What Sky-Hi News does

Sky-Hi News is a privately held community newspaper serving Grand County, Colorado, founded on November 2, 1945, and operated as part of Swift Communications, LLC's portfolio of regional media properties. The company publishes a print edition twice weekly (Wednesdays and Fridays) with seasonal free distribution of 4,600-6,500 copies across seven towns — Winter Park, Fraser, Tabernash, Granby, Grand Lake, Hot Sulphur Springs, and Kremmling — and distributes a companion paid subscription publication, The Middle Park Times (operating since 1881), via mail on Wednesdays. The publication covers local news, public safety, sports, business, environment, government, obituaries, and elections for full-time residents, second-home owners, and visitors to the Winter Park Resort / Rocky Mountain National Park corridor.

The core technology stack comprises a daily-updated WordPress-based website (skyhinews.com), a PageSuite-powered HTML5 e-edition for digital replica access, a streaming video component (osprey cam), and third-party integrations with the Colorado Mountain News Media (cmnm.org) classifieds platform, coloradomountainjobs.com, and Column.us for legal notice placement. Beyond the core newspaper, Sky-Hi News produces several specialty magazines (Explore Grand, Colorado Hunter, Trail Guide) and operates the annual Best of Grand readers' choice awards contest across approximately 170 categories.

Revenue is generated through four streams: paid subscriptions (Middle Park Times), print and digital display advertising (including classifieds and legal notices), special publication advertising tied to annual magazines and the Best of Grand awards contest, and a recently added direct reader donation channel. Pricing for subscriptions is not publicly disclosed. Customer segments are structured vertically by geography (local residents as primary, second-home owners and visitors as secondary), and distribution relies on a hybrid of physical print (free and paid mail), web, e-edition, and partner platforms.

Name

Sky-Hi News

Legal name

Swift Communications, LLC

Website

https://skyhinews.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Sky-Hi News is a community newspaper serving Grand County, Colorado since 1945, publishing print editions twice weekly and operating a digital news platform, specialty magazines, classifieds, and the Best of Grand awards program under Swift Communications, LLC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Newspaper Publishers (51311), 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)

akta.pro secondary industries

News & Content Aggregation Portals (BPAMAAAI), News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)

Keywords

• Community newspaper publishing
• Local news coverage
• Print newspaper subscription
• Digital news platform
• Classified advertising marketplace

Headquarters

HQ city

Granby

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Print Newspaper Subscription: Paid subscription publication distributed via mail on Wednesdays. The Middle Park Times is distributed as a paid subscription publication.
2. Print and Digital Advertising: Display advertising, classifieds marketplace, and legal ads. The site features job listings, real estate, rentals, autos, service directory, and merchandise sections through a third-party classifieds platform (cmnm.org).
3. Special Publications and Magazines: Annual Best of Grand publication, Explore Grand magazine, Colorado Hunter, Trail Guide, and special sections.
4. Best of Grand Awards Program: Annual readers choice awards contest generating advertising revenue through the voters guide and winners publication.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Sky-Hi News publishes a twice-weekly (Wednesday and Friday) community newspaper covering Grand County, Colorado, distributing 4,600–6,500 free copies weekly alongside paid subscriptions for the Middle Park Times mailed on Wednesdays. It also operates the SkyHiNews.com daily news website, a PageSuite-powered digital e-edition, themed magazines (Explore Grand, Colorado Hunter, Trail Guide), and the annual Best of Grand readers' choice awards contest.

Product overview

Sky-Hi News operates as a multi-platform local news organization serving Grand County, Colorado. The core offering consists of the Sky-Hi News print edition (published twice weekly, Wednesday and Friday, with seasonal distribution of 4,600-6,500 copies) and the daily-updated SkyHiNews.com website. Supporting products include The Middle Park Times (a paid subscription publication mailed Wednesdays, established 1881), the Explore Grand Magazine, Colorado Hunter Magazine, Trail Guide Magazine, and the Best of Grand Awards (annual readers' choice contest). Additional offerings encompass classifieds marketplace, e-edition digital access, newsletter subscriptions, legal notices service, opinion sections, and community content including sports coverage, government reporting, and environmental news. The company also distributes specialty publications and operates event-based community programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Middle Park Times: A paid subscription publication distributed via mail on Wednesdays, started printing in 1881 and among the oldest continuously operated newspapers in Colorado.

Products and services

• Sky-Hi News Print Edition The primary print publication of Sky-Hi News, published twice weekly (Wednesday and Friday) and distributed free across Grand County, Colorado. Average weekly distribution ranges from 4,600 papers in low season to 6,500 during peak season. Serves full-time residents, second-home owners, visitors, and advertisers in Winter Park, Fraser, Tabernash, Granby, Grand Lake, Hot Sulphur Springs, and Kremmling.
• The Middle Park Times A paid subscription publication distributed via mail on Wednesdays. One of Colorado's oldest continuously operated newspapers, complemented with Sky-Hi News coverage.
• SkyHiNews.com Website The daily-updated online news destination for Sky-Hi News, covering local news, sports, business, environment, government, elections, weather, obituaries, opinion, and special sections for Grand County readers and visitors.
• E-Edition Digital Platform Digital replica of the Sky-Hi News print edition delivered through a PageSuite-powered HTML5 reader, allowing subscribers to access the newspaper online at edition.pagesuite.com.
• Best of Grand Awards
• Explore Grand Magazine Magazine publication covering local entertainment, events, and community features for the Grand County area.
• Colorado Hunter Magazine Specialized magazine publication focused on hunting content for Colorado outdoor enthusiasts.
• Trail Guide Magazine Magazine publication focused on trail and outdoor recreation content for the Grand County area.
• Classifieds Marketplace Online classifieds offering jobs, rentals, real estate, autos, service directory, merchandise, farm & ranch, recreation, announcements, and pets listings, accessed through the Colorado Mountain News Media (cmnm.org) platform.
• Email Newsletter Subscriptions Email newsletter service providing daily and breaking news headlines to subscribers, with options to manage subscription settings via the SkyHiNews.com website.

Quantifiable outcome

• Thousands of Best of Grand award votes annually across 170 categories demonstrating strong community engagement

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Colorado Mountain News MediacoreTechnology or IntegrationProvides infrastructure for classifieds marketplace (cmnm.org), job listings (coloradomountainjobs.com), obituary submissions (obits.cmnm.org), and printing press operations. Swift Communications subsidiary operating regional news media properties.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Swift Communications (sister publications): Parent company that operates Sky-Hi News and other Colorado community newspapers sharing infrastructure (printing, classifieds, CMS). Not a peer in product competition but the closest operational analogue for shared back-office and cross-property leverage.

Direct peers

• Summit Daily News: Community newspaper serving Summit County, Colorado (Breckenridge, Keystone, Copper, Frisco) with a similar print + digital + magazine portfolio aimed at residents and visitors of a Colorado ski region.
• Durango Herald: Independently owned regional newspaper serving Durango and southwest Colorado. Comparable scale, print + digital model, and reliance on tourism (skiing, outdoor recreation) and second-home owners for audience and revenue.
• Steamboat Pilot & Today: Colorado ski-town community newspaper serving Steamboat Springs with print, digital, and lifestyle magazine products. Similar resort-driven audience mix and competing for the same regional tourism advertising dollars.
• Park Record: Community newspaper covering Park City, Utah - a comparable mountain resort market. Same tourism-dependent reader base, similar print/digital cadence, and overlapping advertiser universe in outdoor recreation and real estate.
• Aspen Daily News: Independently owned Colorado mountain resort newspaper covering Aspen with print and digital editions. Comparable business model, customer segments (residents, second-home owners, tourists), and reliance on resort-area advertising.
• Vail Daily: Colorado mountain resort community newspaper covering Vail and Beaver Creek with print, digital, and niche magazine products. Directly comparable as a tourism-dependent local newspaper in a Colorado ski market with similar ad/subscription model.
• Craig Press: Small Colorado community newspaper serving Moffat County in northwest Colorado. Comparable small-market, locally focused newspaper with similar print/digital cadence and rural advertiser base.
• Glenwood Springs Post Independent: Colorado mountain region community newspaper covering Glenwood Springs and the Roaring Fork Valley. Comparable small-market Colorado newspaper with a similar mix of local news, outdoor recreation coverage, and resort-area advertisers.

Emerging players

• Patch: Digital-only hyperlocal news network covering communities across the U.S., including Colorado. Represents the digital-native competitive threat to legacy community newspapers like Sky-Hi for both reader attention and local SMB advertising share.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SkyHiNews
• Facebookfacebook.com/skyhinews
• Instagraminstagram.com/skyhinews
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sky-hi-news

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 Sky-Hi News