Bonners Ferry Herald

What Bonners Ferry Herald does

The Bonners Ferry Herald is a weekly community newspaper serving Boundary County, Idaho, and the broader North Idaho region. Originally founded in 1891 as the Kootenai Herald and renamed in 1904 after relocating to Bonners Ferry, the publication is among the oldest continuously operating newspapers in North Idaho and is privately held under the Hagadone Media Group umbrella as part of the North Idaho Hagadone News Network (alongside the Coeur d'Alene Press, Shoshone News Press, and Bonner County Daily Bee).

Its core product is a weekly print edition mailed to subscribers, paired with a digital news website (bonnersferryherald.com), an e-edition via NewsMemory, and the 7Bee Podcast on Buzzsprout. The editorial product covers breaking news, local government, Boundary County sports (BFHS Badgers), business, obituaries, legal notices, public records, classifieds, opinion, and regional/outdoor lifestyle content. Underlying technology is conventional for the sector: Syncronex for subscription management and authentication, JotForm for news/photo/announcement submissions, SellWild for the local marketplace, and standard CMS with social sharing to Twitter/X, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

The business model combines recurring print and digital subscriptions (annual pricing of $46.10 for in-county mail delivery with digital access, and $41.91 for digital-only) with local advertising and classifieds revenue. Customers are individual residents of Boundary County plus small businesses and community organizations purchasing advertising; legal notices and obituaries provide a statutorily underpinned revenue line. GTM is sales-led via local and regional advertising directors, supported by self-serve digital subscription checkout.

Name

Bonners Ferry Herald

Legal name

Bonners Ferry Herald

Website

https://bonnersferryherald.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1891

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Bonners Ferry Herald is a privately held weekly community newspaper founded in 1891 serving Boundary County and North Idaho, owned by Hagadone Media Group, generating revenue from print and digital subscriptions plus local advertising and legal notices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Newspaper

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Community, Ethnic & Multilingual News Publishers (MPAJADAG)

Keywords

• Community newspaper
• Local journalism
• Print subscriptions
• Classified advertising
• Digital news access

Headquarters

HQ city

Bonners Ferry

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Print Subscriptions: Weekly print newspaper delivered via mail subscription to local residents and businesses in Boundary County
2. Digital Subscriptions: Unlimited digital access to website content, e-edition, and online archives
3. Local Advertising: Advertising space sold to local businesses, organizations, and community groups across print and digital platforms
4. Classifieds: Classified advertising section for local businesses, community notices, obituaries, and personal listings

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Bonners Ferry Herald publishes a weekly print newspaper and continuously updated digital news platform covering Boundary County local news, government, sports, obituaries, and community events. Paid offerings include annual print-plus-digital subscriptions, digital-only subscriptions, an e-edition replica, classified advertising, a local online marketplace, the 7Bee Podcast, and periodic special sections.

Product overview

The Bonners Ferry Herald is a weekly community newspaper offering a comprehensive local news coverage platform. The core product is its weekly printed newspaper publication supplemented by a digital news website that delivers breaking news, local news, business news, sports coverage, entertainment, photo galleries, and records (legals, obituaries, court records). The product suite includes both print and digital subscription services, an e-edition for electronic newspaper access, the 7Bee Podcast, and a local marketplace. Additional offerings include special sections, outdoor recreation coverage, and lifestyle content. The newspaper is part of the Hagadone Media Group and North Idaho Hagadone News Network, operated under the Syncronex subscription management system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Weekly Newspaper Publication Weekly printed newspaper delivered via mail to subscribers in Boundary County and North Idaho, covering local news, community events, sports, entertainment, obituaries, legals, and special sections.
• Print and Digital Subscriptions

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Hagadone Media GroupcoreOthersParent company ownership. The Bonners Ferry Herald is owned by Hagadone Media Group and is part of the North Idaho Hagadone News Network, which also includes Coeur d'Alene Press, Shoshone News Press, and Bonner County Daily Bee.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Patch.com: National network of hyperlocal digital-only news sites covering small towns and counties across the U.S. Functions as an emerging digital-native alternative to legacy community newspapers serving markets like Boundary County.
• Sandpoint Reader: Independent weekly community newspaper serving Sandpoint and Bonner County in North Idaho, geographically adjacent to Boundary County. Comparable as a hyperlocal weekly covering community news, arts, and outdoor recreation in the same regional ecosystem.

Direct peers

• Coeur d'Alene Press: Sister publication within the Hagadone News Network serving the Coeur d'Alene area of North Idaho. Operates the same subscription management and parent infrastructure as the Bonners Ferry Herald, making it the closest direct peer.
• Shoshone News Press: Another Hagadone-owned community newspaper in the Silver Valley region of North Idaho. Comparable in scale, model, and audience as a small-market weekly/daily local paper under shared corporate ownership.
• Bonner County Daily Bee: Daily newspaper in Sandpoint, Idaho, also part of the Hagadone News Network. Directly comparable as a North Idaho community paper sharing parent ownership, ad sales, and subscription management infrastructure.

Broad incumbents

• Idaho Press: Daily newspaper based in Nampa/Caldwell, Idaho, part of the Adams Publishing Group. Comparable as a community-rooted regional daily operating a print + digital subscription model in a similarly rural Idaho market.
• The Spokesman-Review: Large regional daily newspaper based in Spokane, Washington, covering the broader Inland Northwest including North Idaho. Larger incumbent operating in the same regional media market with overlapping content categories.
• Lee Enterprises: Large U.S. newspaper chain operating dozens of community dailies and weeklies across rural and mid-sized markets. Comparable as an incumbent operator of small-market local newspapers using similar subscription and advertising business models.
• Lewiston Tribune: Daily regional newspaper serving Lewiston and the surrounding Idaho/Washington area. Comparable as an established regional community daily offering print + digital subscriptions and local advertising in a similar rural market.

Regional players

• Daily Inter Lake: Daily newspaper based in Kalispell, Montana, covering the Flathead Valley region of Northwest Montana, geographically adjacent to North Idaho. Comparable as a small-market community daily using print + digital subscriptions and local advertising.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bfherald

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Bonners Ferry Herald