The Aspen Times
The Aspen Times is a 145-year-old local newspaper founded in 1881, serving Aspen, Basalt, Snowmass Village, and Pitkin County, Colorado. It publishes a free 9,000-circulation daily print edition and a digital platform offering news, e-editions, classifieds, community magazines, and a local jobs board.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1881
- HeadquartersAspen, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Aspen Times does
The Aspen Times is a local newspaper founded in 1881, headquartered in Aspen, Colorado, and serving Aspen, Basalt, Snowmass Village, and the broader Pitkin County area. It publishes a free daily print edition with a stated circulation of 9,000 across the Aspen-to-Carbondale corridor, alongside a digital platform at aspentimes.com that delivers local news, sports, opinion, obituaries, and event coverage. The publication is owned by Swift Communications LLC, a division of Ogden Newspapers, and operates as part of that multi-title local news network.
The company's core products include the Aspen Times Website (primary digital news surface), E-Editions delivered via PageSuite, a daily newsletter subscription product, a classifieds marketplace powered by CMNM, the Colorado Mountain Jobs board, and a portfolio of community magazines (including Best of Aspen, Eat Magazine, and Cycling Magazine). The underlying technology stack is conventional web publishing infrastructure — a CMS-driven website, a digital edition platform (PageSuite), newsletter tooling, and a classifieds engine (CMNM) — with no proprietary technology, no API products, and no disclosed AI/ML components.
The Aspen Times' business model is a hybrid advertising-plus-subscription model typical of small-market newspapers. Print distribution is free, with revenue generated primarily through display advertising, preprints, and classifieds (including the magazine and jobs verticals), supplemented by paid newspaper subscriptions and e-edition access. The customer base is local and predominantly long-tail: small and mid-sized businesses, real estate and tourism advertisers, and individual subscribers in the Roaring Fork Valley, with no named enterprise anchors disclosed.
The Aspen Times firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Aspen Times
- Legal name
- Swift Communications, LLC
- Website
- https://aspentimes.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1881
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- The Aspen Times is a 145-year-old local newspaper founded in 1881, serving Aspen, Basalt, Snowmass Village, and Pitkin County, Colorado. It publishes a free 9,000-circulation daily print edition and a digital platform offering news, e-editions, classifieds, community magazines, and a local jobs board.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Aspen Times industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Local Newspaper Publishing
- NAICS
- 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)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)
Keywords
Where The Aspen Times is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Aspen
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Aspen Times business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Advertising: The newspaper generates revenue through advertising, including display ads, preprints, and classified advertisements. Terms and Conditions detail advertising services including digital and print placements.
- Subscriptions: Revenue generated through newspaper subscriptions and e-edition access. Privacy policy mentions subscribing to newspapers as a service offering.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
The Aspen Times product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Aspen Times publishes a free daily print newspaper (9,000 circulation) and operates an integrated digital news platform for Aspen, Basalt, Snowmass Village, and Pitkin County, Colorado. The company produces and distributes local news, sports, weather, opinion, obituaries, classifieds, e-editions, and community niche magazines, monetized through advertising and subscription products.
Product overview
The Aspen Times is a traditional local newspaper publisher operating both print and digital platforms. The core product is the Aspen Times Website (aspentimes.com) delivering local news coverage. Supporting digital offerings include a Daily Newsletter for email news delivery, E-Editions for digital newspaper replicas via PageSuite, and a Community Magazines collection featuring niche lifestyle publications. The company also operates a Classifieds Marketplace through CMNM and Colorado Mountain Jobs board. The print newspaper has a 9,000-circulation daily distribution from Aspen to Carbondale, while the digital platform covers broader geographic areas including Basalt and Snowmass Village.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Aspen Times Daily Newspaper (Print Edition)
- Aspen Times Website (aspentimes.com)
- Daily & Breaking News Email Newsletters
Companies that use The Aspen Times
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Aspen Times technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Aspen Times partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Swift Communications LLCcoreThe Aspen Times is owned by Swift Communications LLC, a division of Ogden Newspapers. Swift Communications provides the digital platform, infrastructure, and corporate governance for the newspaper.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights3 records
The Aspen Times competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Summit Daily: Direct peer within the Swift Communications network, covering Summit County (Breckenridge, Frisco, Silverthorne) with nearly identical product mix of daily print, e-editions, niche magazines, and classifieds.
- Sky-Hi News: Colorado mountain-community newspaper covering Grand County (Winter Park, Granby), with a similar local-news, print-plus-digital, and tourism-driven advertising base as Aspen Times.
- Aspen Daily News: Local competitor covering Aspen with a daily print and digital product, directly contesting news coverage, display advertising, and classifieds in the same Aspen/Pitkin County market.
- Glenwood Springs Post Independent: Neighboring Roaring Fork Valley newspaper within the Swift Communications network covering Glenwood Springs, Rifle, and Garfield County — adjacent geography with overlapping coverage area and similar business model.
- Vail Daily: Sibling local newspaper in the Colorado mountains, also owned by Swift Communications/Ogden Newspapers, covering Vail and Eagle County with the same print + digital + classifieds + niche-magazine model.
- Steamboat Pilot & Today: Colorado mountain-community daily newspaper under Swift Communications/Ogden Newspapers, serving Steamboat Springs with parallel print, digital, magazine, and classifieds offerings to Aspen Times.
- The Park Record: Swift Communications-owned Park City, Utah community newspaper covering another affluent mountain-resort market with the same print + digital + niche magazine model.
Broad incumbents
- Lee Enterprises: Large publicly-traded U.S. local newspaper group operating dozens of dailies — represents the broader incumbent business model and competitive set against which Swift/Ogden properties like Aspen Times are benchmarked.
- Denver Post: Colorado's largest regional newspaper and statewide news incumbent — overlaps with The Aspen Times on state/regional news, sports, and lifestyle coverage while competing for regional advertising budgets.
Regional players
- Colorado Public Radio: Regional public broadcaster providing in-depth news coverage across Colorado including the Roaring Fork Valley, competing for audience attention and underwriter dollars in the same geography.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Aspen Times social profiles
Digital presenceThe Aspen Times financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Aspen Times leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The Aspen Times funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Aspen Times M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Aspen Times
What does The Aspen Times do?
The Aspen Times publishes a free daily print newspaper (9,000 circulation) and operates an integrated digital news platform for Aspen, Basalt, Snowmass Village, and Pitkin County, Colorado. The company produces and distributes local news, sports, weather, opinion, obituaries, classifieds, e-editions, and community niche magazines, monetized through advertising and subscription products.
Is The Aspen Times a public or private company?
The Aspen Times is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was The Aspen Times founded?
The Aspen Times was founded in 1881. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is The Aspen Times based?
The Aspen Times is headquartered in Aspen, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Aspen Times make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Advertising is the primary driver. The others are subscriptions.
Who are The Aspen Times's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Summit Daily, Sky-Hi News, Aspen Daily News, Glenwood Springs Post Independent, Vail Daily, Steamboat Pilot & Today and The Park Record. Broad incumbents are Lee Enterprises and Denver Post. Colorado Public Radio is listed as a regional player.
Does The Aspen Times have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Aspen Times.
What industry is The Aspen Times in?
The Aspen Times's product category is Local Newspaper Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJADAB, Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital), with a secondary code of MPAJAEAO, News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines. Its NAICS code is 513110 and its SIC code is 2711.