Ladue News

What Ladue News does

Ladue News is a bi-weekly local newspaper founded in 1981 that serves affluent communities across the St. Louis metropolitan area, including Ladue, Clayton, Chesterfield, Ballwin, Kirkwood, and surrounding suburbs. The publication covers local news across categories such as business, family and education, health and wellness, home, style, arts and culture, and community events. Its product portfolio includes the core bi-weekly newspaper, the companion ABODE lifestyle magazine focused on home design and interiors, a digital E-edition replica of the print issue, and the News+ ad-free premium digital subscription tier. Distribution spans over 200 physical retail pickup points in the metro area (grocers, banks, libraries, fitness centers, real estate offices) alongside direct home delivery and digital platforms including a website and mobile app.

The business operates a hybrid revenue model anchored by recurring monthly subscriptions (Digital Only, Digital+Print, and News+) priced with auto-renewal and a $0.99 introductory offer for new subscribers, supplemented by display and sponsored advertising on the website and in print, sponsored editorial content, and an event photography service offered to local organizations. Marketing and audience engagement rely on social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest), email newsletters, a community event calendar, and content marketing. The technology foundation is the BLOX Content Management System from Bloxdigital.com; no proprietary AI, API, or integration capabilities are documented.

Ladue News is a private subsidiary owned by Lee Enterprises, Incorporated (NYSE: LEE), a publicly traded digital-first local media conglomerate headquartered in Davenport, Iowa and majority-controlled by David Hoffmann through Hoffmann Media Group. The publication operates as one of many local titles in Lee Enterprises' portfolio, leveraging corporate infrastructure and ad networks while retaining a distinct editorial identity and community focus. Headcount is reported in the 51–100 range.

Name

Ladue News

Legal name

Lee Enterprises, Incorporated

Website

https://laduenews.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Ladue News is a bi-weekly local newspaper and digital publication serving affluent St. Louis metropolitan communities with local news, lifestyle, arts, and event coverage, distributed via 200+ retail points and digital subscriptions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Newspaper Publishers (51311), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Home, Garden & DIY Magazines (MPAJAEAG)

Keywords

• Local newspaper publishing
• Community news coverage
• Lifestyle magazine
• Digital news subscriptions
• Event photography services

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

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, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Subscription Revenue: Digital+Print and Digital Only subscription tiers with automatic renewal, providing recurring revenue from subscribers
2. Advertising: Display advertising on website and in print publication, including sponsored content and promotional articles
3. News+ Premium Subscription: Ad-free premium digital access subscription upgrade

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Ladue News publishes a bi-weekly local newspaper and companion digital platform covering St. Louis metropolitan-area communities (Ladue, Clayton, Chesterfield, and surrounding suburbs) with content spanning business, family, education, health, arts, culture, dining, real estate, and community events. The publication includes the ABODE lifestyle sub-brand, an e-edition digital replica, and tiered subscription products (Digital Only, Digital+Print, and the ad-free News+ premium tier). Event photography services for community organizations are also offered as a paid offering.

Product overview

Ladue News is a bi-weekly local newspaper publication owned by Lee Enterprises, serving the St. Louis metropolitan area. The company operates a print publication with a companion digital platform. Its product portfolio consists of the core Ladue News newspaper (available in print and digital formats), the ABODE lifestyle magazine, an e-edition digital replica of the print issue, and the News+ premium digital subscription tier. The core newspaper and ABODE magazine are distributed through retail locations across the St. Louis region, while digital access is provided through the website and mobile app with tiered subscription options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ABODE: A lifestyle magazine published by Ladue News covering home design, architecture, and interior styling.

Products and services

• Ladue News (Core Newspaper) A bi-weekly local newspaper covering St. Louis-area news across business, family and education, health and wellness, arts and culture, community, dining, real estate, and lifestyle categories. Delivered in print to subscribers and available digitally to all readers.
• ABODE Magazine A lifestyle magazine covering home design, interiors, architecture, and residential living for St. Louis metro readers, published as a companion to Ladue News with its own e-edition.
• Ladue News E-Edition A digital PDF replica of the bi-weekly print newspaper edition, accessible online through laduenews.com, allowing subscribers to view the full print content digitally.
• News+ Subscription A premium digital subscription tier offering ad-free unlimited digital access to laduenews.com on any device, including mobile app, removing internet-only advertising such as banner, pop-up, and search-related ads.
• Event Photography Service Paid service where Ladue News photographers attend and photograph local community organization events upon request, with resulting coverage published in the newspaper.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Lee EnterprisescoreOthersLadue News is owned by Lee Enterprises, Incorporated. Lee Enterprises is a digital-first publishing company providing local news, advertising, and marketing services across multiple markets. Ladue News operates under Lee Enterprises' portfolio of newspapers.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• St. Louis Magazine: Regional lifestyle magazine serving the St. Louis metropolitan area with coverage of dining, arts, culture, and community. Directly comparable to Ladue News in geography, target audience (affluent St. Louis readers), and content verticals.
• St. Louis Homes & Lifestyles: Regional home and lifestyle magazine serving affluent St. Louis homeowners. Overlaps directly with Ladue News's ABODE sub-brand in covering luxury real estate, interior design, and architecture for the same metro audience.
• Riverfront Times: St. Louis alternative weekly newspaper covering arts, dining, music, and local news. Competes with Ladue News for the same metropolitan audience and advertiser base, though positioned as an alt-weekly rather than lifestyle/community publication.
• ALIVE Magazine: St. Louis lifestyle publication covering fashion, dining, beauty, and local culture for affluent readers. Comparable to Ladue News in both target market and content positioning within the same metropolitan geography.
• Town & Style: St. Louis society and lifestyle magazine focused on affluent neighborhoods, philanthropy, and home design. Directly comparable to Ladue News and its ABODE sub-brand in both audience (high-income St. Louis households) and editorial verticals.
• Suburban Journals: Network of community newspapers covering St. Louis County municipalities, also owned by Lee Enterprises. Closest sister publication within the parent company's portfolio, with overlapping distribution geography and shared advertiser base.

Broad incumbents

• Indianapolis Monthly: City-focused regional lifestyle magazine covering Indianapolis dining, arts, and culture for affluent readers. Comparable to Ladue News in business model (subscriptions + local advertising + events) and content verticals, but operating at a larger metro scale.
• Houstonia Magazine: Houston-based city lifestyle magazine covering dining, culture, real estate, and community news for affluent readers. Similar hyperlocal-affluent positioning and subscription-plus-advertising business model, but serving a different metropolitan market.
• St. Louis Post-Dispatch: The dominant daily newspaper in the St. Louis market, also owned by Lee Enterprises. Overlaps with Ladue News in local coverage and advertiser pool, but serves a much broader audience and competes more on breaking news than lifestyle content.
• D Magazine: Established regional lifestyle magazine serving affluent Dallas residents. Comparable business model (premium local advertising + subscriptions + events) and similar positioning as a city-defining lifestyle publication, though in a different metro market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LadueNews
• Facebookfacebook.com/laduenews
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1357957
• Instagraminstagram.com/laduenews
• Pinterestpinterest.com/laduenews

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 Ladue News