Minnesota Newspaper Association

What Minnesota Newspaper Association does

The Minnesota Newspaper Association (MNA), founded in 1867 and headquartered at 10 South Fifth Street in Minneapolis, is a nonprofit voluntary trade association representing general-interest newspapers across Minnesota. It operates as a dual-sided platform: on the membership side it provides advocacy in the Minnesota legislature and courts, a legal hotline, press ID cards, a weekly MNA Bulletin newsletter, an annual Convention & Trade Show (held late January), and the Better Newspaper Contest; on the commercial side it runs three statewide advertising networks — MCAN (classifieds across 200+ newspapers), MDAN (print display across 210+ newspapers), and MINN (digital display across 50+ newspaper websites), plus a press release distribution service and a Minnesota newspaper directory. Reach figures cited include 1.5M+ readers and ~550,000 households across the networks, with weekly statewide ad pricing ranging from $279 (MCAN classified, 25 words) to $11,600 (MDAN 2x8) and $1,100 (MINN digital), with prepayment required.

MNA's revenue mechanics combine recurring membership dues, transactional advertising placement fees across the three networks, convention/trade-show sponsorship and registration, and press release distribution fees. Its go-to-market relies on direct sales (Randy Kelsey, Advertising Department) into advertisers, channel partners in the form of the 200+ participating member newspapers who carry the ads, and member-only content delivered via a WordPress portal and Mailchimp-distributed bulletin. The customer base is split between member newspapers (daily, weekly, and shopper publications across Minnesota) and advertisers seeking statewide or zoned newspaper reach. The affiliated Minnesota News Media Institute (MNI) operates a separate 'Give to the Max' fundraising track with its own donor list and annual report, suggesting philanthropic capacity in addition to earned revenue.

Name

Minnesota Newspaper Association

Legal name

Minnesota Newspaper Association

Website

https://mna.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1867

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Minnesota Newspaper Association is a nonprofit trade association, founded in 1867, that represents general-interest newspapers across Minnesota. It runs three statewide advertising networks (MCAN, MDAN, MINN) spanning 200+ publications, while providing members with legislative advocacy, a legal hotline, an annual convention, and a weekly bulletin.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Newspaper Trade Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Media Buying Agencies (54183), Media Representatives (54184)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

News & Public Affairs Syndication (MPABAMAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Newspaper trade association
• Statewide advertising networks
• Classified advertising services
• Display advertising networks
• Press release distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Advertising Networks: MNA operates three statewide advertising networks (MCAN for classifieds, MDAN for display ads, MINN for digital) providing turnkey advertising solutions across 200+ Minnesota newspapers. Revenue generated through CPM-based pricing with aggressive rates for traditional marketing vehicles.
2. Membership Dues: Voluntary trade association serving general-interest newspapers in Minnesota. Members receive weekly MNA Bulletin, legislative resources, legal hotline, and access to member-only resources.
3. Convention & Trade Show: Annual convention hosting educational breakout sessions, training, and trade show for Minnesota newspaper professionals.
4. Press Release Service: Operates a press release distribution service for members and non-members.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Minnesota Newspaper Association (MNA) is the voluntary trade association of all general-interest newspapers in Minnesota. It manages three statewide advertising networks (MCAN for classifieds, MDAN for print display, MINN for digital display), operates a press release distribution service, provides a legal hotline, legislative advocacy, and runs an annual convention, trade show, and journalism awards contest for member newspapers.

Product overview

Minnesota Newspaper Association offers a platform of services for Minnesota's newspaper industry. The core advertising services include three statewide networks: MCAN (Minnesota Classified Advertising Network) for classified ads, MDAN (Minnesota Display Advertising Network) for print display ads, and MINN (Minnesota Interactive Newspaper Network) for digital display ads. Supporting services include a newspaper directory, press release distribution service, annual convention and trade show, journalism awards contest (Better Newspaper Contest), weekly member bulletin, legal hotline, and public notice resources. The organization acts as the voluntary trade association representing all general-interest newspapers in Minnesota, managing advertising placement, providing legislative representation, and working to enhance newspaper quality.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MCAN | Minnesota Classified Advertising Network A network of 200+ Minnesota newspapers enabling advertisers to place classified ads statewide or by geographic zone, reaching more than 500,000 households and 1.5+ million readers. Statewide pricing starts at $279 per week for the first 25 words.
• MDAN | Minnesota Display Advertising Network A display advertising network spanning 210+ Minnesota newspapers, offering 2×2, 2×4, and 2×8 ad sizes reaching nearly 550,000 households and 1.5+ million readers, with statewide pricing from $2,500 to $11,600 per week.
• MINN | Minnesota Interactive Newspaper Network An interactive network of 50+ Minnesota newspaper websites offering digital display ads in 300×250, 160×600, or 728×90 pixel formats for $1,100 per week statewide, discounted to $550 when bundled with statewide MDAN.
• Press Release Service A service for distributing press releases to media outlets across Minnesota, available to both members and non-members.
• MNA Convention & Trade Show Annual convention and trade show providing training, resources, networking, and professional development for Minnesota newspaper professionals, including educational breakout sessions and exhibitor trade show.
• Minnesota Newspaper Directory A comprehensive directory listing all Minnesota newspapers, enabling users to search and find newspapers across the state for readers and advertisers.
• MNA Bulletin A weekly newsletter distributed exclusively to MNA members via Mailchimp containing industry news, legislative updates, and professional resources.

Quantifiable outcome

• Aggressive CPM rates for advertisers through statewide networks
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Minnesota Daily NewspaperscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor200+ daily newspapers participate in MNA's statewide advertising networks (MCAN, MDAN, MINN), placing ads on behalf of advertisers across Minnesota. These member newspapers are the core distribution channel for MNA's advertising products.
• Minnesota Weekly NewspaperscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWeekly newspapers participate in MNA's statewide advertising networks, providing local distribution for classified and display ads. Members benefit from collective advertising reach while maintaining local operations.
• Minnesota Shopper PublicationsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorShopper publications participate in MNA advertising networks, extending reach into community-focused advertising markets.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Newspaper Association: National U.S. trade association for community newspapers providing advocacy, training, and advertising resources at the federal level. Broader geographic scope and national policy focus, but operates an analogous cooperative value proposition for its newspaper members.
• Local Media Association: National trade association for local newspapers, TV, radio, and digital publishers focused on revenue diversification and digital transformation. Comparable mission of supporting local media sustainability, with broader cross-platform scope than MNA.
• News/Media Alliance: Largest U.S. newspaper and digital media trade organization (formerly Newspaper Association of America) representing both legacy and digital news publishers. Operates as a broader incumbent advocating on copyright, AI, and policy issues that also affect MNA members.

Direct peers

• Illinois Press Association: Trade association serving Illinois newspapers with statewide advertising placement services, legislative representation, and member professional development. Direct analog to MNA's value proposition in a similarly-sized Midwestern state with comparable mix of daily and weekly newspaper members.
• Wisconsin Newspaper Association: State-level trade association for Wisconsin newspapers offering a statewide classified ad network (Wisconsin Classifieds), legislative advocacy, legal hotline, and annual convention. Closely comparable operating model, membership structure, and advertising network monetization to MNA in the neighboring Midwest market.
• California News Publishers Association: California statewide newspaper trade association operating a similar advertising placement service, public notice advocacy, and member benefits program. Highly comparable trade association model, scaled to a much larger state market.
• Minnesota Broadcasters Association: Minnesota's state trade association for radio and television broadcasters, running an analogous membership model, advocacy program, annual convention, and ad-related services. Same state, same cooperative association structure, serving the adjacent broadcast segment of Minnesota's local media industry.

Others

• Poynter Institute: Nonprofit journalism training and news literacy organization that provides professional development resources comparable to MNA's convention training and Better Newspaper Contest programming. Complementary ecosystem player rather than direct competitor.
• Associated Press Media Editors: Professional association for newsroom leaders offering awards, training, and industry recognition programs analogous to MNA's Better Newspaper Contest and convention education tracks. Operates as an adjacent journalism-industry membership organization.

Emerging players

• LION Publishers: Membership organization for local independent online news publishers, focused on digital-first sustainability, audience development, and operational support. Represents the digitally native evolution of the trade association model that MNA and legacy newspaper associations serve.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mn_newspapers
• Facebookfacebook.com/MinnesotaNewspaperAssociation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/minnesota-news-council

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Minnesota Newspaper Association