Whidbey News-Times and Sound Publishing

What Whidbey News-Times and Sound Publishing does

Whidbey News-Times is a privately held community newspaper serving Oak Harbor and the broader Whidbey Island, Washington market. Its core product is a hometown newspaper covering local news, sports, business, life, opinion, and obituaries, positioned explicitly as Oak Harbor's hometown paper. Supporting products include digital eEditions, email newsletters, a classifieds marketplace (powered by iPublish Marketplace and covering employment, real estate, vehicles, transportation, and legal notices), subscription services with a dedicated subscriber center, local weather, and community contests such as The Best of Whidbey. The publication also operates a set of submission forms that enable community contribution of press releases, story ideas, sports results, letters to the editor, obituaries, and life announcements (engagements, weddings, births).

The business is operated under Sound Publishing and is part of Carpenter Media Group, which holds the site copyright and provides shared infrastructure across its newspaper network, including the classifieds and legal notices platforms. Distribution is omnichannel at a small scale: print subscription delivery on Whidbey Island, a self-serve digital e-edition, and an online classifieds storefront; marketing reach is driven by the website, email newsletters, and social media. The revenue model is not publicly disclosed but is consistent with a traditional community newspaper stack: paid print and digital subscriptions, display and classified advertising (employment, real estate, vehicles, legal notices), and fee-based services such as obituary placement, legal notice placement, and sponsored community contests. Pricing for subscriptions is not publicly listed, and advertising/classifieds are quote-based.

The customer base is concentrated in local Whidbey Island residents and the small/medium businesses that advertise to them; no enterprise advertisers or multi-market accounts are identified. The company shows no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, no proprietary technology beyond standard CMS publishing and shared group platforms, and operates as a single-masthead community title within a larger media group's portfolio.

Name

Whidbey News-Times and Sound Publishing

Legal name

Whidbey News-Times

Website

https://whidbeynewstimes.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Whidbey News-Times is a privately held community newspaper serving Oak Harbor and Whidbey Island, Washington, delivering local news, sports, business, opinion, obituaries, classifieds, digital e-editions, and newsletters as part of Sound Publishing under Carpenter Media Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Newspaper Publishers (51311), Periodical Publishers (513120)

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

Newsstand & Single-Copy Distribution (MPAJAKAC)

Keywords

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

Headquarters

HQ city

Oak Harbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Whidbey News-Times publishes a local hometown newspaper for Oak Harbor and Whidbey Island, Washington, delivering news, sports, business, life, opinion, and obituary coverage across print and digital channels. Revenue is generated through paid newspaper subscriptions (print and digital), display advertising, and a third-party-powered online classifieds marketplace for employment, real estate, vehicles, and legal notices. The publication operates as part of Sound Publishing under the Carpenter Media Group network of community newspapers.

Product overview

Whidbey News-Times, part of Sound Publishing, is a single hometown newspaper offering a unified local news platform. The core product is the Whidbey News-Times newspaper delivering news, sports, business, life, opinion, and obituaries coverage for Oak Harbor and Whidbey Island. Supporting digital services include digital eEditions, email newsletters, an online classifieds marketplace (powered by iPublish Marketplace), subscription services with subscriber center functionality, local weather, and community contests. The publication also offers various submission forms for community engagement including letters to the editor, press releases, obituaries, and announcements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Whidbey News-Times Newspaper The flagship local hometown newspaper of Oak Harbor and Whidbey Island, providing news, sports, business, life, opinion, and obituaries coverage delivered in print and via the website to local residents.
• Print and Digital Subscription Service Paid subscription product giving readers access to the Whidbey News-Times newspaper (print delivery and/or digital access), e-editions, premium online content, and subscriber center account features.
• Digital eEditions Online digital replica of the Whidbey News-Times print edition, including special sections, accessible via the digital edition platform.
• Email Newsletters Email newsletter subscriptions delivering local Whidbey Island news updates and headlines to opted-in readers.
• Online Classifieds Marketplace Online classified advertising marketplace for employment, real estate, vehicles, transportation, and legal notices, powered by iPublish Marketplace and serving Whidbey Island and broader Washington users.
• Obituary and Legal Notice Placement Paid obituary placement service for families and paid legal notice publishing service routed through Washington Public Notices, available to local residents, attorneys, and businesses.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Carpenter Media GroupcoreOthersParent company that owns and operates Whidbey News-Times as part of its newspaper network. The website footer indicates copyright by Carpenter Media Group with links to privacy policy and terms of service.

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• South Whidbey Record: Historical Whidbey Island news title that has been folded into Sound Publishing's network. Closest geographic and editorial competitor, with overlapping coverage of Whidbey Island communities.
• Peninsula Daily News: Community newspaper on Washington's Olympic Peninsula, owned by Sound Publishing. Matches the structure of a local/regional newspaper with print, digital, and classifieds monetization.
• Islands' Sounder: The other major community newspaper covering Whidbey Island (south end), also part of Sound Publishing/Carpenter Media Group. Directly comparable in geography, content mix, and parent-company infrastructure.
• Skagit Valley Herald: Regional daily newspaper from Mount Vernon, WA, also operated by Sound Publishing/Carpenter Media Group. Comparable in operating model, classifieds integration, and Pacific Northwest local news positioning.
• Anacortes American: Local newspaper covering Anacortes, Washington, near Whidbey Island, also under Sound Publishing. Directly comparable in scale, audience, and multi-channel distribution model.

Broad incumbents

• The Seattle Times: Dominant regional newspaper in Washington state. Represents the upper-scaling incumbent that competes for digital subscriptions and statewide advertising against community titles.
• The Everett Herald: Larger regional daily based in Everett, WA, serving the broader Puget Sound area including Whidbey Island commuters. A broader incumbent with overlapping regional coverage and digital reach.
• The Olympian: Regional daily in Olympia, WA, part of the McClatchy/USA TODAY Network. Comparable business model and multi-channel monetization, although geographically distinct.
• Bellingham Herald: USA Today Network regional paper serving northwest Washington. Competes for regional advertising and digital audience share with Whidbey Island-based readers.

Regional players

• Coupeville's Whidbey Weekly News: Independent, locally owned community newspaper covering south Whidbey Island. An independent alternative to the Sound Publishing titles, useful as a benchmark for share-of-voice within the same small market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/whidbeynews
• Facebookfacebook.com/WhidbeyNews

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Whidbey News-Times and Sound Publishing