Soul Pitt Media

What Soul Pitt Media does

Soul Pitt Media is a privately held, founder-owned multi-channel media company headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that produces content and advertising services targeted at the city's African American and minority communities. Founded around 2010 by Donna Baxter, the company operates an integrated ecosystem spanning The Soul Pitt (thesoulpitt.com) digital news platform, the quarterly Soul Pitt Quarterly (SPQ) print and digital magazine, the Soul Pitt Media Health & Business Report podcast (117+ episodes since 2021), the Soul Blast email newsletter, and the Pittsburgh Black Business Directory — the latter receiving over 450,000 monthly page views across 90+ categories of Black-owned and minority-owned businesses in Western Pennsylvania. Underlying technology is a standard WordPress-based content management and digital publishing platform with no proprietary app, API, or AI capabilities disclosed.

The company's revenue model rests on three streams: advertising sold across website, magazine, podcast, and email inventory to enterprise and government clients (UPMC, First Commonwealth Bank, Duquesne Light Company, Pittsburgh Regional Transit, PA Lottery, Central Outreach Wellness Center, and Allegheny County Health Department are named advertisers); freemium listings in the Black Business Directory; and magazine distribution. Community events such as Soulful Santa and the BOLD Scholarship Dinner, plus editorial coverage of regional and national events, serve as both audience engagement and indirect monetization touchpoints. The team is small (1–10 employees) and led by Founder/President Donna Baxter and VP Craig Dawson, with columnist Debbie Norrell and team member Terina J. Hicks — both 2024 New Pittsburgh Courier Women of Excellence honorees. Notable brand validation includes the Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award won on September 20, 2025 for the Pittsburgh Soul Food Documentary co-produced with WQED Pittsburgh, and a state-level partnership with the PA Department of General Services' Bureau of Diversity, Inclusion and Small Business Opportunities. Geographic scope is concentrated in Pittsburgh/Western Pennsylvania, with episodic editorial reach into adjacent markets (e.g., Cincinnati Music Festival coverage).

Name

Soul Pitt Media

Legal name

Soul Pitt Media

Website

https://thesoulpitt.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Soul Pitt Media is a Pittsburgh-based, founder-owned multi-channel media company producing digital news, a quarterly magazine, a podcast, an email newsletter, and a Black Business Directory (450,000+ monthly page views) targeted at African American and minority communities in Western Pennsylvania, monetized primarily through advertising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Digital Media

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120), Newspaper Publishers (51311)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Alternative/Independent Newsweeklies & Opinion Press (MPAJADAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Faith-Based Media, Publishing & Broadcasting (Radio, TV, Digital, Press) (BPAGAJAI)

Keywords

• Community digital media
• Local news publishing
• Minority business directory
• Podcast content production
• Multi-channel advertising

Headquarters

HQ city

Pittsburgh

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Advertising: Soul Pitt Media generates revenue through advertising on its website, magazine, podcast, and email newsletter (Soul Blasts). Advertisers include UPMC, First Commonwealth Bank, Duquesne Light Company, Pittsburgh Regional Transit, PA Lottery, Central Outreach Wellness Center, and other regional businesses targeting the minority community.
2. Directory Listings: The Pittsburgh Black Business Directory offers free business listings to Black and minority-owned businesses, with premium features for enhanced visibility. The directory receives 450,000+ monthly page views.
3. Magazine Sales: Soul Pitt Quarterly (SPQ) magazine is published quarterly and distributed to readers. Featured personalities include Chris Moore (Emmy Award-winning host), Cappadonna (Wu-Tang Clan), Lena Bryan-Henderson (criminal defense attorney), Marcus Tullis (Hall of Fame athlete), and Felicia Mycyk (entrepreneur).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Soul Pitt Media operates a multi-channel media platform serving Pittsburgh's minority community through an editorial website (TheSoulPitt.com), a quarterly print/digital magazine (Soul Pitt Quarterly), a podcast series (Soul Pitt Media Health & Business Report), an email newsletter (Soul Blasts), and an online Pittsburgh Black Business Directory. The company creates original news, health, business, and cultural content while monetizing through advertising sales and premium directory listings to regional businesses and organizations.

Product overview

Soul Pitt Media operates as a multi-platform minority media company serving Pittsburgh's diverse community. The core offering consists of The Soul Pitt digital news platform (thesoulpitt.com), the quarterly Soul Pitt Quarterly (SPQ) print/digital magazine, and the Soul Pitt Media Health & Business Report podcast series (117+ episodes). Supporting products include the Soul Blast email newsletter and the Pittsburgh Black Business Directory, which collectively position the company as a comprehensive resource for minority community news, business exposure, and cultural content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Soul Pitt (thesoulpitt.com) Primary digital news platform serving Pittsburgh's minority community with articles covering community news, health resources, business spotlights, events, employment opportunities, and local business directory access.
• Soul Pitt Quarterly (SPQ) Magazine

Quantifiable outcome

• 450,000+ monthly page views on business directory
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WQED PittsburghcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 September 2025Soul Pitt collaborated with WQED to produce the Pittsburgh Soul Food Documentary, which won a Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award on September 20, 2025. The documentary highlighted Pittsburgh's Black food entrepreneurs and history, with Soul Pitt facilitating community connections and content for the project.
• Governor Wolf's Administration / PA Department of General ServicesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership to support Minority Businesses in Pennsylvania through Bureau of Diversity, Inclusion and Small Business Opportunities initiatives
• WQEDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSoul Pitt collaborated with WQED Pittsburgh to produce the Pittsburgh Soul Food Documentary, featuring Pittsburgh's Black food entrepreneurs and history. The documentary won a Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award in September 2025.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Blavity Inc. Multi-platform digital media company serving Black millennials through news, culture, events, and a business directory. Closest direct comparable given its similar content-plus-directory-plus-events model and focus on Black community monetization.
• MadameNoire: Digital media brand for Black women covering news, lifestyle, and culture with a content and advertising model similar to The Soul Pitt's site, magazine, and newsletter stack.
• The Root: Online news and culture publication targeting the African American community with editorial coverage, opinion, and advertising-driven revenue — directly comparable in audience and digital news model.

Broad incumbents

• Black Enterprise: Established national multi-platform media brand focused on Black business, wealth-building, and entrepreneurship. Comparable through its magazine-plus-digital-plus-directory mix serving Black professionals and SMBs.
• Essence Communications: Legacy multi-platform media brand (print magazine, digital, events) targeting Black women. Comparable through integrated print/digital editorial model and minority-focused advertising base.

Emerging players

• Shadow League: Digital media brand covering sports and culture from a Black perspective. Comparable through its digital-first editorial approach and audience overlap with Soul Pitt's community news readers.
• Word In Black: Collaborative Black news network pooling editorial resources from multiple local Black newspapers for national digital distribution. Comparable in mission to amplify Black community news and share advertiser reach across markets.

Others

• WQED Multimedia: Pittsburgh's PBS station and Emmy-winning production partner of Soul Pitt on the Pittsburgh Soul Food Documentary. Comparable as a regional content production partner and as an adjacent community-serving media organization.

Regional players

• Pittsburgh City Paper: Pittsburgh alternative weekly covering local news, arts, and culture with print and digital editions. Comparable through its regional alternative-news format and reliance on local advertising.
• New Pittsburgh Courier: Pittsburgh's historic African American newspaper covering community news, business, and events. Direct regional competitor for advertising dollars from the same Western PA minority audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheSoulPitt
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SoulPittMedia
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheSoulPitt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-soul-pitt
• Instagraminstagram.com/thesoulpitt

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Soul Pitt Media