What The Barton Chronicle does

The Barton Chronicle is a privately held weekly community newspaper published by the Chronicle, Inc. since 1974, serving Orleans County and the broader Northeast Kingdom region of Vermont from its office at 133 Water Street in Barton. It provides comprehensive local coverage including town meetings, politics, crime and police reports, local sports, obituaries, property transfers, classifieds, and a weekly community events calendar. The product set spans a printed weekly edition delivered by USPS mail and via retail/newsstand pickup, a WordPress-based website (bartonchronicle.com) hosting public news content, and a gated online edition accessible through short-term or annual digital subscriptions. Supplementary offerings include the biannual Kingdom Connection Visitor & Vacation Guide, downloadable property transfer PDFs, and an online obituary archive containing 852 posts.

The Chronicle monetizes through four primary streams: print subscriptions at $35/year in-state and $48/year out-of-state (with an optional $10 e-edition add-on), short-term and annual online subscriptions starting at $7 for three months, display advertising priced at $15.00 per column inch with frequency-based discounts up to 12% for annual commitments, and classified advertising at $4-$5 per insertion. Reader donations via the website and mailed checks provide a small supplementary contribution stream. Distribution combines USPS mail delivery, retail placement in Newport and Derby Line, and self-serve digital access. The go-to-market is sales-led, relying on long-standing personal relationships between the advertising sales representative (Kjya DeToma) and local SMB advertisers in Orleans County.

The company is employee-owned by five long-tenured individuals: Tracy Davis Pierce (Publisher/GM and President), Georgia Young (Circulation Manager), Kjya DeToma (Advertising Sales), Trudy Blackburn (Circulation Crew), and Bill Thompson (Delivery), several of whom have served the paper for 30 to 40-plus years. Headcount stands at approximately 5, and operations are run from a single headquarters in Barton, Vermont, with no subsidiaries, parent company, or institutional investment involved.

Name

The Barton Chronicle

Legal name

the Chronicle, Inc.

Website

https://bartonchronicle.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Barton Chronicle is a privately held weekly community newspaper, founded in 1974, that serves Orleans County and the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont through print subscriptions, an online edition, and local display and classified advertising for area businesses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Weekly newspaper publishing
• Local news coverage
• Community journalism
• Display advertising sales
• Classified advertising platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Barton

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. Print Subscriptions: Mail delivery of weekly printed newspaper to subscribers. In-state $35/year, out-of-state $48/year, half-year in/half-year out $41.50. Optional e-edition add-on for $10 additional.
2. Online Subscriptions: Digital access to online edition with short-term and annual options. Short-term: $7 for 3 months, $14 for 6 months. Annual online subscription available.
3. Display Advertising: Print display advertising sold to local businesses. Rates at $15.00 per column inch regular, $16.00 for back page. Color available for additional $5 per column inch. Discounts for frequent insertions (5-12% off for monthly to annual commitments).
4. Classified Advertising: Short text advertisements in print. $4.00 each for 25 words or less paid by cash/check, $5.00 by credit card. Additional charges for photos and color backgrounds.
5. Donations/Tips: Voluntary reader donations accepted via website or check to support operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Barton Chronicle is a weekly community newspaper published by the Chronicle, Inc. in Barton, Vermont, delivering local news, obituaries, politics, sports, property transfers, and community event coverage to Orleans County and the broader Northeast Kingdom region. It sells print subscriptions delivered by mail and digital subscriptions for online edition access, and generates advertising revenue from display ads and classifieds sold to local businesses. The publication has been in continuous operation since 1974.

Product overview

The Barton Chronicle is a weekly print and digital newspaper serving Orleans County, Vermont since 1974. The company operates a dual product model consisting of a print newspaper subscription (the core offering) and a digital online edition accessed via short-term or annual online subscriptions. Additional offerings include print display advertising, classifieds, a weekly community events calendar, The Kingdom Connection Visitor & Vacation Guide (a biannual publication), property transfer records, obituaries, and town meeting coverage. All products serve the local community of the Northeast Kingdom region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Print Newspaper Subscription Weekly print edition of the Barton Chronicle newspaper delivered by mail to subscribers in Vermont and out of state, covering local news, obituaries, politics, sports, and community events in Orleans County.
• Chronicle Online Edition Digital version of the newspaper accessible via login, requiring an online subscription to view current and archived articles.
• Short-Term Online Subscription Flexible digital access passes available in 3-month, 6-month, 9-month, and 12-month terms, with automatic account deletion upon expiration.
• Print Display Advertising Paid advertising space in the printed newspaper, including display ads, business cards, half-page and full-page placements, with rates based on column inches and color options.
• Classifieds Community classified ads section covering categories including auto, building materials, business opportunities, events, firewood, help wanted, rentals, services, and yard sales, with per-word pricing.
• Weekly Events Calendar (Kingdom Calendar) Comprehensive community calendar listing local events, farmers markets, community meals, support groups, library programs, and church notifications across Orleans County.
• The Kingdom Connection: Visitor and Vacation Guide Biannual visitor guide published in spring and fall showcasing local businesses, events, and attractions in Orleans County's Northeast Kingdom.
• Town Meetings Coverage Coverage of annual town meeting proceedings and voting results from various Orleans County municipalities.
• Obituaries Archive Death notices and obituary listings for Northeast Kingdom residents, searchable by date and spanning multiple years of archives (852+ articles).
• Property Transfers Real estate transaction records for Orleans County towns, available as downloadable PDF files organized by municipality and fiscal year.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serving thousands of families through Warm the Children program over 31 years

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Caledonian-Record: Daily newspaper serving the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont and New Hampshire from St. Johnsbury, the closest large regional competitor to the Barton Chronicle with overlapping coverage area and subscriber base.
• The Newport Daily Express: Local newspaper based in Newport, Vermont, directly serving the same Orleans County market as the Barton Chronicle with competing coverage of local news, sports, and community events.
• The Hardwick Gazette: Weekly community newspaper serving the Hardwick area in neighboring Lamoille/Caledonia counties, a structurally similar small-town Vermont weekly with comparable subscription and advertising model.
• The Addison Independent: Weekly community newspaper serving Addison County, Vermont, with a comparable small-town editorial and advertising model and similar rural Vermont subscriber demographic.

Broad incumbents

• VTDigger: Vermont's largest digital nonprofit news outlet covering state and local news across Vermont, representing a broader competitor for digital reader attention and state-level advertising dollars in the same market.
• Seven Days: Vermont's largest alternative weekly newspaper covering news, arts, and culture across the state, competing for statewide advertising dollars and reader attention with a more urban focus.
• Gannett (USA TODAY NETWORK): Largest U.S. newspaper chain operating hundreds of local titles including regional Vermont dailies, representing the chain-owned incumbent model that competes for digital advertising dollars in the same markets.
• Lee Enterprises: Major U.S. newspaper publisher operating dozens of daily and weekly titles across the country, including some in Vermont-adjacent markets, representing the consolidated chain alternative to independent community newspapers.

Regional players

• The Brattleboro Reformer: Daily newspaper serving southeastern Vermont and neighboring New Hampshire, competing in the broader Vermont local news market though not in the Chronicle's immediate territory.
• Stowe Reporter: Weekly newspaper serving Stowe and Lamoille County, Vermont, with a similar community newspaper model serving a different but comparable rural Vermont geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/bartonchronicle
• Instagraminstagram.com/bartonchronicle

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 The Barton Chronicle