The Argonaut
The Argonaut is a free weekly community newspaper serving the Westside of Los Angeles (Santa Monica, Venice, Marina del Rey, and surrounding communities) with ~30,000 weekly print distribution and an accompanying digital edition, generating revenue primarily from local display, classified, and public-notice advertising under Times Media Group.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1971
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What The Argonaut does
The Argonaut is a community newspaper serving the Westside of Los Angeles, distributed free of charge every Thursday across Del Rey, Marina del Rey, Mar Vista, Playa del Rey, Playa Vista, Santa Monica, Venice, and Westchester, with a stated weekly distribution of approximately 30,000 copies. Founded in 1971 and operating as a member publication under Times Media Group, Inc. (a conglomerate focused on local journalism), it holds adjudicated Newspaper of General Circulation status in Los Angeles County, which confers standing for publishing public notices and legals. The publication covers local news, community events, business, arts and entertainment, education, youth activities, and opinion content for Westside LA residents, supported by a small team of roughly 11–50 employees including editorial, photography, and sales staff.
The product portfolio is single-product: the weekly print newspaper plus a companion digital edition accessible via the PageSuite professional platform on the website (argonautnews.com). Distribution extends across free weekly print drop, the website with sections for News, Community, Business, Opinion, Arts & Events, Youth, Education, and Westside Happenings, an Affiliate Content feed sourced from external providers, and organic social channels on Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, and Vimeo, plus an email newsletter. There is no mobile app, no paid digital subscription product, and no disclosed proprietary technology platform beyond standard CMS and digital-edition infrastructure.
The business model is primarily advertising-led. Revenue streams include display advertising (sold by a Director of Sales and a National Sales Director), classified advertising, public notices and legal advertising (leveraging the adjudicated circulation status), and affiliate/sponsored content; reader subscriptions are free. Customer segments are local residents of Westside LA on the read side and small-to-medium local businesses, services, and real estate advertisers on the buy side. Pricing is freemium for readers, with advertising sold directly through a small sales team and dedicated contact channels.
The Argonaut firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Argonaut
- Legal name
- Times Media Group, Inc.
- Website
- https://argonautnews.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1971
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Argonaut is a free weekly community newspaper serving the Westside of Los Angeles (Santa Monica, Venice, Marina del Rey, and surrounding communities) with ~30,000 weekly print distribution and an accompanying digital edition, generating revenue primarily from local display, classified, and public-notice advertising under Times Media Group.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Argonaut industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Local Newspaper / Community News Publishing
- NAICS
- Newspaper Publishers (513110)
- SIC
- Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)
Keywords
Where The Argonaut is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Argonaut business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Display Advertising: Local businesses advertise through display advertising placements in the newspaper and on the website. Contact sales team via Nick Oliveri (Director of Sales) and [email protected].
- Classified Advertising: Classified ads for employment, services, and other categories. Contact [email protected] or 480-898-5624.
- Public Notices/Legals: Legal and public notice publications, an adjudicated Newspaper of General Circulation. Contact [email protected] or 480-898-5624.
- Subscription Revenue: Free subscription available for digital/print delivery, with subscription options promoted on the website.
- Affiliate/Sponsored Content: Third-party affiliate content provided by external services, clearly labeled as not reflecting views of Times Media Group.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Annual | Free Distribution |
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
The Argonaut product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Argonaut publishes a free weekly community newspaper covering local news, community events, business, arts, education, opinion, youth activities, and public notices for Westside Los Angeles neighborhoods including Santa Monica, Venice, Marina del Rey, Mar Vista, and surrounding communities. The publication also offers a digital edition through its website and a digital editions platform, supported by display, classified, and public notice advertising sold to local businesses.
Product overview
The Argonaut is a single-product local newspaper publication that delivers community journalism to the Westside of Los Angeles. The publication offers its core newspaper product in both print (weekly distribution) and digital formats (website and digital editions). The product portfolio consists of the main newspaper and its digital edition companion, with no additional modules, sub-products, or platform architecture.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Argonaut Weekly Newspaper A free weekly community newspaper covering local news, community events, business, arts and entertainment, education, youth activities, opinion, and public notices for Westside Los Angeles neighborhoods (Del Rey, Marina del Rey, Mar Vista, Playa del Rey, Playa Vista, Santa Monica, Venice, Westchester). It is an adjudicated Newspaper of General Circulation with distribution of approximately 30,000.
- Digital Editions Online digital edition of the weekly newspaper accessible through argonautnews.com via the PageSuite professional platform, allowing readers to view the publication in an interactive digital format on any device.
- Display Advertising Paid display advertising placements in the weekly print newspaper and on argonautnews.com, sold to local businesses through the Director of Sales (Nick Oliveri) and Times Media Group sales team.
- Classified Advertising Classified ad placements for employment, services, and other categories, sold via [email protected] / 480-898-5624.
- Public Notices / Legals Advertising Legal and public notice publication placements in The Argonaut, leveraging its adjudicated Newspaper of General Circulation status; coordinated via [email protected] / 480-898-5624.
- argonautnews.com Website The Argonaut's full content website with sections for News, Community, Business, Opinion, Arts & Events, Youth, Education, Westside Happenings, Obituaries, and Digital Editions, plus free email newsletter subscription.
Companies that use The Argonaut
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Argonaut technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Argonaut partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Times Media GroupcoreThe Argonaut is a proud member of Times Media Group, a company committed to the preservation and advancement of local journalism. Times Media Group is recognized with numerous awards for journalistic excellence and offers effective platforms for advertisers seeking to reach local audiences while investing in communities they serve.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Argonaut competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Canyon News: LA-area local community newspaper covering neighborhoods across the San Fernando Valley and greater LA — a comparable free-distribution, community-focused weekly serving overlapping SMB advertiser segments.
- LA Weekly: Alternative weekly covering Los Angeles with print + digital editions, arts and culture coverage, and display advertising — a more urban alt-weekly peer that competes for the same local advertiser pool and reader attention.
- Larchmont Chronicle: Hyperlocal weekly newspaper serving the Larchmont Village and Greater Wilshire neighborhoods of Los Angeles, with a free distribution model and community-focused journalism mirroring The Argonaut's operating approach.
- Beverly Press / Park LaBrea News: Long-standing LA community newspapers covering Beverly Hills, Mid-Wilshire, and surrounding areas with weekly print distribution and local advertising — comparable format, audience, and revenue mix to The Argonaut.
- The Eastsider LA: Hyperlocal digital news site covering Eastside LA neighborhoods with community journalism — comparable hyperlocal coverage model and competing for LA SMB advertising spend, though in a different geography.
- Santa Monica Daily Press: The Santa Monica Daily Press is a community newspaper covering Santa Monica and neighboring Westside LA areas — directly overlapping The Argonaut's geography and SMB advertiser base with similar print + digital local news model.
Emerging players
- Patch: Network of hyperlocal digital news sites serving individual towns and neighborhoods nationwide, including several Westside LA communities — competes with The Argonaut for digital local news audiences and SMB advertisers in overlapping ZIP codes.
- Nextdoor: Hyperlocal neighborhood social network that delivers local news and information to Westside LA residents — an emerging competitor for the same community-news audience attention and a potential SMB advertising channel substitute.
Broad incumbents
- Los Angeles Times: The dominant LA daily newspaper; covers Westside LA communities within a much broader geographic scope, competing for both reader attention and major local advertisers despite operating at vastly different scale.
Others
- Times Media Group (sister publications): The parent conglomerate's network of community newspapers — internally comparable in editorial and operational model, often bundled in shared sales efforts and shared back-office, making them both peers and corporate siblings to The Argonaut.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
The Argonaut social profiles
Digital presenceThe Argonaut financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Argonaut leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
The Argonaut funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Argonaut M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Argonaut
What does The Argonaut do?
The Argonaut publishes a free weekly community newspaper covering local news, community events, business, arts, education, opinion, youth activities, and public notices for Westside Los Angeles neighborhoods including Santa Monica, Venice, Marina del Rey, Mar Vista, and surrounding communities. The publication also offers a digital edition through its website and a digital editions platform, supported by display, classified, and public notice advertising sold to local businesses.
Is The Argonaut a public or private company?
The Argonaut is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was The Argonaut founded?
The Argonaut was founded in 1971. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Argonaut based?
The Argonaut is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Argonaut make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Display Advertising is the primary driver. The others are classified Advertising, public Notices/Legals, subscription Revenue and affiliate/Sponsored Content.
Who are The Argonaut's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Canyon News, LA Weekly, Larchmont Chronicle, Beverly Press / Park LaBrea News, The Eastsider LA and Santa Monica Daily Press. Emerging players are Patch and Nextdoor. Los Angeles Times is listed as a broad incumbent. Times Media Group (sister publications) is listed as an others.
Does The Argonaut have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Argonaut.
What industry is The Argonaut in?
The Argonaut's product category is Local Newspaper / Community News Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJADAB, Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital). Its NAICS code is 513110 and its SIC code is 2711.