Inquirer and Mirror

What Inquirer and Mirror does

The Inquirer and Mirror is a private, for-profit local newspaper serving Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821, it is one of the oldest continuously published newspapers in the United States and operates as the island's primary general-interest news source. It publishes a print edition with a 5x-weekly email newsletter, covers breaking news, local government, schools, sports, environment, real estate, arts, obituaries, and opinion, and runs a bilingual Spanish-language section (La Voz Isleña) alongside a lifestyle sub-brand (Nantucket Today). Coverage decisions reflect island-specific issue areas such as short-term rentals, PFAS, offshore wind, the housing crisis, and waterfront land use.

Its technology stack is built on the BLOX Digital content management system (a standard platform used across community newspapers), which powers the ack.net website, the e-Edition exact digital replica hosted on TownNews/Newsmemory, native iOS (Apple App Store id 574928828) and Android (com.inkym.nx) mobile apps, and the email newsletter pipeline. A small in-house team — including dedicated Editor, Sports Editor, Digital Content Manager, Social Media Content Manager, Production Manager, Advertising Manager, Advertising Representative, and Marketing Administrator roles — operates the publication from a single headquarters at One Old South Road, Nantucket.

The business model is a hybrid of subscription revenue and advertising. Recurring subscriptions (print annual and digital monthly, with auto-renewal and intro offers within a 90-day window) are supplemented by display, digital, and classified advertising, including legal notices, obituaries, weddings, births, and marketplace listings. Distribution is multi-channel: print home delivery island-wide (including Siasconset), global digital access via website/apps/e-Edition, and a 'thousands of subscribers' self-described reader base. INKY Extras adds a community-membership layer with partner events and discounts, and readers can donate through the Cape Cod Foundation.

Name

Inquirer and Mirror

Legal name

Inquirer and Mirror

Website

https://ack.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1821

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Inquirer and Mirror is the private, for-profit local newspaper of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, founded in 1821. It publishes print, email newsletters, a website (ack.net), e-Edition, and iOS/Android apps via the BLOX Digital CMS, monetizing through subscriptions, advertising, and classifieds for island residents, visitors, and local businesses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Newspaper

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Alternative/Independent Newsweeklies & Opinion Press (MPAJADAH)

Keywords

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

Headquarters

HQ city

Nantucket

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Subscription Revenue: Print and digital subscriptions providing recurring revenue with auto-renewal. Subscriptions include access to e-edition and digital content. Pricing varies by subscription type with introductory offers available.
2. Advertising: Display advertising (print and digital), classified advertising, and digital advertising. The newspaper offers media kits for advertisers and has dedicated advertising sales staff including Display & Digital Advertising Manager.
3. Classified Ads: Classified advertising section covering announcements, obituaries, weddings, engagements, births, legal notices, and marketplace listings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Inquirer and Mirror is a local newspaper publishing hyperlocal news about Nantucket Island across print and digital channels. Its core offerings include a printed newspaper delivered to subscribers, an e-Edition digital replica, a subscriber website, iOS and Android mobile applications, and a five-day-a-week email newsletter covering news, sports, opinion, arts & entertainment, lifestyle, obituaries, classifieds, and community events.

Product overview

The Inquirer and Mirror is a local newspaper serving Nantucket Island since 1821, offering a portfolio of news products and subscription services. The core offering is the print and digital newspaper, supplemented by a digital e-Edition replica, email newsletters delivered 5 times weekly, and native mobile applications for iOS and Android. INKY Extras provides additional subscriber benefits including events and discounts. The company operates on a subscription-based model with print and digital subscription tiers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Nantucket Today: A special section/magazine publication of The Inquirer and Mirror featuring lifestyle and feature content about Nantucket.

Products and services

• The Inquirer and Mirror Newspaper (Print Subscription) Print newspaper delivered to Nantucket Island subscribers covering local government, schools, environment, crime, health care, sports, opinion, arts & entertainment, lifestyle, and community events. Billed annually (auto-renewal). Pricing not publicly disclosed.
• e-Edition (Digital Replica) A digital replica edition of the printed newspaper that subscribers can read online. Provides exact page-by-page digital replica accessible through the subscriber portal.
• I&M Mobile App (iOS) iOS mobile application for accessing Inquirer and Mirror news content on Apple devices, branded as 'I&M iOS News APP'.
• I&M Mobile App (Android) Android mobile application for accessing Inquirer and Mirror news content on Android mobile devices.
• The Inquirer and Mirror Newsletter The Inquirer and Mirror newsletter is published 5 times a week with breaking news and sports content, delivered via email to subscribers and sign-ups.
• INKY Extras (Subscriber Benefits Program) INKY Extras is a subscriber benefit program featuring updates on events, discounts, speaking engagements, and other unique experiences offered for partners and subscribers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Newsletter distributed 5 times per week
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• TownNews (BLOX Digital): The technology vendor that provides the BLOX CMS platform powering I&M's website, mobile apps, and e-edition. Comparable as the underlying publishing technology stack shared by many U.S. community newspapers.

Broad incumbents

• New England Newspapers Group (Gannett): Gannett operates numerous small community newspapers across New England, including regional titles near Nantucket. Comparable as a scaled operator of local subscription and advertising newspaper businesses.
• The Boston Globe: A large regional newspaper that periodically covers Nantucket and competes for digital reader and advertising dollars in the broader New England market. Comparable as a subscription-based newspaper serving overlapping audiences.

Regional players

• Cape Cod Chronicle: A weekly newspaper covering the upper Cape Cod region including communities adjacent to Nantucket's ferry points. Similar small-town weekly newspaper economics and local advertising base.
• Cape Cod Times: A regional daily newspaper covering Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with overlapping coverage of the south-facing Nantucket ferry communities. Comparable in subject matter but serves a broader geography and is part of Gannett.

Direct peers

• The Vineyard Gazette: A long-standing weekly newspaper serving Martha's Vineyard with print, digital, and e-Edition products. Comparable to I&M as an established island newspaper monetizing subscriptions, advertising, and a lifestyle/luxury audience.
• Provincetown Banner: A weekly community newspaper covering Provincetown and outer Cape Cod, serving a small, tourist-driven, seasonal-residential market similar to Nantucket. Comparable in scale, hyperlocal focus, and subscription model.
• Block Island Times: A weekly newspaper serving Block Island, Rhode Island, a small island community with a seasonal resident and visitor base. Closely comparable to I&M in geography, scale, and dependence on island tourism.
• Martha's Vineyard Times: A weekly community newspaper serving Martha's Vineyard, an island off the Massachusetts coast with a similar affluent seasonal-residential profile to Nantucket. It is the closest comparable peer in terms of geography, audience, and business model.

Emerging players

• Nantucket Magazine: A lifestyle magazine covering Nantucket that is a sub-brand of Inquirer and Mirror (Nantucket Today). Comparable as a Nantucket-focused lifestyle publication with overlapping advertisers and audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/inkym
• Facebookfacebook.com/InquirerandMirror
• Instagraminstagram.com/inquirerandmirror
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-inquirer-and-mirror-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Inquirer and Mirror