What The Winchester Star does

The Winchester Star is a privately held community newspaper serving Winchester, Frederick County, and Clarke County in Virginia, with roots extending over 120 years and an operating brand founded in 1935. It is owned and operated by Ogden Newspapers of Virginia, LLC, a subsidiary of the diversified Ogden Newspapers conglomerate, and is staffed by 11-50 employees out of a single headquarters at 100 N. Loudoun St. in Winchester. The product is a full-service local publication covering news, high school and college sports, opinions, lifestyles, business, obituaries, and classifieds, distributed across both a weekly print edition and a digital footprint.

The underlying technology stack is a conventional web-based content management system supporting the winchesterstar.com site, complemented by a Digital Replica / e-Edition product delivered through the third-party mynewsonthego.com platform for mobile and desktop reading, and an email newsletter distribution system running five recurring newsletters (News Headlines, Local Weather, News Alerts, The Week in Local Sports, Weekly Top Stories). The classifieds operate as a self-serve marketplace across categories including vehicles, real estate, rentals, jobs, pets, and services. There are no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, APIs, SDKs, or native mobile applications.

The business model is a traditional local-newspaper hybrid: recurring print and digital subscriptions (starting at $3.25/week for print with digital access included), display and classified advertising sold to local SMBs and national advertisers, transaction-fee classifieds, and special community products such as the annual Star Awards recognition program. Distribution combines a home-delivery subscription route, newsstand/retail single-copy sales, self-serve digital subscriptions, and a local-jobs portal (winchestervirginiajobs.com). The go-to-market motion is sales-led, with direct advertiser relationships and a community-marketing program (Star Awards, social channels, newsletters) layered on top of subscription acquisition.

Name

The Winchester Star

Legal name

Ogden Newspapers of Virginia, LLC

Website

https://winchesterstar.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1935

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Winchester Star is a privately held community newspaper, owned by Ogden Newspapers of Virginia, LLC, serving Winchester, Frederick County, and Clarke County in Virginia via a weekly print edition, a digital e-Edition, an email newsletter suite, classifieds, and the annual Star Awards program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Winchester

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Print Subscription: Weekly, monthly, and annual subscriptions for home delivery of the print newspaper
2. Digital Subscription: Online access to website content and e-Edition digital replica
3. Advertising: Display advertising, classifieds, and digital advertising solutions for local businesses and national advertisers
4. Classifieds: Paid classified advertisements including vehicles, real estate, rentals, jobs, pets, services, and obituaries
5. Special Products: Special editions, contests (Star Awards), and commemorative publications

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Winchester Star is a local community newspaper that publishes hyperlocal news, sports, opinions, lifestyles, business, and obituaries for Winchester, Frederick County, and Clarke County in Virginia via a weekly print edition and a 24/7 digital website. It monetizes this content through print and digital subscriptions, display advertising, classifieds, and special community products such as the Star Awards program. The newspaper also distributes AP national and state news content alongside its local reporting.

Product overview

The Winchester Star is a local newspaper operated by Ogden Newspapers of Virginia, LLC, offering a traditional print newspaper alongside digital products. The core product is the print and digital newspaper covering local news, sports, opinions, lifestyles, business, and obituaries for Winchester, Frederick County, Clarke County, and surrounding areas in Virginia. The digital offerings include a Digital Replica/e-Edition accessible through mynewsonthego.com, subscription services starting at $3.25/week, a classifieds marketplace, and the Star Awards community recognition program. The newspaper also distributes AP national and state news content alongside its local coverage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Print and Digital News Subscription Paid subscription providing access to the print weekly newspaper with home delivery and digital access to winchesterstar.com and the e-Edition, priced starting at $3.25/week for personal and household readers.
• Digital Replica / e-Edition Digital replica of the printed newspaper accessible via the mynewsonthego.com platform, allowing subscribers to read the e-Edition on mobile devices and desktop browsers.
• Online Classifieds Online classifieds marketplace featuring categories including Auctions and Yard Sales, Cars and Vehicles, Personals, Pets, Real Estate, Rentals, For Sale, and Services, available both online and in print.
• Email Newsletter Service Email newsletter subscription service offering multiple newsletter types including News Headlines, Local Weather, News Alerts, The Week in Local Sports, and Weekly Top Stories to local readers.
• Star Awards Program Annual community awards program recognizing local businesses, organizations, and individuals in the Winchester area, with voting and nomination capabilities and multiple yearly winners across categories.
• Display and Digital Advertising Display advertising, digital advertising, and special promotional sections sold to local businesses and national advertisers to reach Winchester-area consumers through the print newspaper and website.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Ogden Newspapers of Virginia, LLCcoreOthersThe Winchester Star is operated by Ogden Newspapers of Virginia, LLC, which owns and manages the newspaper as part of a network of community newspapers.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Regional players

• Fauquier Times: Community newspaper serving Fauquier County in northern Virginia. Comparable as a nearby small-market Virginia weekly/daily with print + digital subscriptions and local advertising focus.
• The News Leader: Community newspaper covering Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia. Comparable as a nearby Virginia community daily with the same content verticals and subscription/advertising structure.
• The Roanoke Times: Regional daily newspaper covering western Virginia, operated within a national media group. Comparable as a larger Virginia-market newspaper with parallel content verticals, e-Edition, and subscription tiers.
• Loudoun Times-Mirror: Community newspaper serving Loudoun County, Virginia. Comparable as a similarly sized Virginia-market paper with overlapping readership demographics and identical print + digital subscription business model.

Broad incumbents

• Gannett Co. Largest U.S. newspaper publisher, operating the USA TODAY Network with hundreds of local community papers nationwide. Comparable as the dominant consolidator of community newspapers running parallel print + digital subscription and advertising operations.
• Tribune Publishing: Media company operating numerous metropolitan and community newspapers across the U.S. Comparable as a diversified newspaper group running similar subscription, advertising, and digital replica products across multiple local markets.
• Lee Enterprises: Public media company owning dozens of local newspapers across the U.S., including multiple Virginia properties. Comparable as a large-scale operator of community newspapers with similar subscription/advertising revenue mix and shared services model.

Direct peers

• The Northern Virginia Daily: Community newspaper serving the Shenandoah Valley / northern Virginia region with print and digital products. Comparable as a hyperlocal Virginia daily covering a similar-sized market with the same subscription + advertising revenue model.
• The Daily News-Record: Harrisonburg, Virginia community newspaper covering Rockingham County with print and digital editions. Closely comparable as a regional Virginia daily with similar content verticals, subscription pricing, and classifieds model.
• Ogden Newspapers (other properties): Sister publications under the same parent company as The Winchester Star, including community papers across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. Closely comparable as peer properties sharing identical technology, distribution, and operational infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/winstarva
• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/The-Winchester-Star/195641831897
• Instagraminstagram.com/thewinchesterstar
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/winchester-evening-star-inc.

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 The Winchester Star