Cassville Democrat

What Cassville Democrat does

Cassville Democrat is a privately held weekly newspaper founded in 1871, headquartered in Cassville, Missouri, serving Barry County and surrounding southwest Missouri communities including Monett, Shell Knob, Wheaton, and Purdy. Its core product is the Cassville Democrat newspaper, covering local news, sports, community events, education, business, and obituaries, with a companion monthly publication called Monett Monthly that extends coverage to the Monett area. The publication operates on a WordPress-based content management system with digital e-edition capability, and distributes content through both physical newspaper delivery and online channels.

The business operates a diversified but small revenue model spanning print and digital subscriptions (recurring), classified and legal notice submissions (transactional), photo sales through a Zenfolio e-commerce integration (transactional), and sponsored content within Monett Monthly (advertising). The website functions as the primary marketing and distribution channel, supplemented by email newsletters and social media for community engagement. The go-to-market motion is direct-to-consumer, targeting residents and local businesses in Barry County through a freemium model where limited content is free and full access requires subscription.

The publication has 11-50 employees and is independently owned with no identified parent company, institutional investors, or external ownership structures. Named leadership includes Publisher Kyle Troutman, Sales Executive and Investigative Reporter Sheila Harris, and Sports Reporter Jared Lankford (covering Monett-area athletics with over 15 years of experience). The organization maintains recurring coverage partnerships with community institutions including the Cassville Area Chamber of Commerce, Monett Historical Society, and Missouri Schoolwide Positive Behavior Supports (MO SW-PBS), which generate a steady pipeline of local business, civic, and educational content.

Name

Cassville Democrat

Legal name

Cassville Democrat

Website

https://cassville-democrat.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1871

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cassville Democrat is a privately held weekly newspaper founded in 1871 that serves Barry County, Missouri with local news, sports, community events, and obituaries across print and digital e-edition channels. It also publishes the Monett Monthly sub-brand and ancillary services including classifieds, legal notices, and photo sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (51311)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAJADAB

Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital)

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

SECONDARYMPAJADAG

Community, Ethnic & Multilingual News Publishers

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

Keywords

• Local newspaper publishing
• Print and digital subscriptions
• Community news coverage
• Obituary and classified notices
• Hyperlocal journalism

Headquarters

HQ city

Cassville

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, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Digital Subscriptions: Online subscription service providing full access to articles and digital issues
2. Print Subscriptions: Physical newspaper delivery service with subscription model
3. Classified and Legal Notices: Revenue from obituaries, classified ads, and legal notice submissions
4. Photo Sales: Sale of event and news photographs through Zenfolio platform
5. Sponsored Content: Monett Monthly publication featuring community and local business content

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Cassville Democrat is a weekly local newspaper that publishes news, sports, community events, government, education, and obituary coverage for Cassville and Barry County, Missouri in both print and digital formats. The publication also operates the Monett Monthly sub-brand magazine and sells ancillary services including obituary submissions, classified and legal notice advertising, and event photograph sales through Zenfolio. Readers access the paper via paid print subscription, paid digital subscription, and a free limited-access tier on the website.

Product overview

The Cassville Democrat is a local newspaper offering a portfolio of print and digital publishing products. The core offering is the Cassville Democrat newspaper covering Barry County news, sports, and community content. A companion publication, Monett Monthly, serves the Monett area with monthly lifestyle and local news coverage. Digital E-Editions provide online access to full print issues. Additional services include obituary submissions, classified and legal notice advertising, and photo sales through an integrated e-commerce platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cassville Democrat (Weekly Newspaper) The core weekly local newspaper covering news, sports, community events, business, education, and obituaries for Cassville and Barry County, Missouri, available in print and digital formats.
• Monett Monthly
• Digital E-Editions
• Classified and Legal Notice Submission
• Obituary Submission Service
• Event and News Photo Sales

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• ZenfoliominorOthersPhoto sales platform partnership for purchasing event and news photographs from the publication
• Cassville Area Chamber of CommerceminorOthersCoverage partnership for ribbon cutting ceremonies and local business announcements
• Monett Historical SocietyminorOthersRegular coverage of historical society events, meetings, and museum news in Monett
• Missouri Schoolwide Positive Behavior Supports (MO SW-PBS)minorOthersCoverage of education recognition awards for local schools achieving exemplary levels

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Lee Enterprises: A large publicly traded local newspaper publisher operating daily and weekly papers across the U.S., including titles in similar mid-sized and small Midwestern markets. Useful as a scaled comparable for the small-market local newspaper business model.
• Ogden Newspapers: A family-owned multi-state local newspaper publisher with a strong focus on small and mid-sized community markets. Comparable as a scaled small-market newspaper operator.
• Adams Publishing Group: A multi-state community newspaper company operating small-market daily and weekly publications in the Midwest and Southeast. Comparable as a scaled operator of community newspapers in markets similar to Cassville.
• CNHI (Community Newspaper Holdings Inc.): A community newspaper group operating small and mid-sized local papers across multiple U.S. states, with a portfolio model similar in spirit to running a multi-title local publishing operation.
• Gannett Co. The largest U.S. local newspaper publisher, operating USA TODAY and hundreds of community publications including small-market weeklies. Comparable as a broad incumbent operating in the same local newspaper category.

Direct peers

• Monett Times: The competing local newspaper serving Monett, Missouri, which is one of the primary communities in the Cassville Democrat's coverage area. Directly comparable in target market, content categories, and weekly print + digital distribution model.
• Booneville Daily News: A small daily newspaper covering a rural Arkansas community, comparable in target market (rural community), scale (single-market focus), and content categories (local news, sports, obituaries).
• Sedalia Democrat: A weekly local newspaper serving Sedalia and Pettis County, Missouri, with a similar single-county coverage footprint, print plus digital subscription model, and community-focused news positioning. Closely comparable in scale, geography, and product mix.
• Barry County Advertiser: A community newspaper covering Barry County, Missouri, in the same geographic market as the Cassville Democrat. Comparable as a direct local competitor for readers, subscribers, and local advertising dollars.

Emerging players

• Mainstreet Media Group: A community-focused local newspaper and digital media operator in small Southern U.S. markets, with a multi-title rural publishing model and digital subscription offerings similar to the Cassville Democrat.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cassvilledemo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Cassville Democrat