The New Citizens Press

What The New Citizens Press does

The New Citizens Press is a privately held, Black-owned multicultural newspaper and online news outlet headquartered in Lansing, Michigan. It serves readers in Lansing and the broader Mid-Michigan tri-county region (Ingham, Eaton, and Clinton counties), with a stated editorial mission of providing news "For, By and About People," focusing on underrepresented communities, local crime and justice, public health, civic affairs, and community events. The publication operates one core product—the tncpnews.com website—built on a WordPress content management system, with a 607+ page article archive and an active YouTube channel (@rinarispershows) featuring the "Sociologically Speaking" documentary series produced by journalist Rina Risper.

The business generates revenue through three streams: (i) annual subscriptions at $32 for digital email delivery or $40 for physical mail delivery (23 editions per year), (ii) paid advertising with rates and a media calendar published on the website, and (iii) reader/community donations. Distribution combines open-access website content (no paywall) with direct-to-consumer subscriptions via mail and email. The outlet maintains editorial and community partnerships with local civic institutions including the Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA), Lansing Housing Commission, American 1 Credit Union, and Junior Achievement of Michigan's Edge, and is a member of the BOMESI (Black Owned Media) industry coalition. The company operates with 1-10 employees and has no disclosed external funding, parent company, or public listing.

Name

The New Citizens Press

Legal name

The New Citizens Press

Website

https://tncp.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The New Citizens Press is a Black-owned, Lansing-based community newspaper and online news outlet covering Lansing and Mid-Michigan, serving underrepresented populations with local journalism via a WordPress website, YouTube documentaries, and low-cost mail/email subscriptions supplemented by advertising and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local News Publication

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (51311)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAJADAG

Community, Ethnic & Multilingual News Publishers

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

SECONDARYMPAJADAB

Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital)

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

SECONDARYMPAJAMAF

Online Article & Blog Publishing Platforms

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Digital Publishing Platforms (E-books & Online Articles)

Keywords

• Community journalism
• Local news media
• Investigative reporting
• Multicultural newspaper
• Digital news publication

Headquarters

HQ city

Issaquah

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. Subscription Revenue: Paid subscriptions delivered via physical mail ($40.00 for 23 editions) or digital email ($32.00 for 23 editions)
2. Advertising: Paid advertising with rates and calendar available on the website
3. Donations: Donation-based support from readers and community members

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The New Citizens Press is a Black-owned, community-focused news publication that delivers local journalism for Lansing, Michigan and the broader Mid-Michigan region. Its core products are the tncpnews.com digital news website featuring daily articles and a deep content archive, supplemented by the 'Sociologically Speaking' YouTube documentary series. The publication sells annual subscriptions (print mail and digital email), advertising placements, and accepts reader donations.

Product overview

The New Citizens Press is a single-platform digital news publication focused on community journalism. The company operates one core product—the tncpnews.com website—which publishes local news articles, operates a YouTube channel featuring documentary content (including the 'Rina Riper Shows' documentary series on topics such as doulas and midwives), and offers subscription-based newsletter delivery. There are no additional modules, sub-brands, or platform-plus-modules referenced.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TNCPNEWS: The New Citizens Press website domain and branding for online news delivery

Products and services

• The New Citizens Press News Publication The flagship digital news publication delivering daily local Lansing/Mid-Michigan news, investigative reporting on crime and justice, community events, and social issues, published through the open-access tncpnews.com website with an archive of 607+ pages.
• Sociologically Speaking YouTube Documentary Series A YouTube-hosted documentary video series created by Rina Risper covering community-focused social topics such as doulas, breastfeeding, and family community, extending the publication's journalism into long-form video.
• Annual Print Mail Subscription Subscription service delivering 23 printed editions of The New Citizens Press to readers via physical mail for $40.00 per year.
• Annual Digital Email Subscription Subscription service delivering 23 digital editions of The New Citizens Press to readers via email for $32.00 per year.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• BOMESI (Black Owned Media)minorOthersMember of Black Owned Media coalition, an industry association for Black-owned media organizations
• Junior Achievement of Michigan's EdgeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partner featured in A1CU Community Fair article covering financial education and youth programs
• American 1 Credit UnionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner in community fair event focused on financial literacy and community education
• Lansing Housing CommissionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSubject of news coverage for partnership with CATA expanding transportation access for residents
• Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerTransportation authority featured in news coverage about expanded transit access partnerships

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Bridge Michigan: Statewide nonprofit digital news outlet covering Michigan policy and communities. Comparable in that it produces recurring digital news and relies on reader/funder support, but operates at significantly larger scale and broader geographic remit.
• MLive: Michigan's largest regional digital news network covering local stories across the state including Lansing. Comparable as a digital-first local news publisher competing for the same regional audience and advertising dollars, but operating at much greater scale.
• Michigan Public Radio (WUOM/Michigan Public): Michigan's NPR-member public radio network covering statewide news including Lansing. Comparable as recurring local and statewide news producer competing for the same audience attention and civic-information dollars, though distributed via audio.
• The Grio: Nationally distributed Black-focused digital news and culture platform. Comparable in audience focus on Black American readers and community-centered journalism, though it operates at national scale rather than hyper-local.

Direct peers

• Lansing State Journal: Lansing's dominant daily newspaper covering the same Ingham, Eaton, and Clinton tri-county region as TNCP. It is the most direct local competitor for both readers and advertisers, though it is a mainstream outlet rather than Black-owned or multicultural.
• Word In Black: A collaborative of 10 Black-owned newsrooms producing national and local Black-focused journalism. Directly comparable in editorial mission and ownership structure; TNCP is a BOMESI member operating in a similar coalition-driven model.
• Michigan Chronicle: Long-standing Black-owned newspaper based in Detroit covering Michigan's African American community. Most directly comparable in mission, ownership identity, and editorial focus on underrepresented communities, though it operates at larger scale in a different metro.
• Flint Beat: Michigan-based independent nonprofit digital news outlet covering Flint and surrounding communities. Comparable as a small-team, mission-driven local news publisher focused on underrepresented stories in a Michigan city.

Emerging players

• Outlier Media: Detroit-based nonprofit local news outlet using SMS-driven reporting to serve low-income and underrepresented Detroit residents. Comparable in mission (community accountability journalism) and use of non-traditional distribution, but focused on a different metro.

Others

• Capital News Service (Michigan State University): Michigan State University-based news service producing state and local reporting distributed to outlets across Michigan. Comparable in topic coverage of Lansing-area government and community, but functions as a wire/content producer rather than a direct reader-facing publication.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@rinarispershows
• Xx.com/tncp_
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/new-citizens-press

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 The New Citizens Press