The Albany Herald

What The Albany Herald does

The Albany Herald is a private local newspaper founded in 1891, serving as Albany, Georgia's longest-running news organization and covering 24 counties across Southwest Georgia. Its core product is a three-times-weekly printed newspaper delivered to subscribers, complemented by a 24/7 digital presence through albanyherald.com (powered by WordPress CMS and Indiegraf Media infrastructure), email newsletters, and e-editions. The publication also operates The Dawson News sub-brand and the seasonal Southwest Georgia Outdoors magazine. It serves as the designated Official Legal Organ for Dougherty County, providing mandated government public-notice advertising.

The company generates revenue across eight streams: digital subscriptions ($12.99/month or $120/year), print home delivery subscriptions bundled with digital access, print and digital display advertising, newsletter sponsorships, classified advertising, sponsored content, and legal-organ public notices. Payment processing is handled through Stripe (PCI Service Provider Level 1) with Pelcro managing subscription authentication. Distribution is multi-channel: print delivery three times weekly, self-serve digital subscriptions, e-editions on any device, and email newsletters covering daily headlines, obituaries, and edition alerts. The business is a member of the Georgia Trust for Local News, a non-profit network serving 19 counties in Middle and South Georgia.

The Albany Herald serves local community readers, sports fans, and small-business advertisers in Southwest Georgia. Its editorial team includes an Editor (Carlton Fletcher), Sports Editor (Joe Whitfield), and a Senior Staff Writer (Alan Mauldin). The publication operates from 306 West Broad Ave., Albany, Georgia, with 1-10 employees and operates as an independent local news organization with no disclosed parent company, private equity, or venture capital backing.

Name

The Albany Herald

Legal name

Albany Herald

Website

https://albanyherald.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1891

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Albany Herald is a private local newspaper founded in 1891 serving Albany and 24 counties in Southwest Georgia with three-times-weekly print delivery, digital subscriptions, e-editions, and email newsletters, operating as the Legal Organ for Dougherty County.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Newspaper Publishing

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

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

Headquarters

HQ city

Albany

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

Revenue model

1. Digital Subscriptions: Full digital access subscriptions providing unlimited online content and e-edition access, with monthly and annual billing options
2. Home Delivery Subscriptions: Print newspaper delivery to subscribers' homes combined with full digital access and e-editions
3. Print Display Advertising: Traditional newspaper display advertising with modular sizes from full page to eighth page, plus premium front page positions
4. Digital/Web Display Advertising: Header leaderboard, sidebar medium rectangle and half page ads on the website with various technical specifications
5. Newsletter Sponsorships: Presenting sponsor includes sponsored notation, display ad placement, and business description; Supporting sponsor includes medium rectangle ad placement
6. Classified Advertising: Classified listings including jobs, real estate, cemetery lots, garage sales, public auctions, and legal notices
7. Sponsored Content: Sponsored articles clearly labeled, added to website and shared in one email newsletter, edited by The Albany Herald for quality and voice alignment
8. Legal Organ Services: Official public notice advertising as the designated Legal Organ for all of Dougherty County, Georgia

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Albany Herald publishes a regional daily newspaper covering local news, sports, features, opinion, community announcements, classifieds, and obituaries for Albany and 24 counties across Southwest Georgia. Content is delivered in print (three times weekly via home delivery), through a 24/7 website with full digital access, email newsletters, and digital e-editions. The publication also serves as the official Legal Organ for Dougherty County.

Product overview

The Albany Herald is a regional newspaper publisher offering a multi-platform news operation built around its core print and digital newspaper products. The core offering consists of the Albany Herald (main newspaper covering Albany and Southwest Georgia) and The Dawson News (related community publication), supplemented by the Southwest Georgia Outdoors seasonal magazine. The company distributes content through three main channels: traditional print (home delivery three times weekly), digital subscriptions (full online access and e-editions), and email newsletters. Additional products include classifieds, special sections (graduation, community themes), event calendars, and multimedia content. The product portfolio is powered by the Georgia Trust for Local News network, a non-profit organization serving 19 counties in Middle and South Georgia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Dawson News: Another publication in the Albany Herald family of newspapers

Products and services

• Albany Herald Newspaper The main daily newspaper publication serving Albany and Southwest Georgia, covering local news, sports, features, opinion, announcements (births, weddings, obituaries), and classifieds. Available in print (delivered three times weekly) and digital formats.
• The Dawson News A related publication in the Albany Herald family of local newspapers, serving the Dawson community and surrounding areas with local news coverage.
• Southwest Georgia Outdoors Magazine A seasonal magazine publication produced by The Albany Herald and the Georgia Trust for Local News, featuring stories about hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation in Southwest Georgia, published in Spring/Summer and Winter editions.
• Digital Access Subscription Subscription product providing unlimited digital access to all online content and every e-edition of The Albany Herald family of publications, available in monthly ($12.99) and annual ($120.00) billing options.
• Home Delivery Subscription Combined print and digital subscription including printed newspaper home delivery (three times weekly) plus full digital access and e-editions.
• E-Editions Digital versions of newspaper issues accessible online through a digital viewing platform, available on any device anytime for subscribers.
• Classifieds Digital and print classifieds section featuring listings for jobs, real estate, merchandise, garage sales, cemetery lots, public auctions, and legal notices.
• Special Sections Themed publications including graduation editions, community-focused issues such as Keep Albany-Dougherty Beautiful, and seasonal special sections.
• Email Newsletters Email newsletter products including Albany Notifications (daily headlines), Obituaries (weekday morning delivery), and Albany Herald e-Edition notifications, available free to subscribers.
• Albany Events Calendar Community event calendar listing local entertainment, activities, and happenings in the Albany and Southwest Georgia area.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Georgia Trust for Local NewscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Albany Herald is part of the Georgia Trust for Local News network, a non-profit newspaper and website network serving 19 counties in Middle and South Georgia. This partnership provides organizational support and collaborative resources while maintaining editorial independence.
• Indiegraf MediacoreTechnology or IntegrationIndiegraf Media powers The Albany Herald's website technology, providing the platform infrastructure for digital content delivery, subscriptions, and advertising operations.
• Flint RiverQuarium (Artesian Alliance)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Artesian Alliance, which operates the Flint RiverQuarium and Thronateeska Heritage Center, is working with Dougherty County on the master plan for Riverfront Park splash pad replacement and Turtle Grove Play Park renovations. The Albany Herald covers these community initiatives.
• Dougherty CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Albany Herald serves as the Official Legal Organ for Dougherty County, publishing all official public notices and legal advertisements required for county government operations.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Athens Banner-Herald: A daily newspaper serving Athens, Georgia. Comparable print + digital subscription + advertising business model and same overall Georgia local-news competitive landscape.
• Augusta Chronicle: A daily newspaper serving Augusta, Georgia. Same local/regional newspaper business model — print home delivery, digital subscriptions, display and classified advertising — providing a Georgia-based scale benchmark.
• Savannah Morning News: A Georgia daily newspaper covering the Savannah coastal market. Same newspaper business model (print, digital subscriptions, display and classified advertising, legal notices), serving a Georgia market within the same broader state ecosystem.
• The Telegraph (Macon): A larger Georgia daily newspaper serving Macon and Middle Georgia. Comparable in print+digital local newspaper operations, classifieds, and legal organ services, but at meaningfully larger scale and a different geographic market within the state.

Broad incumbents

• Lee Enterprises: A large publicly traded local newspaper operator with dozens of daily and weekly titles across the U.S. Provides direct industry comparables for subscription pricing, ad CPMs, and digital transition benchmarks across small-market newspapers.
• Gannett: The largest U.S. newspaper publisher (USA Today network + hundreds of community titles). Operates many small-market papers similar in model to The Albany Herald and provides benchmark data on subscription economics, digital transition, and ad trends.

Direct peers

• Thomasville Times-Enterprise: A local newspaper covering Thomas County and Thomasville in Southwest Georgia. Operates a print + digital model with classifieds and subscriptions highly comparable to The Albany Herald.
• The Tifton Gazette: A community newspaper serving Tifton, Georgia in the same Southwest Georgia region. Shares the small-market local newspaper business model and is mentioned in the management team's prior work history.
• The Moultrie Observer: A daily newspaper serving Moultrie, Georgia in Southwest Georgia — same regional market and same small-market community newspaper model as The Albany Herald. Directly comparable in audience, revenue mix, and distribution footprint.

Others

• Indiegraf: The technology platform powering The Albany Herald's website and digital infrastructure. While not a competing publisher, it is a key enabling technology partner and ecosystem participant for independent community newspapers in North America.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/albany_herald
• Facebookfacebook.com/albanyherald
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-albany-herald

Compliance1 record

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 Albany Herald