North Bay Bohemian

What North Bay Bohemian does

North Bay Bohemian is a private alternative-weekly newspaper founded in 1979 that serves Sonoma and Napa Counties in California from its headquarters at 445 Center St. #4C, Healdsburg. The publication covers local news, arts and entertainment, food and drink, cannabis, opinion, and community events, and operates an annual Best Of awards program spanning Readers' Picks and Writers' Picks across categories including restaurants, beer/wine/spirits, cannabis, services, and shopping. It maintains a multi-platform presence consisting of a weekly print edition distributed at newsstands and retail locations, the bohemian.com website, a PageSuite-powered digital e-edition, and a portfolio of specialty magazines (50up, Profiles, Boheme, Explore) hosted on Issuu. Distribution is reinforced by a CitySpark-powered events calendar, email newsletters, and social media accounts on Facebook (11,084 fans), Instagram (4,848), and Twitter (6,928).

Name

North Bay Bohemian

Legal name

North Bay Bohemian

Website

https://bohemian.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

North Bay Bohemian is a private alternative-weekly newspaper serving Sonoma and Napa Counties with local news, arts, dining, and entertainment coverage across print, web, e-edition, and specialty magazines.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Alternative Weekly Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Book Retailers and News Dealers (45921)

akta.pro primary industry

Food, Cooking & Beverage Magazines (MPAJAEAF)

Keywords

• Alternative weekly newspaper
• Local news publishing
• Arts entertainment coverage
• Community journalism
• Event calendar listings

Headquarters

HQ city

Healdsburg

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, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Advertising Revenue: Primary revenue stream from display ads, classifieds, obituaries, legal notices, and digital advertising placements across the Bohemian.com website and print publication. The site features dedicated advertising pages, media kit, and multiple ad formats including sponsored content sections.
2. Subscription Revenue: Print and digital subscription services providing access to the newspaper content and archives. The publication offers e-edition access through Pagesuite platform.
3. Sponsored Content & Partnerships: Sponsored content sections featuring local businesses and organizations such as Green Music Center, Garagiste Wine Festival, SOMO Village, and Exploratorium. Also includes 'Faces of the North Bay' advertising features.

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

North Bay Bohemian is an alternative weekly newspaper that publishes local news, arts, entertainment, food & drink, and cannabis coverage for Sonoma and Napa Counties. The publication operates a website (bohemian.com), a PageSuite-powered digital e-edition, specialty magazines, an annual Best Of awards franchise, an events calendar, and giveaways, monetized through subscriptions, advertising, and sponsored content.

Product overview

The North Bay Bohemian is a traditional alt-weekly newspaper covering Sonoma and Napa Counties in California. The company operates a multi-platform presence consisting of the main website (North Bay Bohemian Website), a Digital E-Edition accessible via PageSuite, magazine publications distributed through Issuu (including Boheme, Profiles, 50up, and Explore), an annual Best Of Awards program, an Events Calendar with Cityspark integration, Giveaways/sweepstakes offerings, and comprehensive News & Features content spanning local news, arts & entertainment, food & drink, columns, and opinion. Revenue is generated through advertising, subscription, and sponsored content. The publication is part of the Weeklys media group network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• North Bay Bohemian Weekly Newspaper Weekly print newspaper providing local news, arts and entertainment coverage, food and drink reviews, columns, opinion, and community events coverage for readers in Sonoma and Napa Counties, distributed at newsstands, cafes, and retail locations.
• Bohemian.com Website Primary digital platform at bohemian.com offering news, arts & entertainment coverage, food & drink reviews, community calendar, Best Of rankings, giveaways, and advertising services for Sonoma and Napa Counties.
• Digital E-Edition
• Specialty Magazines (Boheme, Profiles, 50up, Explore)
• Best Of Awards Annual Readers' Picks and Writers' Picks awards franchise covering categories such as Arts & Culture, Beer/Wine/Spirits, Cannabis, Family/Pets, Health/Beauty, Restaurants, Services, and Shopping for the North Bay region.
• Events Calendar
• Giveaways and Sweepstakes
• Advertising Services

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

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered parent, minor and core.

• WeeklysparentOthersNorth Bay Bohemian is owned and operated by Weeklys, a publication group that also owns other alternative weeklies including East Bay Express, Good Times Santa Cruz, Metro Silicon Valley, Pacific Sun, and various community publications. Weeklys manages corporate functions including job opportunities and journalism awards.
• ExploratoriumminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNorth Bay Bohemian runs giveaways for Exploratorium memberships valued at $239 plus swag bags, promoting the San Francisco science museum to its North Bay readership as part of reader engagement activities.
• CitySparkcoreTechnology or IntegrationCitySpark powers the event submission and event promotion functionality on bohemian.com, allowing local organizations to submit events directly through the portal for publication in the events calendar.
• Griffo DistilleryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGriffo Distillery in Petaluma partners with North Bay Bohemian for coverage of community events, including a crawfish boil fundraiser for nonprofit Una Vida. The publication covers these community-building events as part of its local food and drink journalism.
• Petaluma Music FestivalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNorth Bay Bohemian runs ticket giveaways for the Petaluma Music Festival, a nonprofit event benefiting music education in Petaluma public schools. Coverage supports event promotion and community engagement.
• Cotati Accordion FestivalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNorth Bay Bohemian runs ticket bundle giveaways for the Cotati Accordion Festival, a nonprofit annual event established in 1991 to promote accordion music and support local youth organizations.
• Green Music CenterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGreen Music Center at Sonoma State University contributes sponsored content to North Bay Bohemian promoting summer concerts and movies at the venue, reaching the publication's local readership.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Good Times Santa Cruz: Weeklys-owned alt-weekly serving Santa Cruz County with the same format: print, digital, local arts/entertainment, dining coverage, and community events. Directly comparable operating model and content vertical mix.
• SF Weekly: Independent alt-weekly covering San Francisco with a comparable mix of local news, arts, dining, music, and events coverage, operating the same print+digital+sponsored content model. Closest external peer in format, though in a different Bay Area submarket.
• Metro Silicon Valley: Weeklys sibling title covering the San Jose / Silicon Valley region; shares the same print + digital alt-weekly structure, including the Issuu-hosted specialty magazine stack that distributes Boheme, Profiles, 50up, and Explore.
• East Bay Express: Another Weeklys-owned alt-weekly covering the East Bay (Oakland/Berkeley) with a near-identical content mix of local news, arts, dining, music, and Best Of awards. Closely comparable in format, audience, and revenue model.
• Boise Weekly: Long-running independent alt-weekly in Boise, Idaho, with a comparable print + digital structure covering local news, arts, dining, and music in a mid-size regional market. Useful comparable for unit economics of a mid-size alt-weekly.
• Sacramento News & Review: Independent alt-weekly covering Sacramento with a similar arts, dining, music, cannabis, and Best Of content mix, also distributed in print and online. Comparable format, content verticals, and mid-size community newspaper scale.
• Pacific Sun: Sister publication under the Weeklys group, covering Marin County as an alt-weekly with overlapping format (print + digital, local arts, dining, news) and identical revenue model. Most directly comparable peer given shared ownership, audience profile, and product structure.

Broad incumbents

• Napa Valley Register: Mainstream daily paper covering Napa County with overlapping local news and event coverage. Competes for the same local advertising dollars in the second half of the Bohemian's geographic footprint.
• Sonoma County Press Democrat: Larger mainstream daily newspaper serving Sonoma County, overlapping with North Bay Bohemian on local news and digital subscriptions. Serves the same geography but with broader general-interest scope and a more traditional daily paper operating model.

Emerging players

• Axios Local: Digital-native local news product expanding into multiple U.S. metros with a newsletter-led, ad-supported model. Represents the structural digital-native competitor that alt-weeklies must defend against for both readers and SMB advertisers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nbaybohemian
• Facebookfacebook.com/NorthBayBohemian
• Instagraminstagram.com/northbaybohemian
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/north-bay-bohemian

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 North Bay Bohemian