Austin Weekly News

What Austin Weekly News does

Austin Weekly News is a nonprofit hyperlocal news organization founded in 1986 that serves Chicago's Austin neighborhood and surrounding West Side communities. Its editorial coverage focuses on public meetings, schools, development, public safety, and community organizations. Distribution is multichannel: a weekly print edition with 4,000 copies circulated throughout the West Side, daily digital coverage on austinweeklynews.com, and weekly email newsletters to approximately 2,100 subscribers, supplemented by social media on Facebook (~2,500 followers), Instagram (~1,100 followers), and Twitter, plus pickup locations across the community. The core technology stack is the Newspack publishing platform, a managed CMS used by small newsrooms, with no proprietary technical features disclosed.

Revenue is generated primarily through print and digital advertising (display ads ranging from 1/16 page to full page, dedicated e-blasts to subscribers, email newsletter placements, pop-up ads, and social media sponsored posts on Facebook and Instagram), recurring print subscriptions, and reader donations supported through the Fundjournalism.org donation infrastructure. The customer base consists of local West Side businesses and nonprofits seeking targeted community advertising, and individual readers who subscribe or donate. The organization operates as part of the Growing Community Media network (sister publications: Wednesday Journal, Forest Park Review, Riverside-Brookfield Landmark) and formally joined NEWSWELL in 2026 to strengthen long-term sustainability while preserving editorial independence.

The team is small (11-50 employees, with approximately a dozen named staff across editorial, sales, design, and business functions) and is led by General Manager Max Reinsdorf, with Senior Advisor Dan Haley (co-founder of Wednesday Journal in 1980). Beyond core news, the organization has expanded its product surface with the twice-yearly West Side Magazine, annual Community Guides across nine communities, and dedicated content verticals such as Austin Eats and Photo Stories.

Name

Austin Weekly News

Legal name

Austin Weekly News

Website

https://austinweeklynews.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Austin Weekly News is a nonprofit community news organization founded in 1986 that provides hyperlocal coverage of Chicago's West Side through a weekly print edition (4,000 circulation), daily digital news, and email newsletters serving residents, local businesses, and nonprofit advertisers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Community News

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 news
• Local journalism
• Hyperlocal reporting
• Print newspaper
• Digital advertising

Headquarters

HQ city

Oak Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Advertising: The newspaper generates revenue through print and digital advertising. Local businesses and organizations advertise through display ads in various sizes, dedicated emails to subscribers, social media posts, and sponsored content. They also publish special sections and community guides.
2. Donations and Subscriptions: As a nonprofit news organization part of Growing Community Media and NEWSWELL, Austin Weekly News relies on donations from readers and supporters. They also offer paid subscriptions for the print edition.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Austin Weekly News is a nonprofit community news organization that produces hyperlocal journalism for Chicago's Austin neighborhood and the West Side. Its core offerings are a weekly print edition (circulation 4,000), daily digital coverage on its website, and weekly email newsletters to subscribers. The publication also sells advertising products across print, digital, email, and social channels, and accepts reader donations to support its reporting.

Product overview

Austin Weekly News operates as a hyperlocal community news organization serving Chicago's West Side, offering a multi-platform news portfolio centered on weekly print publication (circulation 4,000), daily digital coverage, and email newsletters (2,100 subscribers). The core offerings include the Weekly Print Edition, Daily Digital Coverage, and Email Newsletters, supported by an advertising suite comprising Digital Display Advertising (website banners, pop-up ads), Dedicated Emails, Email Newsletter Ads, Social Media Posts, Sponsored Content, Print Display Advertising, and Community Guides. Special publications include the twice-yearly West Side Magazine and various seasonal Special Sections. Content verticals include Austin Eats (food/dining), Arts, Opinion, and Photo Stories. Since 1986, the publication has covered the Austin neighborhood and surrounding West Side communities. In 2026, Austin Weekly News became part of NEWSWELL, a nonprofit network supporting local journalism.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Weekly Print Edition Weekly printed newspaper delivered throughout the West Side of Chicago with a circulation of 4,000 copies per week, covering local news including public meetings, schools, development, public safety, and community organizations.
• Daily Digital Coverage
• Email Newsletters Email newsletter delivering weekly news roundups, local events information, and breaking news directly to subscribers, with 2,100 email subscribers.
• Digital Display Advertising Website banner advertisements including Leaderboard (728 x 90 pixels) and Medium Rectangle (300 x 250 pixels) ad sizes, available per campaign.
• Pop-up Ads Digital advertisements displayed to all website visitors over a four-day period at 500 x 350 pixels.
• Dedicated Emails E-blast content sent to over 2,100 Austin Weekly News email subscribers, including images, stories, and links to the website and social media.
• Email Newsletter Ads Advertisement inclusion in weekly email newsletters with options including Leaderboard (970 x 250 pixels) and Native (image + text) ad formats.
• Social Media Posts Sponsored posts on Facebook (over 2.5k followers) and Instagram (over 1.1k followers), including images, carousels, or reels.
• Sponsored Content Branded content articles of 300-500 words with photos, published in both print and online formats.
• Print Display Advertising Various print ad sizes ranging from full page to 1/8 page, published in the weekly newspaper with circulation of 4,000.
• West Side Magazine Magazine published twice a year focusing on people, culture, history, and leadership in Austin, Garfield Park, and North Lawndale communities.
• Community Guides Annual community guides in magazine format covering Austin, Garfield Park, North Lawndale, Oak Park, River Forest, Forest Park, North Riverside, Riverside, and Brookfield communities.
• Austin Eats Food and dining focused content section covering local restaurants, farmers markets, recipes, and food-related stories in the Austin community.
• Photo Stories Photography-focused stories and event coverage including photo essays from community events.

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NEWSWELLcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026In 2026, Austin Weekly News became part of NEWSWELL, a nonprofit network dedicated to strengthening and sustaining community news. The transition positions the publication for greater long-term stability while keeping its work rooted in Austin.
• Growing Community MediacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent nonprofit news organization overseeing Austin Weekly News, Wednesday Journal, Forest Park Review, and Riverside-Brookfield Landmark publications.
• Wednesday JournalminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSister publication covering Oak Park and River Forest, part of the Growing Community Media network.
• Forest Park ReviewminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSister publication covering Forest Park, part of the Growing Community Media network.
• Riverside-Brookfield LandmarkminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSister publication covering Riverside and Brookfield, part of the Growing Community Media network.
• Block Club ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlock Club Chicago partnered with BUILD Chicago to host the Together We Build West Side Workforce Development and Career Fair. Austin Weekly News participated as a community partner organization at the event with over 30 organizations present.
• BUILD ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBUILD Chicago hosted the workforce development and career fair at their Austin headquarters (5100 W. Harrison). The organization works on workforce development and community programs for the West Side.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Forest Park Review: Sister publication within the Growing Community Media/NEWSWELL network covering Forest Park; operates the same nonprofit community newspaper model and shares publishing infrastructure with Austin Weekly News.
• Block Club Chicago: Donation-supported digital hyperlocal news outlet covering Chicago neighborhoods including Austin; competes for the same audience of West Side residents and local small business advertisers, and is also a current community partner of Austin Weekly News.
• Hyde Park Herald: Long-running Chicago community newspaper covering Hyde Park and the South Side; a similar neighborhood-anchored print-and-digital community paper with comparable operational scale and revenue model.
• Riverside-Brookfield Landmark: Sister publication within the Growing Community Media/NEWSWELL network covering Riverside and Brookfield; uses identical operating model and shared design/production teams as Austin Weekly News.
• South Side Weekly: Nonprofit Chicago community news outlet covering Chicago's South Side; directly comparable hyperlocal nonprofit publication model with similar focus on underserved neighborhoods, editorial-driven coverage, and donation-supported funding.
• Wednesday Journal: Sister publication within the Growing Community Media network covering Oak Park and River Forest; shares the same parent organization, back-office, and nonprofit business model as Austin Weekly News.

Emerging players

• The TRiiBE: Chicago-based digital media outlet focused on Black culture, community, and news across Chicago neighborhoods; comparable nonprofit/community-supported model and overlapping audience with Austin Weekly News's West Side Black readership.
• Borderless Magazine: Nonprofit Chicago-based news outlet covering immigrant and underserved communities across the city; comparable nonprofit model and audience overlap with Austin Weekly News's diverse West Side readership.

Broad incumbents

• Chicago Sun-Times: Chicago citywide daily newspaper with broader regional coverage; a broad incumbent that overlaps only marginally with Austin Weekly News's hyperlocal West Side focus, but competes for the same regional advertising market.
• Chicago Tribune: Major Chicago daily newspaper with broad metropolitan coverage; competes for advertising dollars and reader attention in the Chicago market but does not focus on Austin neighborhood-level community journalism.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AustinWeeklyChi
• Facebookfacebook.com/AustinWeeklyNews
• Instagraminstagram.com/austinweeklynews

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Austin Weekly News