Riverheadlocal
RiverheadLOCAL is an independent, family-owned digital local news outlet covering Riverhead and the East End of Long Island, reaching 10,000+ daily readers via a WordPress website, daily newsletter, and social channels, and monetizing through voluntary reader memberships, direct-sold SMB digital advertising, and paid obituary notices.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersRiverhead, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Riverheadlocal does
RiverheadLOCAL is an independent, family-owned digital news publication founded in January 2010 by husband-and-wife team Peter Blasl and Denise Civiletti, operating under the legal entity East End Local Media Corp. in Riverhead, New York. It publishes 24/7 local news, police, government, business, real estate, school, weather, obituary, public notice, opinion, and community content for the Town of Riverhead and surrounding communities on the East End of Long Island, reaching 10,000+ daily readers through its website, a daily email newsletter, and social media channels. The core product is the WordPress-based website with multiple editorial sections; supporting products include the Daily Briefing newsletter, an events calendar (in partnership with eastendlocal.com), obituary publishing, Town Crier announcements, and public notices.
The business model is a hybrid of voluntary reader-supported journalism and direct-sold digital advertising to local SMBs. Readers are invited to pay what they can via Stripe-processed membership subscriptions at suggested monthly tiers of $8, $15, $20, $50, and $100 plus an annual option. Local businesses purchase custom digital advertising campaigns via a small in-house sales team supplemented by a commission-only sales representative, and obituary submissions that deviate from editorial guidelines incur a $100 paid notice fee. The publication is bootstrapped with no disclosed venture, private equity, or institutional capital, holds no patents or trademarks, has no mobile app, and offers no public API. Its competitive position rests on 16 years of continuous operation, multiple New York Press Association journalism awards, a 2020 NY State Senate Woman of Distinction Award for co-publisher Denise Civiletti, and membership in LION, the New York Press Association, and the Press Club of Long Island.
Riverheadlocal firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Riverheadlocal
- Legal name
- East End Local Media Corp.
- Website
- https://riverheadlocal.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- RiverheadLOCAL is an independent, family-owned digital local news outlet covering Riverhead and the East End of Long Island, reaching 10,000+ daily readers via a WordPress website, daily newsletter, and social channels, and monetizing through voluntary reader memberships, direct-sold SMB digital advertising, and paid obituary notices.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Riverheadlocal industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Local Digital News
- NAICS
- Newspaper Publishers (513110)
- SIC
- Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)
Keywords
Where Riverheadlocal is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Riverhead
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Riverheadlocal business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Membership Subscriptions: Voluntary membership subscriptions where readers pay what they can. Monthly and annual billing options available through Stripe.
- Digital Advertising: Custom data-driven digital advertising campaigns delivered to local audience. Targeting local residents and tourists in Suffolk County area.
- Obituary Paid Notices: Obituaries published free for community members; paid notices at $100 for submissions deviating from policy or editorial style guidelines.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly subscription at $8 |
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly subscription at $15 |
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly subscription at $20 |
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly subscription at $50 |
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly subscription at $100 |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual subscription |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Riverheadlocal product offering
Product offeringCore offering
RiverheadLOCAL publishes a free, independent digital news website covering the Town of Riverhead and surrounding East End Long Island communities across sections including news, police, government, business, real estate, obituaries, community, opinion, schools, events, weather, and public notices. Revenue is generated through voluntary reader membership subscriptions, custom digital advertising campaigns sold to local businesses, and paid obituary notices.
Product overview
RiverheadLOCAL is an award-winning independent digital news publication covering Riverhead and surrounding East End communities on Long Island. The core product is its website offering comprehensive local news coverage across multiple sections including news, police, government, business, real estate, community, schools, opinion, weather, and public notices. The publication supplements its news offering with membership subscriptions for reader support, digital advertising services for local businesses, a daily email newsletter, a community events calendar, a Town Crier section for personal announcements, obituary publishing, and public notices. The company operates as a family-owned business founded in 2010 by Peter Blasl and Denise Civiletti.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- RiverheadLOCAL Website Independent digital news publication providing local news coverage for Riverhead and surrounding East End communities on Long Island, featuring sections for news, police, government, business, real estate, obituaries, community, opinion, schools, events, public notices, and weather. Free access 24/7.
- Membership Subscriptions
Quantifiable outcome
- Thousands of daily readers rely on RiverheadLOCAL for local news
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Riverheadlocal
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Riverheadlocal technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Riverheadlocal partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- LION (Local Independent Online News Publishers)minorProfessional membership organization for local independent online news publishers. RiverheadLOCAL is a member. Co-publisher Denise Civiletti was a founding board member.
- New York Press AssociationminorProfessional association for newspapers in New York State. RiverheadLOCAL is a member. Denise Civiletti serves on the board of directors.
- Press Club of Long IslandminorChapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Denise Civiletti is a past vice president of the board of directors.
- East End Local Media / eastendlocal.comminorEvents calendar partnership. RiverheadLOCAL links to eastendlocal.com/events for comprehensive North Fork events calendar. Event submissions are free and promoted through this channel.
- Suffolk Vision Title ServiceminorTitle service company providing weekly real estate transfer data for RiverheadLOCAL's regular real estate news column.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Riverheadlocal competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Newsday: Newsday is the dominant regional newspaper serving Long Island with broad geographic coverage including East End communities; while much larger in scale and scope, it competes for local advertisers and readers in RiverheadLOCAL's territory.
- Long Island Press: Long Island Press is an alt-weekly and digital news outlet covering Long Island with broader geographic scope than RiverheadLOCAL, overlapping on community news, local advertising, and reader audiences across the region.
Direct peers
- Patch.com: Patch operates the largest network of hyperlocal digital news sites in the U.S., directly mirroring RiverheadLOCAL's model of free local news supported by advertising and serving geographically defined communities with digital-first coverage.
- The Suffolk Times: The Suffolk Times is a local newspaper serving Suffolk County communities on Long Island, including Riverhead-adjacent areas, with overlapping coverage of local government, schools, and community news under a traditional local news model.
- Dan's Papers: Dan's Papers is a long-running East End/Hamptons local news and culture publication that combines digital and print distribution with local advertising and event coverage, overlapping directly with RiverheadLOCAL's geographic and editorial territory.
- Behind The Hedges: Behind The Hedges is a Hamptons-focused local news outlet covering real estate, government, and community affairs on the East End, sharing RiverheadLOCAL's hyperlocal digital coverage and local advertiser base.
- Times Review Media Group: Times Review Media Group publishes several community newspapers on the East End of Long Island including The Suffolk Times and Riverhead News-Review, directly overlapping RiverheadLOCAL's geographic territory and local advertiser pool.
- Greater Long Island: Greater Long Island is a digital local news outlet covering Long Island communities with online-first reporting and local advertising, sharing RiverheadLOCAL's independent digital news model and SMB advertiser relationships.
- East Hampton Star: The East Hampton Star is an award-winning independent local newspaper covering the South Fork of Long Island, operating a community-focused editorial and advertising model comparable to RiverheadLOCAL's regional digital approach.
- 27east.com: 27east.com is a digital news platform covering the East End of Long Island including the Hamptons and North Fork, operating with a similar regional digital news, advertising, and community events model as RiverheadLOCAL.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Riverheadlocal social profiles
Digital presenceRiverheadlocal financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Riverheadlocal leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Riverheadlocal funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Riverheadlocal 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 Riverheadlocal
What does Riverheadlocal do?
RiverheadLOCAL publishes a free, independent digital news website covering the Town of Riverhead and surrounding East End Long Island communities across sections including news, police, government, business, real estate, obituaries, community, opinion, schools, events, weather, and public notices. Revenue is generated through voluntary reader membership subscriptions, custom digital advertising campaigns sold to local businesses, and paid obituary notices.
Is Riverheadlocal a public or private company?
Riverheadlocal is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Riverheadlocal founded?
Riverheadlocal was founded in 2010. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Riverheadlocal based?
Riverheadlocal is headquartered in Riverhead, United States, in the North America region.
How does Riverheadlocal make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Membership Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are digital Advertising and obituary Paid Notices.
Who are Riverheadlocal's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Newsday and Long Island Press. Direct peers are Patch.com, The Suffolk Times, Dan's Papers, Behind The Hedges, Times Review Media Group, Greater Long Island, East Hampton Star and 27east.com.
Does Riverheadlocal have an API?
No public API is recorded for Riverheadlocal.
What industry is Riverheadlocal in?
Riverheadlocal's product category is Local Digital News. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJADAB, Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital). Its NAICS code is 513110 and its SIC code is 2711.