccoa Record, 1873; Clayton Tribune, 1897), and CNI itself has been acquiring and operating papers since at least 1971. The portfolio reaches an aggregate 68,000 households weekly with a claimed 82% market readership across its coverage areas and is organized into regional publisher territories (Southeast, Northeast Georgia) under President Mark Major.

The company's core offering is hyper-local journalism and advertising: print display advertising, special sections, magazines, obituaries and public notices anchored on individual community mastheads, supplemented by digital subscriptions and digital ad placements on each paper's website. CNI's go-to-market is an inside sales force selling both print and digital advertising to local and area SMBs across its footprint. In June 2025 CNI extended this model under the Fernandina Beach News-Leader by launching Leader Digital Solutions, a full-service digital marketing agency offering Google, social media, geofencing, and data-driven audience targeting to local businesses — the company's first explicit move beyond newspaper publishing into agency services.

CNI's revenue model is dual-stream: (1) print and digital advertising across the 12-paper network as the primary stream, and (2) recurring revenue from individual newspaper subscriptions and single-copy sales. Pricing for advertising is not publicly disclosed and is sold through individual paper sales offices and a centralized rates/locations inquiry process. The company is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, no PE/VC ownership, and no revenue or headcount figures in the public record. It maintains a small marketing footprint of its own — the CNI Newsflash newsletter, a Facebook page, and a corporate website — alongside its editorial publications.

Name

Community Newspapers

Legal name

Community Newspapers, Inc

Website

https://cninewspapers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Community Newspapers, Inc. operates 12 weekly community newspapers across Georgia and Florida, reaching 68,000 households weekly through print and digital advertising sold primarily to local SMBs, and recently extended into digital marketing services via Leader Digital Solutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Media Buying Agencies (54183), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Community newspaper publishing
• Print advertising services
• Local news media
• Digital marketing solutions
• Regional journalism

Headquarters

HQ city

Athens

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Print and Digital Advertising: The primary revenue stream is advertising sales across 12 community newspapers in Georgia and Florida, including both print display ads and digital advertising solutions. Local businesses advertise to reach the company's 68,000 weekly households across the network.
2. Newspaper Subscriptions and Sales: Revenue from individual newspaper subscriptions and single-copy sales across the network of 12 community newspapers serving local communities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Community Newspapers, Inc. operates a network of 12 weekly community newspapers across Georgia and Florida, reaching 68,000 households weekly with 82% market readership. The company sells print and digital advertising to local and regional businesses, and recently launched Leader Digital Solutions, a full-service digital marketing agency offering Google, social media, and geofencing campaigns with data-driven audience targeting.

Product overview

Community Newspapers, Inc. operates a portfolio of 12 weekly community newspapers across Georgia and Florida, reaching 68,000 households weekly with 82% market readership. The core portfolio consists of six Georgia publications (The Clayton Tribune, The Dahlonega Nugget, The Elberton Star, Franklin County Citizen-Leader, The Hartwell Sun, The Northeast Georgian, Tribune & Georgian, White County News, The Toccoa Record) and three Florida publications (Nassau County Record, Lake City Reporter, Fernandina Beach News-Leader). An add-on digital marketing service, Leader Digital Solutions, extends the News-Leader's advertising offerings into digital channels. The company also distributes a company-wide newsletter (CNI Newsflash) and individual magazine products for various markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Clayton Tribune: Community newspaper serving Clayton, Georgia and Rabun County since 1897
• The Dahlonega Nugget
• The Elberton Star
• Fernandina Beach News-Leader
• Lake City Reporter
• Nassau County Record
• The Hartwell Sun
• The Northeast Georgian
• White County News
• Franklin County Citizen-Leader
• Tribune & Georgian
• The Toccoa Record
• Leader Digital Solutions

Products and services

• Nassau County Record Weekly community newspaper serving Callahan, Florida, and western Nassau County communities, delivering local news, sports, obituaries, and public notices to local readers.
• Lake City Reporter Weekly community newspaper serving Lake City, Florida, providing hyper-local news, advertising, and community information. The newspaper has a 150-year history.
• Fernandina Beach News-Leader Weekly community newspaper serving Fernandina Beach, Florida, offering local news coverage and the parent platform for the Leader Digital Solutions digital marketing agency.
• The Clayton Tribune Weekly community newspaper serving Rabun County, Georgia since 1897. One of the company's oldest and most award-winning publications.
• The Dahlonega Nugget Weekly community newspaper serving Dahlonega, Georgia and Lumpkin County, recognized for editorial excellence and reporting on public education.
• The Elberton Star Weekly community newspaper serving Elberton, Georgia and Elbert County, providing local news and advertising to readers.
• Franklin County Citizen-Leader Weekly community newspaper serving Lavonia, Georgia and Franklin County, providing local news coverage and advertising opportunities.
• The Hartwell Sun Weekly community newspaper serving Hartwell, Georgia and Hart County, delivering local news, advertising, and community journalism.
• The Northeast Georgian Weekly community newspaper serving Cornelia, Georgia and the Northeast Georgia region, providing local news and advertising.
• White County News Weekly community newspaper serving Cleveland, Georgia and White County, delivering local news and advertising to area readers.
• Tribune & Georgian Weekly community newspaper serving St. Marys, Georgia and Camden County, providing local news, sports, and advertising.
• The Toccoa Record Weekly community newspaper serving Toccoa, Georgia and Stephens County, founded in 1873, making it the company's oldest publication with 150 years of continuous operation.
• Leader Digital Solutions Full-service digital marketing agency offered by the Fernandina Beach News-Leader. Provides digital advertising solutions including Google marketing, social media campaigns, geofencing, and data-driven audience targeting for local businesses.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reaches 68,000 households weekly across 12 newspapers in Georgia and Florida
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 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.

• Graham County Historical AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Graham County Historical Association recognized The Graham Star for its October 2022 special publication 'Graham County: Past, Present and Future,' a 60-page magazine produced to commemorate Graham County's 150th anniversary. The partnership produced a once-in-a-lifetime keepsake magazine.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ogden Newspapers: Family-owned group operating community newspapers and digital products across multiple states, with a similar mix of weekly papers, digital ad services, and local SMB focus.
• Schurz Communications: Schurz owns community newspaper and broadcasting properties across the Midwest and Southeast, with a comparable mix of local print titles, digital subscriptions, and advertising services.
• Adams Publishing Group: Family-owned publisher of community newspapers, magazines, and digital platforms in small and mid-sized US markets, with a multi-state footprint closely comparable to CNI's regional model.
• Paxton Media Group: Paxton is a private Southeast-focused community newspaper company publishing daily and weekly papers in small markets, closely mirroring CNI's geographic and operational model.
• Boone Newspapers: Boone operates a portfolio of community newspapers and digital marketing services in the Southeast and Midwest, comparable in scale, product mix, and SMB advertiser focus.
• CNHI (Community Newspaper Holdings Inc.): CNHI operates a portfolio of community newspapers and digital media properties across the US, sharing CNI's model of small-market print + digital advertising and serving similar local SMB advertisers.

Broad incumbents

• Gannett: Gannett is the largest US newspaper publisher (USA TODAY network) with extensive local community titles and digital marketing services, making it a broad incumbent competing against CNI for both reader attention and advertiser spend.
• Tribune Publishing: Tribune Publishing operates regional daily and community newspapers plus digital marketing offerings; though it focuses on larger metros, its digital services overlap with CNI's Leader Digital Solutions offering.
• Lee Enterprises: Lee is a publicly traded large-scale publisher of daily and weekly newspapers across the US, including digital subscriptions and advertising. While much larger than CNI, it competes for the same local SMB ad budgets and digital audiences.

Emerging players

• Cherry Road Media: Cherry Road Media acquires and operates small-market community newspapers with a strong digital transformation focus, representing an emerging peer with similar scale and product mix to CNI.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CommunityNewspapersInc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-newspapers-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Community Newspapers