Times Journal

What Times Journal does

Times Journal is a privately held community newspaper serving DeKalb County, Alabama, and is described on its own website as "DeKalb County's Oldest Newspaper." Headquartered at 225 Gault Avenue North in Fort Payne, Alabama, the publication covers Fort Payne and surrounding communities including Rainsville, Valley Head, Crossville, Collinsville, Geraldine, Fyffe, Sylvania, Ider, Henagar, Mentone, and Hammondville. The company employs 101-250 people and operates across print, digital, and multimedia channels, providing local news, sports, business, opinion, obituaries, classifieds, and lifestyle content. A sub-brand, DeKalb Living magazine, extends coverage into community features, faith, and local columns; an editorial contact email ([email protected]) suggests some operational link with the Southern Torch publication.

The publication's digital platform is powered by the BLOX Content Management System from BLOX Digital, a widely adopted CMS used by many community newspapers rather than proprietary technology. The core product set includes an online news website, a digital e-Edition replica of the print newspaper, subscription services for home delivery and digital access, an online classifieds marketplace (vehicles, pets, housing, services, legal notices, personals), sports coverage (high schools, college football and basketball, youth sports, NACC athletics), multimedia galleries and video, a local events calendar, weather information, and editorial/opinion content. Print advertising (retail and classified) and online advertising placement represent the principal commercial offerings alongside subscriptions.

Times Journal's revenue model follows the traditional community newspaper playbook: income from paid home delivery and digital subscriptions, retail display advertising sold to local businesses, classified advertising across print and online, and ancillary services such as special publications. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, though subscription forms and a media kit are referenced on the website. Go-to-market is largely direct — local readers and advertisers in DeKalb County and adjacent areas — with top-of-funnel distribution through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and email newsletters. There is no disclosed revenue, no parent company, no external funding history, and no management team information in the public source data, indicating an independently owned, operationally traditional small business.

Name

Times Journal

Legal name

Times Journal

Website

https://times-journal.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Times Journal is a privately held community newspaper serving DeKalb County, Alabama. It delivers local news, sports, obituaries, classifieds, and advertising via print, digital e-Edition, and website channels, funded by subscriptions and local SMB advertising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAJADAB

Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/News Publishing (Newspapers, Digital Newsrooms, Wire Services)

SECONDARYMPAJAEAA

Consumer Lifestyle & Fashion Magazines

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Magazine Publishing (Consumer & B2B/Trade Magazines)

Keywords

• Local newspaper publishing
• Community news coverage
• Classified advertising
• Newspaper subscription services
• Obituary listings

Headquarters

HQ city

Eastman

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, Infrastructure

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Times Journal publishes a hyper-local community newspaper and associated digital platform covering news, sports, obituaries, opinion, classified advertising, weather, and lifestyle content for DeKalb County, Alabama. It monetizes through paid home-delivery and digital subscriptions, print retail advertising, and online classified listings. Sub-brands include the DeKalb Living lifestyle magazine and a digital e-Edition replica.

Product overview

Times Journal is a community newspaper offering a comprehensive digital news platform for DeKalb County, Alabama. The publication operates primarily as a content-driven news website with multiple content channels including local news, sports, business, opinion, obituaries, and the lifestyle magazine 'DeKalb Living.' The core product is online news coverage supported by e-Edition digital replicas, subscription/membership services, classified advertising, and multimedia content including photo galleries and videos.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DeKalb Living: A magazine/lifestyle section of the newspaper covering community features, faith, features, and columns for DeKalb County

Products and services

• Times Journal Print and Online Newspaper Community newspaper providing hyper-local news, sports, business, opinion, and obituary coverage for DeKalb County, Alabama residents and businesses.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Paxton Media Group: Family-owned operator of community newspapers, print publications, and digital media in the U.S. Highly comparable to Times Journal as a community-newspaper acquirer and operator in mid-sized and small markets.
• Tribune Publishing: Regional newspaper publisher with titles in major U.S. metros. Comparable in core business model (local news + ads + subs) but serves larger, urban markets rather than rural counties like DeKalb.
• Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. (CNHI): Large operator of community newspapers and related websites across the U.S. Closely comparable to Times Journal in target market (small-town America) and operating model (local news + classifieds + advertising).
• Lee Enterprises: Operator of a large portfolio of local daily and community newspapers across the U.S. Comparable to Times Journal as a community-newspaper consolidator reliant on local subscription and advertising revenue, though at a much larger scale.
• Boone Newspapers: Family-owned group operating community newspapers across the U.S. Southeast and Midwest. Comparable to Times Journal in focus on small-town and county-level local journalism and similar geographic markets.
• Gannett Co. Largest U.S. newspaper publisher, operating USA Today and hundreds of local community titles across the country. Comparable to Times Journal as a community-newspaper operator, but at vastly larger scale and with a national digital footprint.

Direct peers

• The Gadsden Times: Long-running northeast Alabama daily newspaper serving the Gadsden area. Comparable to Times Journal as a regional Alabama community newspaper with print, e-Edition, and local advertising offerings.
• The Decatur Daily: North Alabama daily covering Decatur and Morgan County. Comparable to Times Journal as a mid-sized Alabama community newspaper; both rely on local news, subscriptions, and SMB advertising in similar rural/suburban markets.
• The Cullman Times: North Alabama community daily serving Cullman County. Directly comparable to Times Journal in scale, geography (rural Alabama), revenue model (local news + subs + ads), and audience (county-level residents and SMBs).
• Southern Torch: Alabama community news outlet covering parts of the same DeKalb/Sand Mountain region; the editorial contact email for Times Journal routes through southerntorch.com, suggesting at minimum an operational/ownership linkage. Comparable directly in geography and community-news product.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/fptimesjournal
• Facebookfacebook.com/timesjournal
• Instagraminstagram.com/times_journal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/times-journal

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&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Times Journal