78 Magazine

What 78 Magazine does

78 Magazine is a privately held, hyper-local community magazine serving Walker County, Alabama, with its base of operations in Jasper. The publication is owned by Blanton Media Group, a diversified media holding company. It operates as a single print and digital magazine product organized into five recurring editorial sections: Soul of 78 (community profile features), Sports, Community news, Real Estate, and Auto Row. Content archives date back to at least 2019 and the publication remains actively publishing as of June 2026.

The underlying technology stack is modest: the digital presence (78mag.com) is built on a Squarespace content management system hosted on squarespace-cdn.com, with articles organized by section and date. There is no mobile app, no public API, no disclosed integrations, and no proprietary software products. Distribution is dual-channel — physical magazines distributed through points across Walker County and direct subscription delivery to readers, with a website subscription/signup form as the digital funnel.

The business model is a traditional local-media mix: subscription revenue from individual readers and advertising revenue from local businesses seeking access to Walker County consumers. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The company employs 11-50 people and serves two primary customer segments: local community readers (geographic segment) and local business advertisers (business segment). The company has no disclosed funding, no M&A activity, no named leadership team, and no partnerships or alliances in the source data.

Name

78 Magazine

Legal name

Blanton Media Group

Website

https://78mag.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

78 Magazine is a hyper-local community magazine published by Blanton Media Group, serving readers and advertisers in Walker County, Alabama, with print and digital editions covering sports, community profiles, real estate, and local auto industry content.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Community Magazine Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120), Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines (MPAJAEAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO), Sports & Recreation Magazines (MPAJAEAJ)

Keywords

• Local magazine publishing
• Community journalism
• Regional print magazine
• Magazine subscription service
• Local sports coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

Jasper

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

78 Magazine publishes a local community magazine serving Walker County, Alabama, covering sports, community profiles under the Soul of 78 section, real estate, and automotive content via the Auto Row section. The publication is available in both print and digital formats, with a digital archive on its website and a subscription service for ongoing delivery.

Product overview

78 Magazine is a single unified community magazine publication serving Walker County, Alabama. The offering consists of the core magazine product available in both print and digital formats, featuring multiple content sections including Sports, Soul of 78 (community profiles), Community news, Real Estate, and Auto Row. The digital platform provides online article access, subscription services, and an archive of past issues.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 78 Magazine (print and digital publication) A hyper-local community magazine serving Walker County, Alabama, covering sports, community profiles (Soul of 78), local news, real estate, and automotive content. Distributed in print and available in digital format through the 78mag.com archive for local residents.
• 78 Magazine Subscription Service A subscription-based delivery service that provides readers with ongoing access to new issues of 78 Magazine and digital content updates, available through direct subscription and email signup on the publication's website.
• 78 Magazine Physical Distribution Physical print magazine distribution service placing 78 Magazine issues at distribution points across Walker County, Alabama for free pickup by community readers.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Birmingham Magazine: Long-running regional city/regional lifestyle magazine covering the Birmingham, Alabama metro, with a comparable mix of local profiles, dining, community features, and home/real estate content targeting a defined Alabama geography.
• Patch.com: National hyperlocal digital news network organized by town and county. Competes for the same hyper-local journalism niche and local SMB advertising dollars that 78 Magazine serves, though as a digital-only platform.
• Huntsville/Magazine 256 (formerly 256 Magazine): Regional lifestyle magazine serving the Huntsville/North Alabama area with community profiles, local business features, and real estate coverage — a directly comparable Alabama regional magazine model.
• The Bama Buzz: Alabama-focused digital lifestyle publication covering community stories, local businesses, and regional events. Operates in the same state-level content and advertising market as 78 Magazine with a similar community-voice editorial approach.

Broad incumbents

• AL.com: Alabama's largest digital news platform, covering state and local stories including Walker County. Competes for local advertising dollars and reader attention across the same geography, though distributed statewide rather than hyper-locally.
• Lee Enterprises: Multi-state local newspaper and digital media operator with Alabama community publications. Competes for hyper-local advertising budgets and provides a benchmark for the economics of small-market print+digital publishing.
• Southern Living: Major regional Southern lifestyle magazine covering community, food, home, and travel across the broader Southeast. Overlaps with 78 Magazine's lifestyle, real estate, and community storytelling formats at a much larger national scale.
• Gannett Local (USA Today Network): Largest U.S. local newspaper and media operator, with Alabama titles covering Walker County and adjacent markets. Represents the scaled incumbent alternative for local advertisers and readers in the same regional footprint.

Regional players

• Yellowhammer News: Alabama-focused digital news and commentary outlet covering politics, business, and community topics statewide. Competes for Alabama-based readers and advertisers in an adjacent editorial lane to 78 Magazine's community content.
• 1819 News: Alabama-focused digital news outlet covering state and regional stories, including community-level reporting. Competes for local advertising and reader engagement across Alabama, with a more statewide news-led format.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/78mag
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blanton-media-group

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 78 Magazine