Wake Living Magazine

What Wake Living Magazine does

Wake Living Magazine is a bimonthly lifestyle publication serving residents of Wake County and the Capital Area of North Carolina. It distributes six print issues per year through a network of more than 125 pickup locations across Raleigh, Wake Forest, Knightdale, and surrounding communities, supplemented by paid mail subscriptions (1-, 2-, and 3-year terms priced $20–$38) and a free digital edition accessible on its website. The publication covers local features, food and dining, home and garden, travel, events, and photo galleries, with additional content products including the WhatsUpWAKE podcast, a searchable Dining Guide with 256+ Triangle-area restaurants, and a shared community events calendar.

The publication is owned and operated by Cherokee Media Group, a media company whose portfolio also includes Cary Magazine, Main & Broad, and LookWest. Content production is led by an editorial team anchored by Editor Erin McKnight (appointed 2024, NY Times–Bestselling editor), Creative Director Lauren Morris (appointed 2021 across Wake Living and Cary Magazine, NC Press Association awardee), and Chief Photographer Jonathan Fredin (since 2008, formerly freelance for The New York Times and The Associated Press). Wake Living has 11–50 employees and is headquartered at a Cherokee Media Group office in Cary, NC.

Wake Living generates revenue from two streams: paid print subscriptions delivered by mail and advertising sold to local Wake County businesses, with a claimed reach of more than 125,000 readers per issue. The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer — both for individual readers (via pickup and subscription) and for advertisers (via the advertising sales team led by Publisher Kris Schultz). The company has no proprietary technology stack, no disclosed AI capabilities, no patents, and no external institutional investment; growth has been funded entirely through operating cash flow within the Cherokee Media Group parent.

Name

Wake Living Magazine

Legal name

Wake Living Magazine

Website

https://wakeliving.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Wake Living Magazine is a bimonthly lifestyle publication serving Wake County and the Capital Area of North Carolina, distributed through 125+ local pickup points and subscriptions, with revenue from reader subscriptions and local business advertising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Lifestyle Print and Digital Magazine

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (51312), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Consumer Lifestyle & Fashion Magazines (MPAJAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Home, Garden & DIY Magazines (MPAJAEAG), Digital Newsstand & Aggregation Platforms (Magazine/News Apps, Bundles) (MPAJAKAE), Magazine & Newspaper Subscriptions / Delivery Retail (CRALAAAH)

Keywords

• Regional lifestyle magazine
• Local community publishing
• Print subscription media
• Local advertising sales
• Lifestyle editorial content

Headquarters

HQ city

Raleigh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Print Magazine Subscriptions: The magazine generates revenue through paid print subscriptions delivered by mail, with options for 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year terms.
2. Advertising: The magazine sells advertising space to local businesses, reaching over 125,000 readers per issue. The media kit is available for advertiser requests.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Wake Living Magazine is a bimonthly (6 issues/year) print and digital lifestyle publication serving Wake County and the North Carolina Capital Area, featuring local editorial content on dining, home and garden, travel, features, events, and community organizations. The publication distributes across more than 125 regional pickup locations and through paid mail subscriptions, supplemented by a website, email newsletter, the WhatsUpWAKE podcast, a searchable Dining Guide, and a shared community events calendar. Revenue is generated through consumer print subscriptions and advertising sales to local Wake County businesses.

Product overview

Wake Living Magazine is a lifestyle publication serving Wake County, North Carolina, offering both print and digital content through its main magazine, subscription products (1, 2, and 3-year print subscriptions), and a digital version accessible online. The publication provides related products including the WhatsUpWAKE podcast, a searchable Dining Guide with over 256 local restaurants, a shared Events Calendar, and access to magazine Archives. The company also offers advertising services to local businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WhatsUpWAKE: Community events platform and podcast featuring local Wake County content

Products and services

• Wake Living Magazine (print and digital bimonthly publication) A bimonthly (6 issues per year) print and digital lifestyle magazine covering local features, food and dining, home and garden, travel, events, and photo galleries; intended for Wake County and North Carolina Capital Area residents.
• Print Subscription (1 Year – 6 Issues) Annual paid print subscription delivering 6 bimonthly issues via mail for $20.00; for readers in and outside the Wake County pickup area.
• Print Subscription (2 Years – 12 Issues) Two-year paid print subscription delivering 12 issues via mail for $31.00 (approximately $2.58 per issue); for readers wanting a mid-term discounted subscription.
• Print Subscription (3 Years – 18 Issues) Three-year paid print subscription delivering 18 issues via mail for $38.00 (approximately $2.11 per issue); the lowest per-issue price tier.
• Digital Magazine The online digital version of the current issue accessible via wakeliving.com, allowing readers to view magazine content digitally.
• WhatsUpWAKE Podcast A podcast companion to the magazine featuring local content and interviews about the Wake County community, available on YouTube and other platforms.
• Advertising Services Print and digital advertising sales opportunities reaching over 125,000 readers per issue, available to local Wake County businesses through the magazine's media kit.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Austin Monthly: Monthly city lifestyle magazine serving the Austin, Texas metro — a comparable fast-growing Sun Belt metro. Same editorial pillars (food, home, travel, features), print-plus-digital-hybrid model, and local ad-supported revenue mix.
• 5280 Magazine: Long-established Denver-metro lifestyle magazine. Highly comparable hybrid print/subscription/local-advertising model targeting a single fast-growing U.S. metro, with dining guides and events as core brand extensions.
• Indianapolis Monthly: Mid-size U.S. metro lifestyle magazine following the bimonthly/print+digital+local advertising play with dining and home/garden verticals — a structurally comparable city-magazine model.
• Raleigh Magazine: Independent local lifestyle magazine competing directly with Wake Living for the same Wake County reader base and Raleigh-area advertising dollars. Comparable bimonthly cadence, similar lifestyle editorial mix, and overlapping pickup locations.
• Cary Magazine: Sister publication under Cherokee Media Group, also a bimonthly local lifestyle magazine in the North Carolina Triangle. Same publisher, overlapping editorial team, and shared subscription/advertising infrastructure make it the closest direct comparable to Wake Living.
• Main & Broad: Cherokee Media Group sister publication covering Apex and Holly Springs in the same North Carolina Triangle region. Shares editorial, photography, and sales staff with Wake Living; operates with a comparable print + digital + events model.
• D Magazine: Dallas regional lifestyle magazine with a print + digital + events + dining-guide franchise comparable to Wake Living's product mix; operates in another high-growth Texas metro.
• Charlotte Magazine: Long-standing North Carolina city lifestyle magazine covering Charlotte. Comparable regional lifestyle scope, subscription/advertising duopoly model, and content mix (food, home, features, events).
• Durham Magazine: Local lifestyle magazine serving adjacent Durham County in the NC Triangle. Same regional Triangle media market, similar bimonthly cadence and lifestyle/local business advertising model.
• LookWest: Cherokee Media Group sister publication covering western Wake County communities. Operates with shared editorial/sales infrastructure and the same bimonthly local lifestyle content formula.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@WhatsUpWakeNC

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Wake Living Magazine