Illinois Times

Name

Illinois Times

Legal name

Illinois Times

Website

https://illinoistimes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Newspaper

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Local news publication
• Community journalism
• Weekly newspaper
• Editorial content
• Digital news platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Springfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Reader Support and Donations: Free publication supported financially by readers through donations, subscriptions, and direct contributions. Fundraising campaigns for specific positions (e.g., $45,000 goal for Report for America reporter position).
2. Advertising: Local advertising space sold to businesses in the Springfield and central Illinois area.
3. Report for America Funding: Grant funding from Report for America program - $25,000 first year, $15,000 in 2026 - to support reporter positions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Illinois Times publishes a free weekly newspaper and accompanying digital news platform covering local news, politics, arts, entertainment, and culture for Springfield and central Illinois. Founded in 1975, the publication combines investigative local journalism, opinion columns, an integrated community events calendar, themed special issues, and a reader-supported donation model to deliver independent community reporting unavailable from larger regional or national outlets.

Product overview

Illinois Times is a traditional weekly newspaper publication with a comprehensive digital presence. The core offering is the print and online newspaper covering Springfield and central Illinois news, politics, arts, entertainment, and culture. Supporting products include an extensive events calendar, restaurant and bar listings, themed special issues (jobs, parenting, weddings, visitors, seasonal guides), the annual Best of Springfield awards, obituary services, public notice publishing, email newsletters, and movie listings. The publication operates as a free, reader-supported newspaper, now partnered with Report for America to expand its newsroom capacity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Illinois Times Weekly Newspaper
• Illinois Times Digital News Platform
• Community Events Calendar
• Email Newsletter Subscriptions
• Best of Springfield Awards
• Obituaries and Turning Points Publishing
• Public Notices Service
• Special Issues Publications
• Food & Drink Guides
• Support Local Journalism (Donations / Subscription)

Quantifiable outcome

• Extensive community calendar covering movies, dining, music, visual arts, and community events

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Capitol News IllinoisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. Funded primarily by Illinois Press Foundation and Robert R. McCormick Foundation. Content partnership providing state government coverage.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Chicago Reader: Long-running free alternative weekly covering Chicago news, arts, politics, and music. Closest in-state analog as a free weekly newsprint and digital publication with opinion, politics, and arts coverage.
• The Pitch: Kansas City alternative weekly covering news, arts, food, and music. Comparable free weekly with opinion, politics, and community-events coverage of a single mid-sized metro.
• Isthmus: Independent Madison, Wisconsin weekly covering news, politics, arts, and dining. Comparable free-weekly format with opinion, politics, and community-event focus in a mid-sized state-city market.
• LEO Weekly: Louisville-based alternative weekly covering news, arts, food, and music. Direct peer in product mix and free-distribution model, with a similar mid-sized-market footprint.
• Austin Chronicle: Independent free weekly covering Austin news, politics, food, music, and arts. Comparable in product mix, free-distribution model, and deep local events calendar.
• Riverfront Times: Free alternative weekly covering St. Louis news, arts, food, and music. Comparable business model and product mix including a strong events and venue listings platform serving a single mid-sized metro.
• Nashville Scene: Free weekly covering Nashville news, politics, food, and music. Direct comparable in free-weekly format, breadth of coverage, and reliance on local advertising in a state-capital market.

Broad incumbents

• Lee Enterprises: Large publicly-traded local newspaper publisher including the State Journal-Register in Springfield. Represents the broader incumbent daily-paper competitor Illinois Times differentiates against in the same Springfield market.

Others

• Capitol News Illinois: Nonprofit, nonpartisan statehouse news service that distributes government coverage to Illinois outlets. Direct partnership counterpart to Illinois Times and a peer in the Illinois local-journalism ecosystem.

Regional players

• River Cities' Reader: Free alternative weekly covering the Quad Cities region of Iowa and Illinois. Shares Illinois geographic footprint and the free weekly reader-supported model, though it serves a different sub-region.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ILTimes
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@illinoistimes1587
• Facebookfacebook.com/illinoistimes
• Instagraminstagram.com/illinoistimes

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 Illinois Times