Mendocino Beacon

What Mendocino Beacon does

Mendocino Beacon, legally "The Mendocino Beacon," is a privately-held weekly newspaper that has been published every Thursday morning in Mendocino, California since 1877, serving residents of Mendocino County. The publication covers local news, crime and public safety, courts, local government, high school sports, business, health, outdoor recreation, restaurants, entertainment, obituaries, and opinion, and it serves as a venue for mandated legal notices and public notices for the region. It is the sister newspaper of the Fort Bragg Advocate-News and operates under the corporate ownership of MediaNews Group, Inc. (Digital First Media), with K.C. Meadows serving as Publisher and Chris Pugh as Editor across both titles.

The company's product surface spans a print weekly edition, a digital e-Edition replica (enewspaper.mendocinobeacon.com), a WordPress.com VIP-powered website with email newsletters and social media distribution (Facebook, Twitter), a local Business Directory marketplace (businessdirectory.mendocinobeacon.com), classified advertising and public notices, and syndicated BestReviews product review content. Integrations include AccuWeather for local weather, Trinity Audio for article audio playback, and shared MediaNews Group advertising and privacy infrastructure. The company does not maintain a mobile application.

Revenue is generated through a diversified mix of recurring print and digital subscriptions, display and classified advertising sold to local SMBs and individuals, mandated legal and public notice advertising, and a marketplace/listing-fee model via the Business Directory. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; advertising and directory placements are sold on a quote-based, contact-driven basis. The business serves a single geographic market — Mendocino County, California — with 51-100 employees and a sales-led go-to-market targeting local advertisers and individual subscribers.

Name

Mendocino Beacon

Legal name

The Mendocino Beacon

Website

https://mendocinobeacon.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1877

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Mendocino Beacon is a privately-held weekly newspaper published every Thursday since 1877, serving Mendocino County, California residents with local news, sports, legal notices, and a companion e-Edition, Business Directory, and digital channels under MediaNews Group ownership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (51311), Newspaper Publishers (513110), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Local newspaper publishing
• Weekly print publication
• Community news media
• Classified advertising
• Digital news subscription

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Bragg

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, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Print and Digital Subscriptions: Weekly newspaper subscription service with print and e-Edition digital access options for local residents
2. Display and Classified Advertising: Local display advertising and classified ads sold to businesses and individuals in the Mendocino County region
3. Legal Notices: Public notices and legal advertising services with published deadlines for Thursday edition
4. Business Directory Listings: Online business directory marketplace featuring local businesses across categories including automotive, real estate, restaurants, health, and professional services

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Mendocino Beacon is a weekly Thursday-morning local newspaper published continuously in Mendocino County, California since 1877, covering local news, crime and public safety, courts, high school sports, business, health, outdoors, obituaries, opinion, and entertainment. The product is delivered through a print edition, an e-Edition digital replica, and a content-rich website, with monetized advertising in the form of display ads, classifieds, public/legal notices, and a Business Directory marketplace for local businesses.

Product overview

The Mendocino Beacon is a local news media company offering a traditional newspaper product (published since 1877, weekly on Thursday mornings) and digital extensions. The core product is the local news newspaper covering Mendocino, California, with additional modules including an e-Edition for digital access, a BestReviews consumer product review section, a Business Directory for local businesses, and Classified Ads services. The publication is part of MediaNews Group and also publishes the Fort Bragg Advocate-News as a sister newspaper.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Mendocino Beacon Weekly Newspaper Thursday morning weekly print newspaper serving Mendocino County readers with local news, crime and public safety, courts, high school sports, business, marijuana, health, lifestyle, entertainment, restaurants, home and garden, and obituaries. Sold via subscription to local residents and households across Mendocino County.
• Mendocino Beacon e-Edition Digital replica of the weekly Mendocino Beacon newspaper accessible online at enewspaper.mendocinobeacon.com, allowing subscribers and online readers to view the publication electronically.
• Mendocino Beacon Business Directory Online local business directory marketplace at businessdirectory.mendocinobeacon.com featuring categorized listings for Mendocino County businesses across automotive, legal, real estate, shopping, services, medical, beauty and wellness, and restaurants categories.
• Mendocino Beacon Classified Ads and Legal Notices Classified advertising section for The Mendocino Beacon including paid obituaries, public notices, legal notices, and community announcements, with published deadlines such as Monday 10 a.m. for obituaries and Thursday edition deadlines for legal notices.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Fort Bragg Advocate-NewscoreOthersThe Fort Bragg Advocate-News is the sister newspaper of The Mendocino Beacon, both published together under shared management and operations. They share contact information and staff including Editor Chris Pugh who oversees both publications.
• MediaNews Group (Digital First Media)coreOthersMediaNews Group (operates as Digital First Media) is the parent company of The Mendocino Beacon. The group operates multiple newspapers and digital properties across the US, providing shared technology infrastructure including WordPress.com VIP platform, privacy policies, and advertising networks.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• MediaNews Group: Parent company of Mendocino Beacon, operating dozens of newspapers and digital properties across the U.S. Comparable local newspaper business at scale with shared WordPress VIP platform, ad networks, and audience solutions infrastructure.
• Lee Enterprises: Major U.S. newspaper group operating local daily and weekly publications across small and mid-size markets. Comparable local newspaper business model with subscription, advertising, and digital services revenue mix.
• Gannett (USA TODAY Network): Largest U.S. newspaper chain operating hundreds of local publications including dailies and weeklies that compete in similar small-market local news categories across the country. Comparable community newspaper portfolio business model at much greater scale.

Direct peers

• Lake County Record-Bee: MediaNews Group newspaper covering Lake County, Northern California, adjacent to Mendocino County. Comparable small-market local newspaper with similar subscription, display, classified, and legal notice revenue streams.
• Ukiah Daily Journal: MediaNews Group publication serving Ukiah, Mendocino County's largest city, and sharing the same business office location (419 Talmage Rd, Ukiah). Comparable local newspaper serving overlapping Mendocino County readership.
• Point Reyes Light: Independently owned weekly newspaper covering West Marin in coastal Northern California. Comparable small-circulation weekly hyperlocal community newspaper with subscription and advertising revenue model.
• Fort Bragg Advocate-News: Sister weekly newspaper covering neighboring Fort Bragg in Mendocino County, sharing staff (Editor Chris Pugh, Publisher K.C. Meadows) and operations under the same MediaNews Group umbrella. Directly comparable in product, audience, and business model.
• The Willits News: Another MediaNews Group-owned Mendocino County community newspaper covering Willits. Directly comparable weekly local news product, similar revenue mix of subscriptions, display, legal notices, and classifieds.
• Anderson Valley Advertiser: Independent bi-weekly newspaper covering Boonville and Anderson Valley in Mendocino County. A comparable hyperlocal community newspaper targeting the same geographic market with similar content verticals.

Regional players

• Santa Rosa Press Democrat: Major regional daily newspaper serving Sonoma County, adjacent to Mendocino County. A larger regional incumbent in the same North Coast media market with overlapping coverage areas and advertiser base.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MendocinoBeacon
• Facebookfacebook.com/MendocinoBeacon
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-alternative-board-of-central-missouri

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Mendocino Beacon