McCook Gazette

What McCook Gazette does

McCook Gazette is a privately held local newspaper serving McCook, Nebraska and the surrounding southwest Nebraska region, with continuous publication history dating to the early 20th century (firmographic founding year 1911; corporate filings cite 1929, the year it became the first U.S. newspaper to deliver by plane under the McCook Daily Gazette name). It is owned and operated by Rust Communications, Inc., a Cape Girardeau, Missouri-based media conglomerate that controls a network of community papers across Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, Nebraska, and Idaho. The publication's core product is a combined print and digital newspaper covering local news, sports, features, opinion, obituaries, classifieds, community events, and weather, with an online archive extending back to 1992.

The product surface spans a digital edition (online reader / e-paper), a classifieds marketplace (employment, garage sales, merchandise, farm and pets), public notices/legals, obituary and life-event announcement submission forms, photo galleries with paid reprint ordering, a community calendar (integrated with Calendarwiz), and local weather. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through print home delivery, online digital subscription (registration and paywall at mccookgazette.com), and single-copy sales. Revenue is generated from four streams: recurring print and digital subscriptions, classified advertising, display advertising sold to local businesses, and one-time photo reprint licensing. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; customer service is shared with sister publications within the Rust Communications network.

The go-to-market motion is purely community-anchored: marketing runs through the publication's own website, social sharing buttons (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest), email/newsletter contact channels, and earned media from coverage of local events such as Buffalo Commons Storytelling Festival and Cruisin' the Bricks. Customer segments are horizontal and localized — local residents and families, local businesses and employers (including Walmart McCook), and local government/civic organizations (notably the City of McCook for public notices and meeting coverage). The operation employs 11–50 staff under General Manager Brenda Gillen and is currently in a stabilization phase following recent staffing changes. No external funding, M&A, AI/ML product features, or geographic expansion beyond southwest Nebraska have been disclosed.

Name

McCook Gazette

Legal name

Rust Communications, Inc.

Website

https://mccookgazette.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1929

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

McCook Gazette is a privately held community newspaper serving McCook and southwest Nebraska with combined print and digital editions, classifieds, public notices, obituaries, and a local-events calendar. It is owned by Rust Communications, Inc. and monetizes through subscriptions, local advertising, and photo reprint sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAJADAJ

Newsletters & Email-Based News Publishers (B2B/B2C)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/News Publishing (Newspapers, Digital Newsrooms, Wire Services)

Keywords

• Local newspaper publishing
• Community news coverage
• Classified advertising platform
• Print and digital subscriptions
• Obituary and public notices

Headquarters

HQ city

Mccook

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Print and Digital Subscriptions: The newspaper generates revenue through paid subscriptions for both print and online digital access. The website features a subscription portal where users can register and subscribe.
2. Classified Advertising: The newspaper publishes classified ads including employment, garage sales, farm and pets, merchandise, and help wanted listings. These ads are available both online and in print, with online flyer posting options.
3. Display Advertising: Local businesses advertise through display ads in the print edition and on the website. The site features job board advertising and promotional flyers from local businesses.
4. Photo Sales: The publication sells reprints of photos from their galleries. Customers can order photos without the Gazette logo or watermark.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

McCook Gazette is a local newspaper providing print and digital news coverage of McCook, Nebraska and surrounding southwest Nebraska communities. It delivers local news, sports, features, opinion, obituaries, photo galleries, classifieds, public notices, a community calendar, and local weather. The publication sells paid print and online subscriptions, accepts classified and display advertising from local businesses, and sells individual photo reprints from its galleries.

Product overview

McCook Gazette is a local newspaper offering a unified digital platform for community news coverage. The core product is the McCook Gazette online newspaper, supplemented by an Online Reader digital edition, classified advertising marketplace, Public Notices section, Photo Galleries with ordering capability, Obituaries, Community Calendar, Weather service, and subscription-based access. The newspaper is operated by Rust Communications, Inc.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Print and Digital Newspaper Subscription Paid subscription (print home delivery and/or online digital access) to the McCook Gazette, providing readers local news, sports, features, opinion, obituaries, photo galleries, public notices, classifieds, calendar, and weather for McCook and southwest Nebraska. Billing is monthly.
• Classified Advertising Online and print classified ad postings for local individuals, businesses, and employers, covering categories such as employment, garage sales, farm and pets, merchandise, and help wanted. Priced on a pay-as-you-go basis per listing.
• Display Advertising Display advertising slots sold to local businesses (such as Walmart McCook) and other advertisers in the print edition and on the McCook Gazette website, used to reach the local McCook-area readership.
• Photo Reprint Sales One-time purchase of reprints from the McCook Gazette photo galleries. Customers provide the file number from the watermarked photo and submit an order form; ordered photos are delivered without the Gazette logo or watermark.

Quantifiable outcome

• Archive coverage since 1992

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rust CommunicationscoreOthersRust Communications, Inc. is the parent company that operates mccookgazette.com. The company is based in Cape Girardeau, Missouri and operates a network of newspapers across multiple states including Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, Nebraska, and Idaho. McCook Gazette is listed as a Nebraska media partner under the Rust Communications portfolio.
• Southeast MissourianminorOthersPart of the Rust Communications media network based in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Listed as a sister publication under the same corporate ownership.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• York News-Times: Daily newspaper serving York, Nebraska, with comparable print/digital subscription model, local news, sports, classifieds, and community calendar offerings for a similarly-sized Nebraska community.
• Norfolk Daily News: Daily newspaper serving Norfolk, Nebraska, with comparable print and digital subscription model covering local news, sports, classifieds, and obituaries for a similar-sized Nebraska community.
• North Platte Telegraph: Regional daily newspaper serving North Platte, Nebraska, approximately 70 miles from McCook. Comparable community newspaper covering local news, sports, and classifieds in western Nebraska with a similar print-plus-digital distribution model.
• Kearney Hub: Daily newspaper serving Kearney, Nebraska, in central Nebraska. Operates with comparable print/digital subscription model, classified advertising, and local government coverage, serving a similar role as primary local news source for its community.
• Beatrice Daily Sun: Daily newspaper serving Beatrice, Nebraska, with comparable print/digital subscription model, local news, sports, classifieds, and obituaries coverage. Operates as a primary local news source for a similar-sized Nebraska community.
• Hastings Tribune: Daily newspaper serving Hastings, Nebraska, with comparable print/digital distribution, classified advertising, and local news coverage model. Functions as the primary news outlet for its mid-sized Nebraska community.
• Southeast Missourian: Flagship daily newspaper of Rust Communications, Inc. in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Sister publication under the same parent company, sharing customer service infrastructure, technology platforms (Semoball), and operational model — making it a directly comparable peer in the same media network.

Regional players

• Holdrege Daily Citizen: Daily newspaper serving Holdrege and Phelps County, Nebraska, in geographic proximity to McCook. Operates a similar print-and-digital subscription model covering news, sports, classifieds, and community events in a comparable rural Nebraska market.
• Imperial Republican: Community newspaper serving Imperial and Chase County, Nebraska, in close geographic proximity to McCook. Operates as a similarly-sized local news outlet covering southwest Nebraska rural communities with comparable print/digital subscription and classified advertising models.
• Lexington Clipper-Herald: Community newspaper serving Lexington and Dawson County, Nebraska. Comparable regional player providing local news, sports, and classifieds in southwest/central Nebraska with a similar community-newspaper operating model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mccookgazette2
• Facebookfacebook.com/mccookgazette
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mccook-gazette

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 McCook Gazette