What The Independent does

The Independent (also doing business as the Massillon Independent) is a local newspaper serving Massillon, Ohio, and the broader Stark County region. Founded in 1986 per firmographic records (with online archives extending back to 2008), the publication operates from its headquarters at 729 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH, and is owned and operated by Gannett as part of the USA TODAY Network. It publishes coverage across local news, politics, sports, lifestyle, opinion, entertainment, real estate, business, and obituaries, with editorial staff including named reporters (Amy L. Knapp, Steven M. Grazier) and a photographer (Kevin Whitlock).

The digital product is built around indeonline.com and a set of integrated modules: an eNewspaper digital replica edition (user.indeonline.com), a Jobs Marketplace that distributes listings to Jobcase, Indeed, and ZipRecruiter, real estate listings with property transfer records, classifieds, public notices/legals, email newsletters, the PLAY Hub entertainment section (crosswords, horoscopes, daily games), USA TODAY 10Best curated recommendations, shopping/deals content, sponsored contests, and a Contributor Content platform for community-submitted articles and opinion. The technology stack is a conventional digital news platform with a searchable archive from 2008 to present, leveraging Gannett's shared advertising infrastructure (advertising.usatoday.com) and third-party job board integrations.

The business model combines digital subscription revenue (eNewspaper and premium content access), advertising sales to local SMBs across print and digital (delivered via the USA TODAY Network advertising platform), transactional revenue from job postings and classifieds, professional services revenue from legals and public notices, and licensing and reprint royalties through iMAGN. The go-to-market is sales-led and local, serving Massillon and Stark County readers, small and medium-sized local businesses, and government and non-profit entities requiring public notice publication. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; subscription billing is monthly and job postings are pay-as-you-go, with online-only and online-plus-print tiers available.

Name

The Independent

Legal name

Gannett

Website

https://indeonline.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Independent is a local newspaper serving Massillon, Ohio, and Stark County, operating as part of Gannett's USA TODAY Network. It provides digital news, an eNewspaper edition, a job marketplace integrated with Jobcase, Indeed, and ZipRecruiter, classifieds, real estate listings, and public notices for local readers, SMB advertisers, and government entities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Newspaper

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (51311)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Local newspaper
• Digital news
• Classified advertising
• Job marketplace
• Public notices

Headquarters

HQ city

Massillon

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, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Digital Subscriptions: Subscription-based access to digital content including eNewspaper and premium articles
2. Print and Digital Advertising: Advertising services for local businesses including display ads, classifieds, and digital advertising solutions through USA TODAY Network
3. Job Marketplace: Job posting and classified advertising marketplace for local employers and job seekers
4. Legals and Public Notices: Paid legal notices and public announcements publication services
5. Licensing and Reprints: Content licensing and reprint rights for photographs and articles through imagn.com

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Independent is a local newspaper and digital news platform that publishes local news, politics, sports, lifestyle, opinion, entertainment, business, real estate, and obituaries for Massillon, Ohio, and Stark County. It sells digital and print subscriptions, display and classified advertising to local businesses, job postings through a jobs marketplace, and paid public-notice and legal-notice publication, operating as part of Gannett's USA TODAY Network.

Product overview

The Independent is a local digital news platform serving Massillon, OH and Stark County communities, operating as part of the USA TODAY Network. The publication offers a unified digital experience combining core news content with integrated modules including eNewspaper (digital replica of the printed edition), Jobs Marketplace (powered by Jobcase, Indeed, and ZipRecruiter integration), Real Estate listings, Classifieds, Legals/Public Notices, Newsletters, PLAY Hub entertainment (crosswords, games, horoscopes), USA TODAY 10Best recommendations, Shopping/Deals, Contests, and Contributor Content. The platform functions as a comprehensive local media hub with both free and subscription-based content access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Independent Digital News Subscription
• eNewspaper Digital Edition
• Jobs Marketplace
• Real Estate Listings
• Classifieds
• Legals and Public Notices
• Email Newsletters
• USA TODAY PLAY Hub

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Gannett / USA TODAY NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Independent is operated by Gannett as part of the USA TODAY Network, sharing resources, content syndication, advertising platforms, and ethical journalism standards across hundreds of local news properties
• JobcasecoreTechnology or IntegrationJob posting platform integration enabling job listings to be distributed to Jobcase network of 100+ million job seekers, as well as Indeed and ZipRecruiter
• LocaliQ Digital Marketing SolutionsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDigital marketing solutions partner providing advertising and marketing services for local businesses through the publication's footer advertising network
• iMAGN Licensing & ReprintsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorContent licensing and reprints partner enabling sale and licensing of newspaper photographs and articles through imagn.com platform

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Cleveland.com / The Plain Dealer: Advance Local's flagship Ohio news outlet serving the Cleveland-Akron-Canton media market. A larger, broader-coverage peer competing for the same Northeast Ohio advertising pool and reader attention.
• The Columbus Dispatch: Gannett-owned flagship Ohio daily serving Columbus. Larger-scale Gannett local property with the same product stack (digital subscription, eNewspaper, classifieds, jobs), offering a useful scale benchmark within the same network.
• Tribune Publishing (Alden Global): Operator of metropolitan and suburban local newspapers in the U.S. A broad incumbent peer operating the same print + digital subscription + advertising model in overlapping U.S. local markets.
• Lee Enterprises: Publicly traded owner of a large portfolio of small- and mid-market U.S. local newspapers. A broad incumbent peer at the corporate level operating the same subscription + advertising business model across hundreds of local markets.

Direct peers

• Des Moines Register: Gannett-owned regional daily outside Iowa and a USA TODAY Network flagship local title. Closely comparable in operational model and revenue stack to The Independent.
• Akron Beacon Journal: Gannett-owned regional daily serving the Akron metro and broader Northeast Ohio. Comparable in business model (local print + digital subscription + advertising) and in network integration with USA TODAY.
• Detroit Free Press: Gannett-owned regional daily newspaper outside Michigan. Comparable as a USA TODAY Network mid-market local title with the same revenue mix (subscriptions, advertising, classifieds, legals).
• The Repository: Gannett-owned daily newspaper serving Canton, Ohio — directly adjacent to The Independent's Stark County market and serving overlapping readers and advertisers in Massillon/Stark County. It is the closest geographic direct peer.
• Dayton Daily News: Gannett-owned Ohio daily newspaper operating under the same USA TODAY Network playbook (eNewspaper, subscriptions, advertising, classifieds). Same parent, similar mid-size Ohio-market positioning.

Emerging players

• Patch: Digital-only hyperlocal news network covering thousands of U.S. communities including Ohio towns. Competes for the same local-news audience and SMB advertiser wallet without the print distribution base.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/massillonindependent
• Xx.com/indedotcom
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/massillon-independent-crcltn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 The Independent