The Columbian
The Columbian is a family-owned regional newspaper founded in 1890 that serves Clark County and Southwest Washington via a Tuesday–Sunday print edition, the Columbian.com website, mobile apps, ePaper, email newsletters, and commercial printing services, with revenue from subscriptions, advertising, and B2B printing.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1890
- HeadquartersVancouver, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What The Columbian does
The Columbian is a privately held, family-owned regional newspaper founded in 1890 and headquartered at 701 W. 8th Street in Vancouver, Washington, where it serves Clark County and Southwest Washington. The company operates a multi-platform local news business anchored by a print newspaper published Tuesday through Sunday (with Monday content delivered via an ePaper digital replica introduced January 2021), the Columbian.com website, iOS and Android mobile applications, an email newsletter portfolio led by the Morning Briefing, and the ePaper electronic edition. Underlying technology consists of a conventional CMS-driven website, digital replica rendering, native mobile apps, and offset press commercial printing infrastructure that the company describes as the largest printing operation in Clark County.
Revenue is generated across three streams: recurring print and digital subscriptions (with approximately 8,000 print and 8,000 digital-only subscribers as of December 2023,), advertising across print display, digital display, newsletters, classifieds, obituaries, real estate, legal notices, and recruiting (with more than 250 active advertisers), and third-party commercial printing services for businesses. Distribution runs through home delivery (converted from in-house routes to USPS in June 2023), self-serve digital subscription on Columbian.com, and a dedicated Columbian Marketing Solutions sales team selling to local businesses. The audience footprint disclosed by the company includes roughly 300,000 weekly website readers, 750,000 unique monthly visitors, 1.5 million monthly pageviews, and 70,000 newsletter subscribers.
The business is wholly owned by the Campbell family in its fourth generation, with Ben Campbell serving as Publisher and Will Campbell as Editor following a January 2024 50/50 co-ownership split and Will's January 2025 appointment to the editor role, the first Campbell to hold that position in 45 years. The company operates two wholly owned subsidiaries: the Camas-Washougal Post-Record (a weekly newspaper acquired October 2004) and Sprout Digital (a digital marketing agency launched April 2014 specializing in website design and SEO).
The Columbian firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Columbian
- Legal name
- The Columbian Publishing Co.
- Website
- https://columbian.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1890
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- The Columbian is a family-owned regional newspaper founded in 1890 that serves Clark County and Southwest Washington via a Tuesday–Sunday print edition, the Columbian.com website, mobile apps, ePaper, email newsletters, and commercial printing services, with revenue from subscriptions, advertising, and B2B printing.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Columbian industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Local Newspaper Publishing
- NAICS
- Newspaper Publishers (513110), Periodical Publishers (513120)
- SIC
- Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Commercial Printing (2750)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)
Keywords
Where The Columbian is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vancouver
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Columbian business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Print and Digital Subscriptions: Recurring subscription revenue from print newspaper delivery (Tuesday-Sunday, with Weekend Edition combining Saturday/Sunday) and digital-only access to Columbian.com content, mobile apps, and ePaper.
- Advertising Revenue: Print advertising reaching loyal newsprint readers across Clark County, digital advertising including online display ads on Columbian.com, newsletters, and targeted digital campaigns. Classified ads, obituary notices, real estate listings, legal notices, and employment recruiting ads. Over 250 active advertisers.
- Commercial Printing Services: Full-service commercial printing solutions for businesses, including newspapers, tabloids, inserting, and design services. The largest printing operation in Clark County with over 100 years of service, serving small businesses to large corporations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Weekly | Digital Only Access |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual Digital Subscription |
| Subscription | Monthly | 5-Day Print and Digital |
| Subscription | Weekly | Saturday Print and Digital |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
The Columbian product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Columbian is a family-owned local newspaper publisher serving Clark County, Washington since 1890, publishing a daily newspaper Tuesday through Sunday covering local news, sports, politics, business, and community events. The company distributes content through print, digital web access, mobile applications, ePaper electronic replica, and email newsletters. Beyond journalism, it offers commercial printing services to businesses and operates Sprout Digital, a wholly-owned digital marketing agency providing website design and SEO services.
Product overview
The Columbian is a family-owned local newspaper publisher serving Clark County, Washington and Southwest Washington since 1890. The company operates a multi-platform news media business consisting of its core print newspaper (published Tuesday-Sunday with Monday ePaper format), the Columbian.com digital platform offering unlimited web and mobile access, the Camas-Washougal Post-Record as a sister weekly publication, mobile applications, email newsletters (including the Morning Briefing), and the ePaper electronic replica. Beyond journalism, the company offers commercial printing services, advertising solutions across print and digital channels, and operates Sprout Digital, a subsidiary digital marketing agency. Special sections and publications round out the portfolio, serving niche audiences with real estate guides, economic forecasts, and community resources.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Columbian Newspaper The main daily newspaper published Tuesday through Sunday covering local news, sports, business, politics, life, and opinion for Clark County and Southwest Washington readers.
- Columbian.com Digital Platform Official website offering unlimited digital access to news content, mobile app access, and the ePaper digital replica of the print edition for subscribers.
- The ePaper/eEdition Electronic version of the print publication available online, allowing subscribers to read the full newspaper digitally on any device.
- The Morning Briefing Newsletter
Quantifiable outcome
- Reaches 300,000 weekly readers and 750,000 unique monthly website visitors
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use The Columbian
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The Columbian technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
The Columbian partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators7 records
Recent moves11 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Columbian competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Oregonian: The major daily newspaper serving the Portland metropolitan area, directly adjacent to The Columbian's Vancouver, WA market. Most direct geographic and product peer, competing for the same Portland-metro readers and local advertisers.
- The Spokesman-Review: Family-owned daily newspaper serving Spokane and the Inland Northwest. Comparable as a multi-generational, family-controlled regional daily with print, digital, and commercial operations serving a single dominant metro.
- The Daily News (Longview, WA): Local daily newspaper serving Longview, WA and Cowlitz County — directly adjacent to The Columbian's Clark County market. Highly comparable community daily in the same Southwest Washington region, competing for similar advertisers.
Broad incumbents
- Lee Enterprises: Major U.S. local newspaper chain operating dozens of daily newspapers and digital platforms. Comparable business model combining print subscriptions, digital subscriptions, and local advertising across multiple community markets.
- The News Tribune (Tacoma): Regional daily newspaper serving the South Puget Sound, owned by McClatchy. Direct peer in the Washington state local-news market with overlapping print, digital subscription, and advertising models.
- The Seattle Times: The flagship regional daily newspaper of Washington state, serving a much larger Seattle metro. Comparable as a family-influenced regional newspaper operating print, digital, and advertising businesses, though at significantly larger scale.
- Gannett (USA Today Network): Largest U.S. local newspaper operator, owning hundreds of community dailies and weeklies. Comparable as a multi-title local news publisher with subscription and advertising models, though operating at vastly greater scale and as a public company.
Emerging players
- Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB): Regional public media organization covering Oregon and Southwest Washington. Comparable as a Pacific Northwest regional news provider competing for the same local audience and, increasingly, digital subscription and membership revenue.
- Crosscut (Cascade PBS): Pacific Northwest digital-first nonprofit news organization covering Washington state. Comparable as a regional digital news competitor targeting the same Pacific Northwest audience, with a different funding model (membership/nonprofit vs. paid subscriptions).
Regional players
- The Columbian-Progress (Oregon): Local community newspaper serving Oregon markets. Comparable as a small-market community newspaper with print and digital operations, though serving a different specific geography within the broader Pacific Northwest.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Columbian social profiles
Digital presenceThe Columbian financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Columbian leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
The Columbian subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
The Columbian funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Columbian M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Columbian
What does The Columbian do?
The Columbian is a family-owned local newspaper publisher serving Clark County, Washington since 1890, publishing a daily newspaper Tuesday through Sunday covering local news, sports, politics, business, and community events. The company distributes content through print, digital web access, mobile applications, ePaper electronic replica, and email newsletters. Beyond journalism, it offers commercial printing services to businesses and operates Sprout Digital, a wholly-owned digital marketing agency providing website design and SEO services.
Is The Columbian a public or private company?
The Columbian is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was The Columbian founded?
The Columbian was founded in 1890. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is The Columbian based?
The Columbian is headquartered in Vancouver, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Columbian make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Print and Digital Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are advertising Revenue and commercial Printing Services.
Who are The Columbian's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Oregonian, The Spokesman-Review and The Daily News (Longview, WA). Broad incumbents are Lee Enterprises, The News Tribune (Tacoma), The Seattle Times and Gannett (USA Today Network). Emerging players are Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) and Crosscut (Cascade PBS). The Columbian-Progress (Oregon) is listed as a regional player.
Does The Columbian have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Columbian.
What industry is The Columbian in?
The Columbian's product category is Local Newspaper Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJADAB, Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital), with a secondary code of MPAJAEAO, News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines. Its NAICS code is 513110 and its SIC code is 2711.