The Desert Sun

What The Desert Sun does

The Desert Sun is a local newspaper serving Palm Springs and the broader Coachella Valley in Riverside County, California. Founded in 1951 and headquartered in Palm Springs, the publication is owned by Gannett (NYSE: GCI) and operates as part of the USA Today Network. It provides hyperlocal coverage across news, sports, business, entertainment, real estate, obituaries, and public notices for communities including Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Coachella, Indio, La Quinta, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells, and surrounding desert communities. Editorial coverage extends to major regional events such as the Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals, the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament, the American Express golf tournament, and Coachella Valley Firebirds hockey.

The publication's product surface is built on Gannett's shared newspaper publishing infrastructure, consisting of a website (desertsun.com), native iOS and Android mobile applications, an eNewspaper digital edition, email newsletters, and traditional print home delivery. The technology stack is standard CMS-based and operated under the USA Today Network's centralized technology, advertising, and content syndication systems. Notable integrations include AddressUSA for real estate listings, LocaliQ for digital advertising solutions, and iMagn for content licensing.

The Desert Sun generates revenue through five streams: digital subscriptions, print home delivery subscriptions, display and sponsored advertising, obituary placement services, and classifieds/legal/public notices. The business model is a hybrid subscription-plus-advertising model typical of community newspapers, with distributed revenue across a broad base of individual subscribers and a long tail of local advertisers. There are no publicly disclosed pricing tiers, no standalone revenue figures, and no independent ownership or venture capital backing — the publication operates entirely as a subsidiary of Gannett. Headcount is reported at 51–100 employees.

Name

The Desert Sun

Legal name

The Desert Sun

Website

https://desertsun.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1951

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Desert Sun is a local newspaper serving Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley, owned by Gannett as part of the USA Today Network. It delivers hyperlocal news, sports, business, and entertainment coverage via website, mobile apps, newsletters, and print to Coachella Valley residents and advertisers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Broadcasting and Content Providers (516), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Local newspaper publishing
• Digital news subscription
• Print home delivery
• Classified advertising
• Community journalism

Headquarters

HQ city

Palm Springs

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, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Digital Subscriptions: Revenue generated from digital subscription tiers including full digital access, eNewspaper subscriptions, and premium content. Subscribers can manage accounts, access subscriber-only content, and receive exclusive newsletters.
2. Advertising: The publication generates advertising revenue through display ads, sponsored content, and partnership placements. The site features third-party advertiser content including real estate services (AddressUSA) and marketing solutions (LocaliQ). Also accepts advertising inquiries through USA Today advertising network.
3. Obituary Services: The publication offers obituary placement services with options for loved ones and funeral directors, generating revenue from death notices and memorial announcements.
4. Classifieds and Legals: Revenue from classified advertisements, public notices, legal announcements, and job listings published through the newspaper's classifieds platform.
5. Print Subscriptions: Traditional print newspaper subscriptions for home delivery, with physical edition distribution in the Palm Springs and Coachella Valley area.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Desert Sun produces and distributes a daily local newspaper and accompanying digital news platform serving Palm Springs and the broader Coachella Valley. Its core products are breaking local news, sports, business, real estate, entertainment, obituary, and public-notice content delivered via desertsun.com, mobile apps, eNewspaper replica, and print home delivery, with revenue from consumer subscriptions and local business advertising.

Product overview

The Desert Sun is a single unified digital news platform serving Palm Springs and Coachella Valley as part of the Gannett/USA Today Network. The publication offers comprehensive local journalism including breaking news, sports, business, entertainment, real estate, obituaries, and public notices through its website and mobile applications. The newsroom also produces special coverage series, photo galleries, videos, and newsletters for the Coachella Valley community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Desert Sun Digital News Platform Online local news publication covering Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley across news, sports, business, life/entertainment, real estate, opinion, and trending sections, available at desertsun.com. Targeted at Coachella Valley residents, seasonal visitors, and anyone following the region.
• The Desert Sun Mobile Apps Native iOS and Android applications providing mobile-optimized access to The Desert Sun's local news content, breaking news push notifications, and subscriber account access.
• eNewspaper Digital Replica Edition Digital replica of the daily Desert Sun print edition delivered electronically to subscribers, providing the same layout and content as the physical paper through the user.desertsun.com portal.
• Print Newspaper Subscription (Home Delivery) Traditional print newspaper subscription with physical home delivery of the daily Desert Sun edition across the Palm Springs and Coachella Valley coverage area.
• Obituary Placement Services Paid obituary submission and memorial placement service for families and funeral directors, including death notices and tribute announcements published in The Desert Sun's obituary section.
• Public Notices and Legal Announcements Paid placement service for legal announcements, public notices, and statutory advertising required by local government and courts, published in The Desert Sun's Legals section.
• Real Estate Listings and Search Real estate search portal integrated with AddressUSA, providing Coachella Valley home listings, featured property promotion, agent profiles, and home services advertising for buyers, sellers, and real estate agents.
• Classifieds Marketplace Online classifieds platform offering paid job listings, items-for-sale, and local service advertisements placed by individuals and businesses in the Coachella Valley.
• Email Newsletters Subscription-based email newsletters delivering daily and periodic Coachella Valley news, sports, and feature updates to registered readers.
• Historical Newspaper Archives Searchable digital archive of historical Desert Sun editions accessible through desertsun.newspapers.com for genealogy, research, and historical content lookup.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Gannett / USA Today NetworkcoreOthersThe Desert Sun operates as part of the Gannett media company and USA Today Network, benefiting from content syndication, shared technology platforms, advertising networks, and corporate resources including style guides, ethical principles, and responsible disclosure programs.
• AddressUSAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAddressUSA provides real estate listing services and home search functionality featured on The Desert Sun's real estate section. The partnership includes featured properties, agent profiles, and home services advertising.
• LocaliQ Digital Marketing SolutionsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocaliQ provides digital marketing solutions and services to local businesses advertising through The Desert Sun's digital platform and other Gannett local publications.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Strengths4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mydesert
• Facebookfacebook.com/thedesertsun

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 The Desert Sun