The Walton Sun

What The Walton Sun does

The Walton Sun is a local newspaper serving Fort Walton Beach, Crestview, Destin, and the broader Okaloosa County area in the northwest Florida panhandle. It operates under the legal name Northwest Florida Daily News as part of Gannett's USA Today Network, distributing local news, sports, politics, entertainment, real estate, obituaries, and public notices across multiple platforms including a website, print edition, eNewspaper replica, and mobile applications. The publication's primary audience is geographically defined: residents of northwest Florida seeking community news, high school and college sports coverage, local government reporting, and regional Florida content.

The business generates revenue through four primary streams: recurring digital and print subscriptions, advertising (display, classifieds, real estate, obituaries, and legal notices), and sponsored community events and promotions. Subscription and advertising rates are not publicly disclosed. The company maintains a small operational footprint of 1-10 employees, relying on the Gannett/USA Today Network for shared technology infrastructure, content resources, advertising sales platforms, and national/state news syndication. Distribution leverages email newsletters, social media channels (Facebook, X), and the network's eNewspaper and crossword products to drive engagement across digital and print audiences.

The publication holds no patents, trademarks disclosures, certifications, or independent technology products in the source material. It does not maintain a mobile app of its own (separate from the network app), has no disclosed API or integrations, and operates without documented AI/ML capabilities. Strategic positioning is entirely defined by its affiliation with Gannett and access to the USA Today Network's audience and advertising infrastructure rather than independent product or technology development.

Name

The Walton Sun

Legal name

Northwest Florida Daily News

Website

https://waltonsun.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Walton Sun is a local newspaper serving Fort Walton Beach and northwest Florida panhandle communities, operating as part of Gannett's USA Today Network and distributing community news, sports, and public notices across digital, print, and eNewspaper platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Newspaper

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)

Keywords

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

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Walton Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Digital Subscriptions: Online subscription services providing access to digital content, eNewspaper, and exclusive articles
2. Print Subscriptions: Home delivery and single-copy print newspaper sales
3. Advertising: Display advertising, classifieds, real estate listings, obituaries, and legal notices
4. Event Promotions: Sponsored contests, promotions, and community events

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Walton Sun delivers local news, sports, politics, entertainment, real estate, obituaries, and public notices for Fort Walton Beach and the northwest Florida panhandle. It distributes this content through digital subscriptions, a print newspaper, an eNewspaper digital replica, an online classifieds and public notices marketplace, and sponsored community events and promotions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Digital Subscription Online subscription service providing access to digital news content, exclusive articles, and the Northwest Florida Daily News website for residents of Fort Walton Beach and northwest Florida.
• Print Newspaper Subscription Home delivery and single-copy print edition of The Walton Sun newspaper serving Fort Walton Beach and the surrounding northwest Florida panhandle.
• eNewspaper Digital replica of the print newspaper edition available through a dedicated eNewspaper platform for online readers.
• Online Classifieds and Public Notices Online classifieds marketplace including jobs, real estate listings, obituaries, and public/legal notices for the Fort Walton Beach and northwest Florida community.
• Display Advertising Display and classified advertising placements sold to local and regional businesses for reaching the northwest Florida audience through the newspaper's digital and print channels.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• GannettcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperates as part of the Gannett/USA Today Network, leveraging shared technology platform, content resources, advertising infrastructure, and brand affiliation for northwest Florida local news coverage

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Regional players

• Pensacola News Journal: Gannett-owned daily newspaper serving Pensacola and Escambia County in the western Florida panhandle, immediately adjacent to Walton Sun's coverage area. Direct regional competitor for local news, advertising, and subscribers in northwest Florida.
• Panama City News Herald: Gannett-owned daily newspaper in Panama City, FL, covering Bay County directly east of Walton County. Comparable local-news product, subscription model, and USA Today Network affiliation serving a neighboring coastal Florida market.

Direct peers

• The Destin Log: Local newspaper covering Destin and south Walton County — overlapping directly with Walton Sun's Walton County beach coverage. Closest geographic peer competing for the same beach-community readership and tourist-advertising dollars.
• Northwest Florida Daily News (NWFDN): The legal entity operating The Walton Sun — the same publication under its corporate name — serving Okaloosa County including Fort Walton Beach, Crestview, and Destin. Useful as the directly equivalent peer benchmark for digital and subscription metrics.
• Crestview News Bulletin: Local newspaper covering Crestview in Okaloosa County, within The Walton Sun's own market. Direct competitor for the same Okaloosa County reader base, advertising dollars, and public-notice revenue.

Broad incumbents

• Florida Today: Gannett/USA Today Network newspaper serving Brevard County on Florida's east coast. Operates with a similar subscription-plus-advertising revenue mix, content verticals (news, sports, real estate, opinion), and shared network infrastructure.
• Tallahassee Democrat: Gannett/USA Today Network daily newspaper serving Florida's state capital region. Same parent company, same multi-platform distribution model (digital, print, eNewspaper), making it a strong operational and structural peer.
• Tampa Bay Times: Largest Florida newspaper not owned by Gannett, serving the Tampa Bay region. Comparable local-news product (politics, sports, community coverage) but with a different ownership structure, providing a useful comp for non-Gannett operating economics.
• The Gainesville Sun: Long-established Florida daily newspaper (now part of Gannett/USA Today Network) covering north-central Florida. Comparable community-newspaper structure, advertising-supported subscription model, and small-market economics.
• The News-Press (Fort Myers): Gannett/USA Today Network daily serving Fort Myers and southwest Florida. Same parent affiliation, same digital-first strategy, and same hurricane-exposed coastal Florida market dynamics as The Walton Sun.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/waltonsun
• Facebookfacebook.com/nwfdailynews

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 Walton Sun