What Nashville Banner does

Nashville Banner is a nonprofit, non-partisan digital newsroom launched in 2023 and operated under the 501(c)(3) entity Nashville Public Media, serving Nashville and Middle Tennessee. The organization delivers free local and state civic journalism — including Metro government, courts, criminal justice, state politics, immigration, and education — across its website, the daily email newsletter 'The Flyer,' and the weekly podcast 'Banner & Company.' Editorial leadership comprises President and Editor Steve Cavendish and executive producer Demetria Kalodimos, a 34-year Nashville broadcast veteran. The Banner is digital-first with no paywall, claims roughly 50% exclusive reporting, and states that 70% of its budget is spent directly on journalists and editors.

The newsroom is currently executing a three-year initiative to double its size (from approximately 15-20 staff) and to extend coverage into Tennessee statehouse reporting. The product is built on a WordPress/Newspack platform with Stripe handling donor transactions, Google Analytics tracking site behavior, and Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND) licensing permitting other outlets to republish articles. Content is distributed across owned channels (website, The Flyer, Banner & Company podcast, YouTube) and organic social on Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Monetization is structurally diversified across three streams: individual donations and memberships (monthly tiers of $15, $25, $35; annual tiers of $180, $365, $500; with Publisher's Society matching up to $10,000), corporate sponsorship managed through a dedicated relationship lead, and foundation/grants funding for general operations, topical coverage, and special projects. Operating geographies are limited to Middle Tennessee, and the organization is governed by a Board of Directors and Advisory Board drawn from local civic and business leadership.

Name

Nashville Banner

Legal name

Nashville Public Media

Website

https://nashvillebanner.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Nashville Banner is a nonprofit, non-partisan digital newsroom launched in 2023 under Nashville Public Media, delivering free local and state civic journalism across its website, daily newsletter, and weekly podcast to readers in Nashville and Middle Tennessee.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Digital Journalism

NAICS

Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

Public/Community Local Stations (PBS Member Stations, Community Radio, LPFM) (MPABACAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Media Fundraising & Membership (Pledge Drives, Major Gifts) (MPABADAJ)

Keywords

• Local journalism
• Nonprofit newsroom
• Civic news
• Digital media
• Community journalism

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations and Membership: The nonprofit accepts donations from individuals at various levels including monthly and annual options ($15, $25, $35 per month or $180, $365, $500 per year). The Publisher's Society matches yearly value of new and increased gifts up to $10,000. Members receive benefits through the contributor portal.
2. Corporate Sponsorship: Corporate sponsorships available as part of revenue diversification. Contact for corporate sponsorship and digital, newsletter, and podcast advertising through Esther Bailey-Bass.
3. Grants and Foundation Funding: Accepts gifts, grants and sponsorships from individuals, organizations and foundations for general operations, coverage of specific topics and special projects. Major gifts and grants contact: Paige Hendrickson.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Nashville Banner is a nonprofit, non-partisan digital newsroom that produces free local and state civic journalism covering Nashville and Middle Tennessee — including Metro government, criminal justice, courts, state politics, immigration, education, and elections. Its core offering is the nashvillebanner.com website, supplemented by The Flyer daily newsletter, the Banner & Company weekly podcast, and a membership/donation program. All content is delivered without a paywall, and the newsroom is funded by individual donations, foundation grants, corporate sponsorships, and memberships rather than advertising subscriptions.

Product overview

Nashville Banner is a nonprofit, non-partisan digital news organization operating as a single unified platform (the Nashville Banner Website) that delivers free, community-supported civic journalism without a paywall. The core product is supplemented by The Flyer daily newsletter, the Banner & Company weekly podcast, and a membership/donation program. The newsroom is undergoing a three-year initiative to double its size and produces content across Metro, Criminal Justice, Courts, State, Immigration, Education, and Politics beats.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Banner & Company: Weekly podcast hosted by executive producer Demetria Kalodimos, covering interviews and discussions on local and state news topics.

Products and services

• Nashville Banner Website The primary digital news platform delivering non-partisan, nonprofit journalism covering Nashville and Middle Tennessee with no paywall, featuring articles across Metro, Criminal Justice, Courts, State, Immigration, Education, Politics, and Feature stories for general community readers.
• The Flyer Newsletter A daily email newsletter delivering comprehensive rundowns of important stories impacting Nashville and Tennessee, sent weekday mornings free to subscriber inboxes.
• Banner & Company Podcast A weekly podcast hosted by executive producer Demetria Kalodimos featuring in-depth interviews, discussions, and audio content including episodes on local politics, cultural topics, and community affairs.
• Membership Program A donor membership program offering supporter benefits including monthly and annual giving tiers at $15/$25/$35 per month and $180/$365/$500 per year, plus Publisher's Society matching-gift opportunities for new and increased gifts up to $10,000.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70% of budget goes directly to journalists and editors
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• WPLN Nashville Public Radio: Public-radio news operation in Nashville now under shared Nashville Public Media infrastructure. The Banner's parent entity operates in coordination with WPLN, making it both an affiliate and an audience-overlap peer for civic journalism and donor programs.
• The Tennessean: Legacy for-profit daily covering Nashville and Tennessee politics/government. The most direct head-to-head competitor for the same local news audience, ad/donor dollars, and political coverage beats.
• Tennessee Lookout: Nonprofit statehouse-focused newsroom serving Tennessee politics from a similar member/donor-supported model. Directly competes for state-government coverage and grant funding.

Emerging players

• The Markup: Nonprofit digital newsroom using a member-supported model similar to the Banner's. Comparable in funding stack and editorial focus on accountability reporting.
• The 19th News: Nonprofit digital newsroom built on donations, grants, and corporate underwriting. Comparable in digital-first, no-paywall community-supported journalism framework.
• Block Club Chicago: Nonprofit local newsroom covering a single metro with a member-supported model. Demonstrates the donor/grassroots template the Banner is replicating in Nashville.

Broad incumbents

• Memphis Commercial Appeal: Tennessee's other major daily, operating across news verticals including state and local government. Comparable in scope to the Banner but as a Gannett-owned legacy outlet with subscription revenue.
• ProPublica: National nonprofit investigative newsroom funded by donations and grants. Blueprint for nonpartisan, deeply reported civic journalism and a model the Banner references in its mission.

Others

• Institute for Nonprofit News: Network and capacity-building organization supporting donor-driven newsrooms. Industry association and benchmarking peer for the Banner's nonprofit-newsroom economics and growth playbooks.
• Report for America: National service program placing journalists (including the Banner's education reporter) into local newsrooms. Not a competitor but a critical talent pipeline and funder-adjacent partner.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nashvillebanner
• Facebookfacebook.com/NashvilleBanner
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nashville-banner
• Instagraminstagram.com/nashville_banner

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Nashville Banner