What Sample News Group does

Sample News Group is a privately held community newspaper publisher headquartered in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, owned by George "Scoop" Sample and led by President Brian Nalepa. The company operates 75+ titles across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and New Hampshire, comprising 19 daily newspapers plus 38+ weekly and specialty publications, with a combined print circulation of approximately 650,000 and 30 supporting local websites that attract millions of digital visitors. It runs six centralized production facilities in Huntingdon, Gettysburg, Indiana, Corry, and Towanda (PA) and Oswego (NY), which print both internal publications and third-party commercial print jobs.

The company generates revenue through three streams: (1) print advertising sold via field and inside sales teams across its community newspapers, (2) digital marketing services including SEO, search and display ads, video and audio streaming ads, social, email, and website development, and (3) commercial printing services such as broadsheet and tabloid newspapers, high-bright newsprint inserts, and USPS-approved direct mail. Pricing is quote-based across all streams with no public rate cards. The primary customer segment is local small and medium-sized businesses (retail, restaurants, real estate, professional services) seeking hyper-local reach, supplemented by government and educational institutions and external commercial print clients.

Sample News Group has executed an active roll-up strategy over the past 12 months, acquiring the Cortland Standard through bankruptcy court (May 2024), Eagle News Group from Community Media Group (July 2024), and the Bee Newspaper Group of suburban Buffalo from the Measer family (announced 2025), extending its New York footprint into Syracuse, Cortland, and Buffalo suburbs while retaining local publishers and promoting integration leads such as Mindy Lawrence to group publisher roles.

Name

Sample News Group

Legal name

Sample News Group

Website

https://samplenewsgroup.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Sample News Group is a privately held community newspaper publisher operating 75+ titles across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and New Hampshire, selling print advertising, digital marketing services, and commercial printing to local SMBs, governments, and organizations in the Northeast U.S.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Newspaper Publishers (51311), Periodical Publishers (51312), Periodical Publishers (513120), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Media Buying Agencies (541830), All Other Publishers (513199)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Commercial Printing (2750), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Direct Mail Advertising Services (7331)

akta.pro primary industry

Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Business, Financial & Trade News Publishers (MPAJADAC), News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO), Print Media Buying (Newspapers/Magazines) (MPAAABAH)

Keywords

• Community newspaper publishing
• Local print advertising
• Digital marketing services
• Commercial printing services
• Direct mail advertising

Headquarters

HQ city

State College

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Print Advertising: Advertising revenue from print publications across 75+ titles including dailies, weeklies, shoppers, and business publications. Local businesses advertise through display ads, classifieds, and special sections in community newspapers.
2. Digital Marketing Services: Comprehensive digital marketing services including search engine optimization, search ads, banner display advertising, video streaming ads, audio streaming ads, digital out-of-home advertising, social media advertising, email campaigns, and website development services.
3. Commercial Printing Services: Printing services for businesses, organizations, and community groups including broadsheet and tabloid newspapers, high bright news print for inserts and flyers, and direct mail campaigns targeting specific neighborhoods or zip codes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Sample News Group publishes more than 75 community newspapers, shoppers, weeklies, and specialty publications across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and New Hampshire, generating 650,000 print circulation plus millions of website visitors. The company sells print and digital advertising in those publications, offers digital marketing services (SEO, search ads, display, video/audio streaming ads, social media, email, and website development), and operates six centralized production facilities that provide commercial printing and direct mail services to local businesses, organizations, and community groups.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bee Group Newspapers: Community newspapers serving the Erie, NY region including Amherst Bee, Clarence Bee, Ken-Ton Bee, Lancaster Bee, Cheektowaga Bee, West Seneca Bee, Orchard Park Bee, East Aurora Bee, and Depew Bee.
• Eagle News
• Cortland Standard

Products and services

• Community Newspaper Publications
• Print Advertising
• Digital Marketing Services
• Commercial Printing Services
• Direct Mail Campaigns

Quantifiable outcome

• Reach 650,000 print circulation plus millions of website visitors across 4 states

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Community Media Group, LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 July 2024Sample News Group acquired Eagle News assets from Community Media Group, LLC. The acquisition includes seven print publications (The Eagle Bulletin, The Baldwinsville Messenger, The Star-Review, The Press-Observer, The Cazenovia Republican, Syracuse Woman Magazine) and digital properties including eaglenewsonline.com. Ownership officially transferred on July 14, 2024. David Tyler continues as publisher of Eagle News under Sample News Group.
• Measer family (Bee Newspapers Inc.)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSample News Group acquired the Bee Newspaper Group publications from the Measer family based in Williamsville, New York. The deal includes local Bee Newspapers in Amherst, Clarence, Ken-Ton, Lancaster, Depew, Cheektowaga, West Seneca, and East Aurora with a combined weekly circulation of over 47,000. Trey Measer serves as President and Publisher of Bee Newspapers Inc. under the acquisition.
• United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of New YorkminorOthersSample News Group acquired assets of Cortland Standard Printing Company through bankruptcy court proceedings. The Cortland Standard newspaper resumed publication on May 17 after ceasing on March 13 due to bankruptcy filing.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Schurz Communications: Schurz Communications is a privately held media company owning regional newspapers, broadcast stations, and digital marketing operations — comparable to Sample for its combined publishing, digital, and commercial printing services across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic.
• Adams Publishing Group: Adams Publishing Group is a family-owned acquirer of community newspapers and digital media properties in the Midwest, South, and Mid-Atlantic; closely comparable to Sample News Group in scale, ownership structure, and acquisition-led growth strategy in non-urban markets.
• Paxton Media Group: Paxton Media Group is a privately owned community newspaper publisher headquartered in Kentucky, operating daily and weekly publications across multiple US states; comparable to Sample as a privately held multi-state newspaper consolidator with print, digital, and commercial printing services.
• Ogden Newspapers: Ogden Newspapers is a family-owned regional newspaper group with operations in Pennsylvania, New York, and adjacent states — nearly identical geographic footprint and multi-state acquisition strategy to Sample News Group, making it the most direct privately held peer.
• Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. (CNHI): CNHI is a privately held owner of community newspapers and digital sites across the US; comparable to Sample as a roll-up acquirer of small and mid-market local publications, with overlapping print and digital advertising revenue models.

Emerging players

• Best Version Media: Best Version Media is a privately held publisher of sponsored community magazines and direct mail publications serving thousands of neighborhoods across the US; comparable to Sample's weekly/community publication line of business and advertiser-funded local media model.

Broad incumbents

• Alden Global Capital / MediaNews Group: MediaNews Group, controlled by Alden Global Capital, owns major regional dailies (Denver Post, Boston Herald, etc.) and has been a prominent consolidator of distressed newspaper assets — comparable to Sample in targeting underperforming community titles for cost extraction and integration.
• Lee Enterprises: Lee Enterprises operates a large portfolio of local daily and weekly newspapers across the US, including several in Sample's overlapping Midwest and Mid-Atlantic geographies; comparable as a publicly traded community newspaper operator pursuing digital subscription and advertising diversification.
• Tribune Publishing: Tribune Publishing owns regional dailies such as the Chicago Tribune and New York Daily News; comparable to Sample as a multi-title newspaper group serving urban and regional markets, though at a much larger scale and with national brand recognition.
• Gannett Co., Inc. Gannett is the largest US newspaper publisher (USA Today, hundreds of local dailies and weeklies) and the closest broad incumbent to Sample News Group; both operate multi-title community newspaper portfolios with combined print and digital advertising sales, though Gannett operates nationally versus Sample's Northeast focus.

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sample-news-group-llc

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&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sample News Group