Bitterroot Star

What Bitterroot Star does

Bitterroot Star, operating as The Bitterroot Star Newspaper Co, is a privately held weekly local newspaper headquartered in Stevensville, Montana, serving the Bitterroot Valley in Ravalli County. Its product consists of a unified print and digital news publication covering local news, sports, opinion, obituaries, legal notices, classifieds, and community events for communities including Hamilton, Stevensville, Darby, Corvallis, Victor, and Florence. The publication is built on a WordPress content management system for its website (bitterrootstar.com), with an Issuu-hosted e-edition providing a digital replica of the print issue under registered ISSNs (Print 1050-8724, Digital 2994-0273). An interactive community events calendar extends the platform, integrating with Facebook Live, YouTube Live, Zoom, Google Calendar, Microsoft Calendar, and Webex to support in-person, virtual, and hybrid community events.

Revenue is generated primarily through recurring annual subscriptions priced on a geographic three-tier basis ($75 in-county, $85 out-of-county in Montana, $95 out-of-state) plus advertising and service revenue from classifieds (10 categories including help wanted, real estate, farm and garden, and legal notices), community event promotion, and paid press release submissions. Subscriptions are sold via phone and the website, with the company's website functioning as the primary digital hub. The go-to-market is sales-led and community-driven: the publication operates as an embedded civic platform, sustaining relationships with the local Chamber of Commerce, Ravalli County government, schools, healthcare providers (notably Bitterroot Health), and community organizations (over 30 annual events and nearly 400 registered non-profits in the market). Editorial leadership rests with Editor Victoria Howell. The company is independently owned with no parent entity, no disclosed funding rounds, and 11-50 employees, indicating a small-scale community media operation rather than a venture-backed or scaled digital media business.

Name

Bitterroot Star

Legal name

The Bitterroot Star Newspaper Co

Website

https://bitterrootstar.com/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bitterroot Star is an independent weekly newspaper serving Ravalli County, Montana, delivering local news, sports, classifieds, obituaries, and a community events calendar via print, WordPress-based website, and an Issuu e-edition, monetized through tiered subscriptions and local advertising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Newspaper / Community News Publishing

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPABAIAD

Local/Regional News Channels

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Broadcasting (TV & Radio)/Broadcast News & Current Affairs Channels

Keywords

• Local newspaper
• Community news
• Classified advertising
• Print subscription
• Digital news publication

Headquarters

HQ city

Stevensville

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 and Digital Subscriptions: Annual newspaper subscriptions providing access to print edition and digital content. Three pricing tiers based on geographic location: in-county, out-of-county, and out-of-state.
2. Classified Advertising: Classifieds section featuring categories including Buildings, Farm & Garden, For Rent, For Sale, Free, Help Wanted, Real Estate, Sales/Auctions, Services, and Legal Notices.
3. Community Event Promotion: Free community events calendar for local non-profits; fee-based event submission services.
4. Press Release Services: Community organizations submit press releases for publication.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Bitterroot Star is a weekly community newspaper covering local news, sports, opinion, classifieds, obituaries, and legal notices for the Bitterroot Valley in Ravalli County, Montana. It operates both a print edition and a digital e-edition hosted on Issuu, complemented by a community events calendar and geographically tiered annual subscriptions ($75 in-county, $85 out-of-county, $95 out-of-state).

Product overview

Bitterroot Star is a traditional local newspaper serving the Bitterroot Valley community in Montana. The publication operates as a unified print and digital media product, offering both a physical newspaper and an online e-edition accessible through Issuu. Core offerings include news coverage, sports reporting, opinion columns, classified advertisements, legal notices, and obituaries. The organization also maintains an interactive community events calendar with virtual event capabilities supporting Facebook Live, YouTube Live, Zoom, and other platforms. Subscription services are available at tiered pricing based on geographic location.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bitterroot Star (Print Edition) Traditional weekly print newspaper covering local news, sports, opinion, classifieds, legal notices, and obituaries for the Bitterroot Valley community in Montana. Registered with Print ISSN 1050-8724.
• Bitterroot Star Online Edition (E-edition) Digital replica of the Bitterroot Star print newspaper accessible via the Issuu platform, allowing online reading of current and archived issues for subscribers and casual readers.
• Community Events Calendar Online community events calendar allowing non-profits, businesses, and residents in the Bitterroot Valley to submit, manage, and view local events, including virtual events integrated with Facebook Live, YouTube Live, Zoom, Google, Microsoft, and Webex.
• Classified Ads Paid classified advertising marketplace offered in both the print newspaper and the digital edition, covering categories such as help wanted, real estate, farm and garden, for sale, services, and sales/auctions for local businesses and residents.
• Obituaries Section of the Bitterroot Star featuring death notices and memorial information for members of the Bitterroot Valley community.
• Legal Notices Public legal notices section including court summons, estate notices, name changes, and official government announcements required for public record, published in the print and digital editions.
• Subscription Services Paid annual subscription service providing access to the Bitterroot Star print and digital editions, with three pricing tiers: $75/year for Ravalli County residents, $85/year for out-of-county Montana residents, and $95/year for out-of-state subscribers.
• Press Release Submission Service Submission service allowing organizations and individuals to submit press releases for potential publication in the Bitterroot Star print and digital editions.

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ravalli Republic: Ravalli Republic is a local newspaper focused on Hamilton and Ravalli County, directly overlapping Bitterroot Star's local-news, subscription, and advertising audience. It is the closest geographic and product-market analogue.

Broad incumbents

• The Missoulian: The Missoulian is an established daily print and digital news outlet serving nearby Missoula and western Montana. It competes for regional news readership and advertising while operating at a broader scale than Bitterroot Star.
• KPAX-TV: KPAX-TV is an established television broadcaster serving western Montana with local news, weather, and community coverage. It competes for the same local-news audience through a different broadcast delivery model.

Regional players

• Flathead Beacon: Flathead Beacon provides locally focused journalism to Montana's Flathead Valley through digital publishing and related news products. Its regional-news and reader-support model is comparable despite serving a different community.
• The Western News: The Western News is a community newspaper serving Libby and northwestern Montana with local news, print, and digital distribution. Its rural weekly-market focus closely resembles Bitterroot Star's operating model.
• Daily Inter Lake: Daily Inter Lake is a regional print and digital newspaper serving Montana's Flathead Valley. It is comparable through its local-news coverage, subscriptions, classifieds, and advertising-based monetization.
• Bozeman Daily Chronicle: Bozeman Daily Chronicle is a Montana print and digital local-news publication with subscription and advertising revenue. It serves a different region but has a closely aligned local journalism and distribution model.
• Montana Free Press: Montana Free Press is a nonprofit digital news organization covering public policy and communities across Montana. It is relevant to Bitterroot Star through its focus on local and regional reporting, although its statewide, online-only model differs.
• Montana Standard: Montana Standard is a regional newspaper serving Butte and surrounding communities through print and digital products. Its local-news, subscription, classified, and advertising offerings are comparable to Bitterroot Star.
• Helena Independent Record: Helena Independent Record is a Montana print and digital local-news publication with subscriptions, advertising, and community information. It operates at a broader scale but shares Bitterroot Star's regional media model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bitterroot-star

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Bitterroot Star