The Sneak Preview

What The Sneak Preview does

The Sneak Preview is a privately held, free monthly newspaper serving the Rogue Valley region of Southern Oregon. Founded on July 28, 1986, the publication operates as a portfolio of four regional editions — Ashland Sneak Preview, Talent News & Review, Medford Sneak Preview, and Grants Pass Sneak Preview — each carrying localized news, community events calendars, business profiles, and the recurring "Business Grapevine" editorial section. Distribution is the company's core operating asset: more than 150,000 households receive the paper via direct mail each month, supplemented by 50,000+ newsstand copies placed at retail locations, coffee shops, and restaurants across Ashland, Talent, Medford, and Grants Pass.

The underlying product is a traditional print newspaper. There is no proprietary technology stack, no digital platform architecture beyond a WordPress-based website, and a recently introduced FlipBook digital edition that mirrors the printed content. The company also publishes annual "Best of" reader survey editions for each region, which double as both editorial content and advertiser marketing vehicles. The business model is almost entirely advertising-supported — advertisers purchase placement across one or more of the four regional editions, with rates quoted on request. There is no subscription revenue, no e-commerce, and no diversified income streams indicated in the data.

The company is founder-owned and was, as of 2025, described by the founder as his "hobby" following his official retirement. No institutional funding, private equity involvement, parent company, or acquisition history is indicated. There are no disclosed financial figures, no named advertisers, and no productized digital offerings beyond the FlipBook format. Headcount, employee count, and revenue are not disclosed in the source material.

Name

The Sneak Preview

Legal name

The Sneak Preview

Website

https://sneakpre.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Sneak Preview is a privately held, free monthly newspaper founded in 1986 that publishes four regional editions across Southern Oregon's Rogue Valley — Ashland, Talent, Medford, and Grants Pass — distributed to 150,000+ households via direct mail and 50,000+ newsstand copies monthly, funded primarily by local advertising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Community newspaper publishing
• Local print advertising
• Free monthly newspaper
• Direct mail distribution
• Regional newsstand publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Ashland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Advertising Revenue: The Sneak Preview generates revenue primarily through print advertising. They maintain advertising rate sheets for each of their four regional publications (Ashland, Talent, Medford, Grants Pass) and accept various types of advertisements from local businesses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Sneak Preview publishes four free monthly community newspapers covering Ashland, Talent, Medford, and Grants Pass in Southern Oregon's Rogue Valley. The papers are delivered via direct mail to 150,000+ households and through 50,000+ newsstand copies, with content focused on local news, business coverage, community events, and a Business Grapevine featured-business section. The company monetizes primarily through print advertising placements sold to local businesses, supplemented by annual "Best of" reader survey editions and digital FlipBook archives of each issue.

Product overview

The Sneak Preview is a portfolio of four regional free monthly newspapers serving the Rogue Valley in Southern Oregon (Ashland, Talent, Medford, and Grants Pass), founded in 1986. The core offerings consist of four regional print publications delivered via direct mail to 150,000+ homes and 50,000+ newsstand copies monthly. Each publication includes local news, business coverage, community events calendars, and the Business Grapevine featured business section. The company also produces annual 'Best of' readers' survey editions for each region, offers advertising services, and provides digital FlipBook versions of each edition. The four regional products operate as standalone publications with localized content while sharing a unified brand and distribution network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ashland Sneak Preview Free monthly newspaper serving the Ashland, Oregon community with local news, business coverage, community events, and an events calendar; distributed via direct mail and newsstands.
• Talent News & Review Free monthly newspaper serving the Talent, Oregon community with local news, business updates, community events, and arts coverage.
• Medford Sneak Preview Free monthly newspaper serving the Medford, Oregon community with local news, business coverage, community events, and calendar listings.
• Grants Pass Sneak Preview Free monthly newspaper serving the Grants Pass and Josephine County community with local news, business coverage, arts, and community events.
• Best of Annual Editions Annual readers' survey publications for each region (Ashland, Talent, Medford, Grants Pass) recognizing best local businesses, services, restaurants, and community favorites voted by readers.
• FlipBook Digital Format Online digital version of each newspaper edition allowing readers to view publications in interactive flipbook format with page-turning functionality.
• Advertising Services Advertising placement services across all four regional publications, with mail distribution to over 150,000 homes and newsstand distribution of 50,000+ papers monthly; rates are quote-based and available per regional edition.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• CNHI (Community Newspaper Holdings Inc.): CNHI operates a large portfolio of community newspapers and associated websites across the United States. It is comparable because it specializes in exactly the kind of small, locally focused print and digital publications that The Sneak Preview represents.
• Lee Enterprises: Lee Enterprises is a major U.S. newspaper chain operating daily and community publications. It is comparable as a broad incumbent in the same newspaper publishing category, with overlapping local advertising sales motion even though it operates in different geographies.
• Adams Publishing Group: Adams Publishing Group is a large operator of community and local newspapers across multiple states, including Oregon. It is comparable as the type of strategic acquirer or comparable operator that runs portfolios of small community papers like The Sneak Preview's four regional titles.
• Gannett Co. Gannett is the largest U.S. newspaper publisher and parent of USA Today, operating hundreds of local community publications. It is comparable as the dominant broad incumbent in local newspaper publishing whose products overlap in category and advertiser base with The Sneak Preview.
• Ogden Newspapers: Ogden Newspapers is a family-owned chain of daily and weekly community newspapers. It is comparable as an operator of regionally clustered community news brands with the same print-plus-digital local advertising model as The Sneak Preview.

Direct peers

• Willamette Week: Willamette Week is a free alternative-weekly newspaper distributed in Portland, Oregon. While larger and city-based, it shares the same business model: free distribution to households, advertising-funded revenue, and locally focused editorial content — making it a structural peer for The Sneak Preview's monthly direct-mail model.
• Ashland Daily Tidings: Ashland Daily Tidings is a local newspaper serving Ashland, Oregon — one of the four cities The Sneak Preview covers. It competes for the same Ashland household readership and local SMB advertising dollars, making it a direct in-territory peer.
• Eugene Weekly: Eugene Weekly is a free alternative weekly serving Eugene, Oregon, operating on a similar ad-supported, free-distribution model targeting local SMB advertisers. It is a comparable Oregon-based community newspaper using free distribution to reach household audiences.
• Rogue Valley Times: Rogue Valley Times is a local newspaper serving Medford and surrounding Rogue Valley communities in Southern Oregon. It targets the same household and SMB advertiser base as The Sneak Preview with overlapping geographic coverage, making it the most direct head-to-head competitor in the region.

Emerging players

• Emmerich Newspapers: Emmerich Newspapers is a smaller, family-owned chain of community newspapers. Comparable as a similarly sized, privately held multi-title community newspaper operator with overlapping structure (multiple regional titles, ad-supported, locally focused editorial).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sneakpreviewashland
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sneak-preview-llc

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 Sneak Preview