Northern News Now

Name

Northern News Now

Legal name

Gray Television, Inc.

Website

https://northernnewsnow.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Broadcast Television

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations (5161)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Network-Affiliated Local TV Stations (ABC/CBS/NBC/FOX/CW/Telemundo/Univision, etc.) (MPABACAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ), Local/Regional News Channels (MPABAIAD)

Keywords

• Local broadcast television
• Local news coverage
• Weather forecasting
• Investigative journalism
• Digital advertising

Headquarters

HQ city

Duluth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Broadcast Television Advertising: Traditional over-the-air television advertising slots sold to local businesses and national advertisers reaching broadcast viewers across multiple channel affiliations
2. Digital Advertising: Online advertising opportunities on website and digital platforms including display ads, sponsored content, and digital marketing services
3. Programming Distribution: Multi-channel broadcast network (NBC 6.1, CBS 3 Duluth, My 9 Network, CW 3.1) generating advertising revenue from programming distribution

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Northern News Now is a local broadcast television station (KBJR/CBS 3 Duluth) delivering hyperlocal news, weather, sports, and community programming to the Northland region via multi-channel over-the-air broadcast (NBC 6.1, CBS 6.2, My 9 6.3, CW 3.1), livestreaming, website, and mobile apps. It also sells broadcast and digital advertising to local and regional businesses and offers a premium subscription video product (Northern News Now+).

Product overview

Northern News Now is a local television news station (KBJR) based in Duluth, MN, operated by Gray Local Media. The station serves the Northland region (Twin Ports, Iron Range, NW Wisconsin, and Upper Peninsula) through a multi-platform offering centered on its broadcast television channels (KBJR 6 with NBC 6.1 and CBS 3 on 6.2) and digital properties. The core product is the Northern News Now news brand delivering local news, First Alert Weather, and sports coverage. Premium offerings include Northern News Now+ (NNN+) for exclusive video content and streaming. Additional branded content includes NNN Investigates (investigative journalism), Holding on to History (documentary series), City by City (community coverage), Northern Life (lifestyle content), and Laura Lee's Kitchen (cooking segment). The station also offers NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) broadcasting capabilities and comprehensive sports coverage spanning high school, college (UMD, UW Superior, St. Scholastica), and professional levels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• First Alert Weather: Weather forecasting and alert service providing severe weather warnings and forecasts for the Northland region
• Northern News Now+
• NNN Investigates
• Your Town
• City by City
• Holding on to History

Products and services

• Northern News Now (KBJR 6 / CBS 3 Duluth) Primary local news broadcast television service delivering news, weather, sports, and community coverage across multiple over-the-air channels (NBC 6.1, CBS 6.2, My 9, CW 3.1) and digital platforms, serving the Northland region of northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin.
• First Alert Weather

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Gray Television (Parent Company)coreOthersOwned and operated by Gray Television, one of the largest television broadcasting companies in the United States. Benefits include network affiliations, shared technology platforms, investigative journalism resources (InvestigateTV), national content partnerships, and corporate policies including AI policy framework.
• NBC (Network Affiliation)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChannel 6.1 broadcast affiliation with NBC network, providing national network programming and shared branding
• CBS (Network Affiliation)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCBS 3 Duluth broadcast affiliation providing CBS network programming to the market
• MyNetworkTV (Network Affiliation)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChannel 6.3 broadcast affiliation with My 9 Network
• The CW (Network Affiliation)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChannel 3.1 broadcast affiliation with CW network, along with Justice Network (3.2), LAFF TV (3.3), Court TV (3.4), Court TV Mystery (3.5), and Quest (3.6) on subchannels
• InvestigateTVcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGray Television's investigative journalism unit that Northern News Now participates in, providing shared investigative reporting resources and content
• Local News LiveminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGray Television national news sharing partnership providing additional national news content coverage
• PowerNationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGray Television programming partnership offering additional entertainment content
• Glensheen MansionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for community events coverage including Concerts on the Pier at Glensheen Mansion

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• KDLH-TV: CBS affiliate also serving the Duluth/Northland DMA; competes head-to-head for local news audience and advertising revenue in the same geography as Northern News Now.
• WDIO-TV: Duluth ABC affiliate and primary local news competitor in the Northland DMA; competes directly for the same local viewers, advertisers and sports rights in the Duluth/Twin Ports/Iron Range market.

Broad incumbents

• Hearst Television: Division of Hearst operating network-affiliated local TV stations with substantial local news investment; broader incumbent with a similar hyperlocal broadcast model.
• Tegna: Multi-station local-TV operator (now under Standard General) running network-affiliated news stations; directly comparable business model and revenue mix to Northern News Now.
• E.W. Scripps Company: Public broadcasting company operating local TV stations and national networks (ION, Court TV, Bounce); broader incumbent with overlapping content and ad-platform strategy.
• Allen Media Group: Operator of local TV stations (formerly Gray Television peer portfolio) plus nationally distributed networks (The Weather Channel, Local Now); comparable broadcast plus digital platform mix.
• Nexstar Media Group: Largest US television broadcaster by station count; runs a comparable network-affiliated local-TV model with national ad sales, content syndication and digital platforms.
• Sinclair Broadcast Group: One of the largest US local-TV station operators with national advertising, news and sports scale; broader incumbent operating the same broadcast station business model across many DMAs.

Emerging players

• NewsNation: National cable/streaming news network; competes for news audience attention and a slice of ad spend that historically would have gone to local broadcast news in markets like Duluth.

Others

• YouTube TV: Internet-delivered pay-TV bundle that distributes local broadcast affiliates but bypasses the station's direct ad inventory; structural competitor for both audience and advertising dollars driving cord-cutting pressure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/northernnewsnow

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Northern News Now