The New Orleans Advocate

What The New Orleans Advocate does

The New Orleans Advocate, operating primarily as NOLA.com, is a privately held regional digital news media organization headquartered at 840 St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans, Louisiana. It serves readers across five Louisiana markets—New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Acadiana, Shreveport-Bossier, and Lake Charles—through the NOLA.com flagship website and affiliated regional sites (theadvocate.com, acadiana.theadvocate.com, shreveportbossieradvocate.com, lakecharles.theadvocate.com). The company is owned by Georges Media Group, a Louisiana-based media conglomerate that also controls The Advocate, The Times-Picayune, and the Gambit entertainment sub-brand (bestofneworleans.com). The product portfolio includes core news content organized by section (news, sports, entertainment, opinions, obituaries), an E-Edition digital replica of the print newspaper, Spotlight specialty digital editions (The Pearl, Spring Travel, Legislature coverage, Washington Mardi Gras), curated newsletters, a Hurricane Center for Gulf Coast severe weather, an Investigate NOLA investigative-journalism team, and vertical-specific portals for jobs (jobs.nola.com), real estate (homes.nola.com), general classifieds (classifieds.nola.com), pets, public notices (louisianapublicnotice.com), and branded merchandise (store.nola.com). The underlying technology is a web-based content management system with newsletter distribution infrastructure and an e-edition storefront at app.nola.com; no mobile app, public API, or SDK is disclosed.

The business model combines multiple revenue streams: recurring digital subscriptions (including E-Edition) sold direct-to-consumer via nola.com with monthly billing, display and sponsored advertising on the website (with Community Coffee disclosed as a homepage sponsor), classifieds and marketplace monetization across jobs, homes, pets, and general listings, and public-notice fees from government and legal notice buyers. The go-to-market motion is direct-to-consumer digital, driving subscriptions through editorial content, newsletters, special reports, and event coverage (Mardi Gras, Essence Festival, Forward 64, America 250). Pricing is not publicly disclosed but operates on monthly and annual subscription tiers. Primary customer segments are Louisiana residents seeking local news and community coverage (the primary segment), sports fans (Saints, LSU, Pelicans, Tulane, betting), Gulf Coast residents requiring hurricane and weather information, and local business professionals. The company monetizes a long-tail consumer audience with low account-level concentration, and operates within a hybrid geographic/persona segmentation approach.

Name

The New Orleans Advocate

Legal name

NOLA.com

Website

https://theneworleansadvocate.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The New Orleans Advocate (NOLA.com) is a privately held regional digital news platform owned by Georges Media Group, serving Louisiana readers across New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Acadiana, Shreveport-Bossier, and Lake Charles with subscription-based local news, sports, entertainment, classifieds, and investigative journalism.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New Orleans

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Digital Subscriptions: Subscription-based access to digital content including news articles, special reports, and investigative journalism. Subscribers gain access to premium content behind paywalls.
2. Digital Advertising: Banner advertising, sponsored content sections, and display ads on the website targeting local and regional advertisers.
3. Classifieds and Marketplace: Online classifieds platform featuring jobs, homes, pets, and other marketplace listings.
4. E-Edition Access: Digital replica of the print newspaper available through subscription, marketed as 'E-Edition'.
5. Classifieds Marketplace: Online marketplace for classifieds including Jobs (jobs.nola.com), Homes (homes.nola.com), and Pets listings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The New Orleans Advocate operates a digital-first local news platform at NOLA.com providing subscription-based access to local news, sports, entertainment, opinion, and investigative journalism for Louisiana markets. The company also publishes the E-Edition digital newspaper replica, the Gambit entertainment magazine, newsletters, Spotlight digital editions, and operates classifieds marketplace portals for jobs, homes, and pets. Revenue is generated through digital subscriptions, advertising, classifieds, and E-Edition access.

Product overview

The New Orleans Advocate operates primarily through its NOLA.com digital platform, a comprehensive local news and media network offering subscription-based access to breaking news, sports, entertainment, and community coverage. The product portfolio includes the core NOLA.com website with content sections covering news, sports, opinions, and entertainment; the E-Edition digital replica of the print publication; Gambit entertainment magazine; specialty newsletter products; and Spotlight digital editions for special content. Additional offerings include vertical-specific portals for jobs, real estate, classifieds, and the Hurricane Center for severe weather coverage. The company also maintains investigative journalism capabilities through its Investigate NOLA initiative.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Gambit: Entertainment and lifestyle publication covering New Orleans arts, music, dining, and culture.

Products and services

• NOLA.com Digital News Platform Subscription-based digital news platform providing local news, sports, entertainment, opinion, and community coverage for the New Orleans metropolitan area and broader Louisiana. Features paywalled premium content and freemium access to some articles.
• E-Edition Digital replica of the print newspaper (The Times-Picayune) accessible to subscribers online, allowing them to read the full replica newspaper in a digital format.
• Gambit Entertainment magazine covering New Orleans arts, music, dining, culture, and events, accessible online via bestofneworleans.com.
• Email Newsletters Email newsletter subscriptions delivering curated news content and topic-specific updates to subscribers' inboxes.
• Spotlight Digital Editions Specialized digital publications including The Pearl, Spring Travel, Legislature coverage, and Washington Mardi Gras editions providing curated editorial content.
• Jobs Portal Employment classifieds marketplace connecting job seekers with local employers in the Greater New Orleans area via jobs.nola.com.
• Homes Marketplace Real estate listings and property marketplace for residential and commercial properties in the New Orleans region via homes.nola.com.
• Classifieds General online classifieds section covering categories including pets, vehicles, and services via classifieds.nola.com.
• NOLA Store Online store selling branded merchandise and publications to readers and supporters.
• Investigate NOLA Investigative journalism team producing in-depth reporting and accountability journalism on Louisiana issues including coastal restoration, education, power infrastructure, and state politics.
• Public Notices Louisiana Public Notice platform serving government and legal notice requirements, accessible at louisianapublicnotice.com.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Georges Media GroupcoreOthersParent company and corporate umbrella under which NOLA.com and The Times-Picayune operate along with other Louisiana news properties including The Advocate, Acadiana Advocate, Shreveport-Bossier Advocate, and Lake Charles Advocate.
• Community CoffeeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAdvertising sponsor featured on the NOLA.com homepage. Community Coffee is a Louisiana-based coffee company advertising on the news platform.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Tegna: Local media company with TV stations and digital properties serving similar geographic markets — comparable local advertising and news subscription economics.
• Hearst Newspapers: Owns major metro dailies (Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle, etc.) with subscription-driven digital operations — comparable regional newspaper publisher with paywall and classifieds revenue.
• Advance Local: Digital publishing arm of Advance Publications running regional newspaper sites (cleveland.com, AL.com, etc.) with subscription and advertising revenue — comparable digital transformation of legacy regional newspapers.
• Gannett: Largest U.S. local newspaper operator (USA Today network) running hundreds of regional titles with digital subscription paywalls — comparable business model of digital subscriptions + classifieds + advertising across local markets.

Emerging players

• Axios: Digital-first national media company with local market expansion (Axios Local) and newsletter-driven subscription model — an emerging comparable in the digital newsletter/local news space.

Direct peers

• The Athletic: Subscription-based digital sports media — comparable pure-digital subscription model with deep coverage of local teams (LSU, Saints, Pelicans are key NOLA.com verticals).
• Lee Enterprises: Mid-sized regional newspaper publisher with digital subscription and advertising revenue across multiple U.S. markets — directly comparable geographically-distributed local news organization with subscription flywheel.
• Politico: Subscription-based digital news with strong regional/state politics coverage — directly comparable paywall economics for state and local political journalism, a key NOLA.com vertical.
• McClatchy: Regional newspaper chain (Miami Herald, Sacramento Bee, etc.) heavily reliant on digital subscription transitions and local advertising — directly comparable mid-market regional paper model.
• Block & Co. / Gannett local Louisiana titles: The Daily Advertiser (Lafayette) and other Gannett-owned Louisiana newspapers compete directly with NOLA.com regional editions for Acadiana readers and advertisers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/theadvocateno
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheAdvocateNewOrleans
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jefferson-volunteers-for-family-and-community-inc

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 New Orleans Advocate