Waycross Journal-Herald

What Waycross Journal-Herald does

Waycross Journal-Herald is a regional newspaper serving Waycross and surrounding Pierce County in Southeast Georgia, covering local news, high school and recreational sports, opinions, obituaries, classifieds, public notices, and community events. The publication was founded in 1914 and has operated continuously as a community news source for over a century. It is owned and operated by Head Publishing, LLC, a privately held Georgia-based media company that also publishes The Blackshear Times and The Brantley Beacon, allowing the three titles to share back-office functions and editorial resources.

The product is delivered through two primary channels: a physical print newspaper distributed regionally, and a digital e-Edition platform hosted at publisher.etype.services/Waycross-Journal-Herald. The publishing infrastructure is built on the 4media.com content management system, which provides article management, photo galleries, website hosting, and a centralized article archive accessible via the parent company's website (theblacksheartimes.com). Head Publishing also maintains a social media presence across Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to extend reach. The company does not operate a dedicated mobile application.

The business model is a traditional community-newspaper hybrid of advertising and subscriptions. Advertising revenue comes from local businesses purchasing print and digital placements, including community business listings and board advertisements on the website. Subscription revenue is generated through recurring print delivery and digital e-Edition access. No pricing, rate-card, or subscriber count information is publicly disclosed, and the company has not raised institutional funding, made acquisitions, or disclosed a management team in the source material.

Name

Waycross Journal-Herald

Legal name

Head Publishing, LLC

Website

https://www.wjhnews.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1914

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Waycross Journal-Herald is a community newspaper serving Waycross and Pierce County, Georgia, with local news, sports, opinions, and obituaries distributed in print and via a digital e-Edition under Head Publishing, LLC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (51311), Newspaper Publishers (513110)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community, Ethnic & Multilingual News Publishers (MPAJADAG)

Keywords

• Local newspaper publishing
• Community journalism
• Print and digital subscriptions
• Local news advertising
• Community classifieds

Headquarters

HQ city

Waycross

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, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Advertising: Local businesses advertise in the newspaper and on the website, including community business listings and board advertisements visible on the website.
2. Subscriptions: Print and digital subscription revenue through e-Editions and physical newspaper delivery.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Waycross Journal-Herald publishes a regional newspaper serving the Waycross and Pierce County, Georgia area. The core offering is hyper-local journalism — news, sports coverage, opinions, obituaries, classifieds, and public notices — delivered through a printed newspaper and an e-Edition digital platform.

Product overview

Head Publishing operates a multi-publication platform with Waycross Journal-Herald as one of three regional newspapers under its umbrella (alongside The Blackshear Times and The Brantley Beacon). The portfolio offers local journalism across News, Sports, and Opinions sections, distributed via both traditional print and e-Editions digital platform. Waycross Journal-Herald maintains dedicated phone lines (912.283.2244) and integrates its e-Editions through a centralized digital publishing platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Waycross Journal-Herald (Print Newspaper and e-Edition) A regional newspaper for the Waycross, Georgia area, offering local news, sports coverage, and opinion pieces through both print and digital e-Edition formats for community readers and local advertisers.
• Local News Coverage Standalone local news section covering Waycross-area government, civic affairs, schools, and community events for readers in Pierce County, Georgia.
• Local Sports Coverage Standalone local sports section dedicated to high school and recreational athletics coverage in the Waycross and Pierce County area.
• Obituaries Section Standalone obituary section publishing death notices and memorial information for community members in the Waycross and Pierce County, Georgia area.
• Waycross Journal-Herald e-Edition Digital edition of the Waycross Journal-Herald newspaper available for online viewing through the publisher's e-Edition platform.
• Local Advertising Placements Advertising service allowing local businesses to place ads in the Waycross Journal-Herald newspaper and on the website, including community business listings and board advertisements.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• 4media.comcoreTechnology or Integration4media.com provides the content management system (CMS) infrastructure for the Head Publishing newspaper network, including Waycross Journal-Herald. The platform enables digital publishing, article management, photo galleries, and website hosting services.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Blackshear Times: Sister publication under the same parent (Head Publishing, LLC), serving neighboring Pierce County, Georgia with the same print + e-Edition model and shared CMS — the closest functional and operational comparable.
• The Brantley Beacon: Third community title under Head Publishing, LLC covering Brantley County, Georgia. Shares back-office, ad sales, and digital infrastructure with Waycross Journal-Herald.
• Paxton Media Group: Family-owned community newspaper company operating daily and weekly papers across the Mid-South and Southeast U.S., with a comparable multi-title, community-focused operating model.
• Boone Newspapers: Privately held group of community newspapers in the Southeastern U.S., structurally similar to Head Publishing in being a multi-title operator focused on small-market local journalism.
• Adams Publishing Group: Family-owned media company operating community newspapers, magazines, and digital properties across the U.S., with a comparable mix of legacy print titles and emerging digital products in small markets.
• Carpenter Media Group: Active acquirer and operator of community newspapers and local media assets across the Southeast and beyond — directly comparable in business model to a small multi-title community publisher.
• Morris Multimedia: Georgia-based family-owned operator of community newspapers and digital local news sites, directly comparable as a Southeastern U.S. multi-title community publisher.

Broad incumbents

• Lee Enterprises: Major U.S. community newspaper operator managing hundreds of daily and weekly local titles across small and mid-sized markets, with a hybrid print/digital subscription model analogous to Waycross Journal-Herald's.
• Gannett: Largest U.S. newspaper publisher (USA TODAY network) with extensive local/community news properties, competing for the same regional advertising budgets and reader attention as Waycross Journal-Herald.

Regional players

• Emmerich Newspapers: Independently owned Georgia newspaper group operating community titles in markets adjacent to Waycross; comparable in scale and geography to Head Publishing's network.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@wjhnews8512
• Facebookfacebook.com/wjhnews
• Instagraminstagram.com/blacksheartimes
• Xx.com/WaycrossJournal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/about

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&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Waycross Journal-Herald