Turner Publishing

What Turner Publishing does

Turner Publishing is a family-owned community newspaper publisher founded in 1992 and headquartered in Turner, Maine. The company operates a portfolio of 22 publications—including 19 print community newspapers (Advertiser-Herald, Franklin Focus, Lake Region Reader, Kennebec Current, and others), two specialty magazines (Cannabis Connections and Craft Maine), and online-only outlets—distributed via USPS-verified direct mail to over 200,000 Maine homes monthly, reaching 600,000+ readers across approximately 50% of the state. The core publishing infrastructure uses eco-conscious methods including soy inks, solar-powered printing, and newsprint made from 100% waste stream materials. Sub-brands include Maine Jobs Today, an online job board, and the company distributes content both physically through direct mail and digitally through free online publication archives.

Turner Publishing generates revenue primarily through advertising sold across multiple streams: print advertising in community publications, a shared mail flyer program priced at $35 per thousand flyers with custom zip code targeting, digital marketing services (web design, SEO, email marketing, social media, PPC, OTT/CTV advertising, review management), job postings on Maine Jobs Today, press release publication fees, and sponsorship programs starting at $99 per month. The go-to-market model is sales-led, with direct sales representatives creating customized marketing packages for businesses ranging from multinational companies to small local operations. Pricing models include pay-as-you-go unit pricing, monthly subscriptions for sponsorship pages, and annual subscriptions for chamber partnerships.

The company serves a horizontal mix of customer segments including local small and medium-sized businesses, chambers of commerce, non-profit organizations, employers recruiting through Maine Jobs Today, and Central/Western Maine residents who read the publications. Turner Publishing has no external institutional investors, no parent company, and operates as a private, family-controlled business that has grown organically over more than three decades while donating over $250,000 annually in media sponsorships to local non-profits, churches, historical museums, and arts organizations.

Name

Turner Publishing

Legal name

Turner Publishing Inc.

Website

https://turnerpublishing.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Turner Publishing is a family-owned community newspaper company that publishes 22 free publications distributed via direct mail to 200,000+ Maine homes monthly, serving local SMB advertisers across Central, Western, and Southern Maine through print advertising, shared mail flyers, and digital marketing services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Direct Mail Advertising (54186), Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Services-Direct Mail Advertising Services (7331), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Business, Financial & Trade News Publishers (MPAJADAC), Newsstand & Single-Copy Distribution (MPAJAKAC)

Keywords

• Community newspaper publishing
• Direct mail advertising
• Local advertising services
• Digital marketing services
• Small business marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Turner

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Print Advertising: Revenue from businesses advertising in the 22 community newspaper publications distributed across Central and Western Maine. Ads are sold with flexible pricing based on size, placement, and frequency.
2. Direct Mail Services: Shared Mail flyer program allowing businesses to reach mailboxes with ad campaigns starting at $35 per thousand flyers. Custom zip code targeting available.
3. Digital Marketing Services: Web design, SEO, email marketing, social media marketing, PPC, and other digital services offered to complement print advertising.
4. Online Job Board (Maine Jobs Today): Job board website where employers post positions. Regular advertisers receive special pricing on job postings.
5. Press Release Services: Business press releases may require a fee if not from a regular advertiser or if free space is not available. Community press stories are free space permitting.
6. Sponsorship Programs: Readers or corporations can sponsor special interest pages (health page, kids corner, outdoor sporting page, etc.) starting at $99/month. Chambers can commit to $99 banner ad for a year including monthly editorial space.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Turner Publishing is Maine's largest directly mailed community publication company, operating a network of 22 community newspapers (plus specialty magazines Cannabis Connections and Craft Maine) distributed monthly via USPS direct mail to over 200,000 Maine homes and reaching 600,000+ readers across Central and Western Maine. The company sells print and digital advertising space, shared mail flyer distribution, sponsored sections, an online job board (Maine Jobs Today), and a suite of digital marketing services (web design, SEO, PPC, social media, OTT/CTV/geofencing) to local Maine businesses, with customized marketing packages scaled to any budget.

Product overview

Turner Publishing is a family-owned community newspaper publishing company offering a unified portfolio centered on 22 community newspapers distributed across Central and Western Maine, complemented by digital marketing services and specialty magazines. The core product is the community newspaper publication network (including titles like Advertiser-Herald, Franklin Focus, Kennebec Current, Lake Region Reader, and others), which delivers local news to over 600,000 readers through direct mail. The company extends this core with a suite of digital marketing services (web design, SEO, email marketing, social media, PPC, OTT/CTV advertising, and review management) under its Digital Services offering, plus specialty magazines Cannabis Connections for the cannabis industry and Craft Maine for craft beer enthusiasts. Additional services include the Maine Jobs Today job board, press release services, and print products like flyers, brochures, and branded merchandise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Maine Jobs Today: Online job board platform for Maine job seekers and employers
• Cannabis Connections
• Craft Maine

Products and services

• Turner Publishing Community Newspaper Network A portfolio of 22 community newspapers distributed monthly via USPS direct mail to over 200,000 Maine homes across Central and Western Maine, reaching 600,000+ readers. Titles include Advertiser-Herald, Country Connection, Country Courier, Franklin Focus, Greater Lisbon Ledger, Kennebec Current, Maine Boomers, Moose Prints, Mountain Messenger, Oxford Hills Observer, Presumscot Post, Good News Gazette, Lake Region Reader North/South, Lewiston Leader, Midcoast Beacon, Somerset Express, Waterford Maine Festival, and Two-Cent Times, plus online-only publications. Publishers sell print advertising space within these publications to local businesses.
• Maine Jobs Today Online job board platform at mainejobstoday.com where Maine employers post positions and job seekers find openings. The board is positioned as "no junk, just jobs" with regular advertiser pricing benefits.
• Cannabis Connections Magazine Educational resource magazine serving Maine's cannabis industry, distributed as part of the Turner Publishing portfolio.
• Craft Maine Magazine Craft beer resource magazine serving spirits and hospitality audiences in Maine, distributed as part of the Turner Publishing portfolio.
• Shared Mail Flyer Program Direct mail flyer distribution service priced at $35 per thousand flyers, allowing businesses to reach mailboxes across Maine with custom zip code targeting for solo zip code or total market coverage.
• Print Advertising Services Print advertising campaign sales within Turner Publishing's 22 community publications, with flexible pricing based on ad size, placement, and frequency. Targeting reaches specific geographic areas to boost brand recognition and sales.

Quantifiable outcome

• Help businesses grow and prosper through effective local advertising

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bangor Daily News: Maine-focused daily news publisher with print and digital editions, serving overlapping Central/Eastern Maine audiences and competing for the same local advertiser base.
• Lewiston Sun Journal / Sun Media Group: Regional daily newspaper serving the Lewiston-Auburn and Western Maine market, directly overlapping Turner Publishing's Central/Western Maine footprint for local news and SMB advertising.
• Adams Publishing Group: Family-owned operator of community newspapers and shopper publications across the U.S., with a directly comparable business model of small-town/local print and digital advertising bundles.
• Ogden Newspapers: Large community-newspaper chain operating small-market dailies and weeklies; closely mirrors Turner's model of geographic clusters of locally-focused titles sold to SMB advertisers.
• American Consolidated Media: Operator of community newspapers and print/direct-mail advertising products across multiple U.S. markets, with a comparable SMB-focused advertising portfolio and local distribution model.
• Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram: Maine's largest daily newspaper covering Southern and statewide Maine with print/digital editions, competing for the same regional advertisers as Turner Publishing.

Broad incumbents

• Lee Enterprises: Mid-sized U.S. newspaper chain with daily and weekly titles across the Midwest, South, and Northeast; operates an SMB advertising and subscription model comparable to Turner's, but at materially larger scale.
• Valassis / Vericast (Direct Mail): National direct-mail marketing and couponing company providing shared-mail and print advertising services, directly comparable to Turner's Shared Mail Flyer Program but operating at nationwide scale.
• Gannett Co. Largest U.S. newspaper publisher (USA TODAY network) with hundreds of local titles; competes with Turner in Maine via its dailies and broader digital reach, but does not focus exclusively on small-town free community publications.

Emerging players

• Salem Publishing / VillageNet community papers: Small community/regional print and digital publishers serving niche local markets; shares Turner's SMB advertiser focus and free-publication positioning though typically at single-market scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/turnerpublishme
• Facebookfacebook.com/TurnerPublishingInc

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 Turner Publishing