Cardinal News

What Cardinal News does

Cardinal News is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit digital news organization, founded in 2021 and headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, that provides local journalism to residents of Southwest and Southside Virginia — a multi-county region covering the New River Valley, Roanoke Valley, Lynchburg, Danville, Martinsville, Bristol, Abingdon, and Wytheville. The organization operates across politics, economy, culture, education, healthcare, weather, sports, and opinion, with a dedicated investigative vertical called Redbird Stories producing series such as State of Surveillance, Tech Town, Data Centers, and Paper of Record. Its product portfolio includes a primary website, seven specialized email newsletters (The Daily, Cardinal News NRV, The Roundup, Cardinal Weather, West of the Capital, Your Weekend, and Cardinal 250) reaching over 29,000 subscribers, two podcasts (The Cardinal: News of Virginia weekly and Cardinal News 250 monthly), a hyperlocal weather widget powered by Tomorrow.io, and the Cardinal Club membership program.

The organization is built on standard third-party publishing and fundraising infrastructure — Newspack as its content management platform, Donorbox for donation processing, and Tomorrow.io for weather data — with no disclosed proprietary technology. It maintains active social media presence across more than ten platforms including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, TikTok, Bluesky, Threads, Twitter, and Reddit, and is a member of INN, LION Publishers, the Virginia Press Association, and the Rural News Network.

The business model is reader-supported philanthropy: content is free for all readers, with revenue generated through recurring monthly and annual member donations plus one-time contributions, supplemented by corporate Cornerstone Partnerships (organizations giving $10,000+ annually, including Dominion Energy, Ballad Health, and Dodson). Cardinal News has received institutional grants such as funding from the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission for the Cardinal 250 project, and was selected for the American Press Institute's civic discourse initiative. The organization earned the 2024 Gold Transparency Candid Badge from Candid (GuideStar).

Name

Cardinal News

Legal name

Cardinal Productions Inc.

Website

https://cardinalnews.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cardinal News is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit digital news organization serving Southwest and Southside Virginia, delivering free local journalism through a website, seven newsletters reaching 29,000+ subscribers, two podcasts, and investigative series, funded by reader donations and corporate sponsors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Digital News & Journalism

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 industries

Data Journalism & News Intelligence Publishers (Indexes, Election/Market Data) (MPAJADAK), Politics, Current Affairs & Social Commentary Publishing (MPAJAAAM)

Keywords

• Local digital journalism
• Nonprofit news organization
• Email newsletter publishing
• Investigative journalism series
• Regional news coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

Roanoke

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership/Donations: Reader-supported nonprofit model where individuals donate on a recurring monthly or annual basis (Cardinal Club membership) or make one-time contributions. Members receive exclusive perks. Content remains free for non-members.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Cornerstone Partners (organizations giving $10K or more annually) include Dominion Energy, Dodson, and Ballad Health. These corporate sponsorships provide additional revenue beyond individual donations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

Cardinal News is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit digital news organization that publishes original local journalism covering politics, economy, culture, education, healthcare, weather, sports, and opinion for Southwest and Southside Virginia. Content is delivered free of charge through a website, seven email newsletters, two podcasts, a weather widget, and in-depth investigative series under the Redbird Stories brand, and is supported by reader donations and corporate sponsorships.

Product overview

Cardinal News is a nonprofit digital news organization operating as a single unified platform for local journalism serving Southwest and Southside Virginia. The core product is the Cardinal News Website, which distributes news across multiple categories including politics, economy, culture, education, healthcare, weather, sports, and opinion. Surrounding this core are complementary offerings: The Cardinal: News of Virginia and Cardinal News 250 podcasts for audio storytelling; seven email newsletters (The Daily, Cardinal News NRV, The Roundup, Cardinal Weather, West of the Capital, Your Weekend, Cardinal 250) for direct reader engagement; a Cardinal Weather Widget powered by Tomorrow.io for localized weather forecasting; a Cardinal Club membership program via Donorbox for donor support; and Redbird Stories, a brand for investigative series such as State of Surveillance, Tech Town, Data Centers, and Paper of Record.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Redbird Stories: In-depth watchdog, narrative, data, and explainer pieces designed to inform, inspire, and reflect the communities served by Cardinal News.
• Cardinal 250
• Cardinal Weather

Products and services

• Cardinal News Website Digital news platform delivering original local journalism on politics, economy, culture, education, healthcare, weather, sports, opinion, obituaries, and public notices for Southwest and Southside Virginia communities. Free to access; supported by reader donations and corporate sponsorships.
• The Cardinal: News of Virginia Podcast Weekly podcast providing in-depth analysis of Virginia headlines beyond the daily news, covering education, economic issues, state policies, and cultural stories for Virginia audiences.
• Cardinal News 250 Podcast Monthly podcast exploring Virginia's role in America's journey to independence as part of the nation's 250th anniversary coverage, supported by the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission.
• Cardinal News Email Newsletters Collection of free email newsletters including The Daily, Cardinal News NRV, The Roundup, Cardinal Weather, West of the Capital, Your Weekend, and Cardinal 250, reaching over 29,000 subscribers with regional news, weather, and civic updates.
• Cardinal Club Membership Recurring donor membership program managed through Donorbox that provides exclusive perks to members and funds the Cardinal News nonprofit newsroom.
• Redbird Stories Brand and content track for in-depth watchdog, narrative, data, and explainer journalism, including investigative series such as State of Surveillance, Tech Town, Data Centers, and Paper of Record.

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• INN (Institute for Nonprofit News)minorOthersCardinal News is a proud member of INN, an organization supporting nonprofit newsrooms.
• LION PublishersminorOthersCardinal News is a proud member of LION Publishers, supporting local online news publishers.
• Virginia Press Association (VPA)minorOthersCardinal News is a proud member of VPA, the state press association.
• Rural News Network (RNN)minorOthersCardinal News is a proud member of RNN, a network supporting rural news organizations.
• Virginia American Revolution 250 CommissioncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFunding partner for Cardinal 250 project exploring Virginia's role in America's path to independence. The project is made possible in part by funding from the commission.
• American Press Institute ProjectcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCardinal News selected to participate in nationwide project to promote civic discourse through the Cardinal Way civility initiative.
• Tomorrow.iocoreTechnology or IntegrationWeather data provider powering Cardinal News weather widget with specific local forecasts for six locations in coverage area.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights1 record

Direct peers

• VTDigger: VTDigger is a nonprofit digital news outlet serving Vermont with a donor-supported, multi-newsletter model and investigative series — a near-direct structural analog to Cardinal News in terms of funding model, format mix, and rural-state focus.
• The 19th News: A nonprofit national news organization with a donor-supported model and newsletter-heavy distribution; comparable to Cardinal News in funding mechanics and direct-to-consumer audience strategy, though with a national rather than regional scope.
• Block Club Chicago: A nonprofit, reader-funded local digital news outlet serving Chicago neighborhoods; matches Cardinal News on the reader-supported nonprofit model, newsletter-led engagement, and focus on under-covered local stories.
• CalMatters: A larger California-based nonprofit news organization operating on a donor-and-sponsor model with newsletters, podcasts, and explainer journalism — analogous in mission and business model, though operating at greater scale.
• The Assembly (North Carolina): A nonprofit digital news outlet covering North Carolina politics and policy via a donor-supported model; matches Cardinal News in nonprofit status, newsletter-led distribution, and state/regional policy coverage.
• The Connecticut Mirror: A nonprofit, donor-funded regional digital newsroom covering Connecticut policy and local affairs; comparable to Cardinal News in operating as a small-staffed, member-supported outlet with newsletters and investigative projects.
• Signal Akron: A small nonprofit local newsroom in Akron, Ohio, operating on a member-supported model with newsletters and reported local journalism — closely comparable to Cardinal News in scale, geography type, and revenue model.

Broad incumbents

• Virginia Public Media (VPM): Virginia's public radio/TV network producing regional news and current-affairs programming across the state; comparable to Cardinal News in mission and Virginia-centric coverage but operating as a much larger, public broadcaster with broader reach.
• The Roanoke Times: The legacy regional daily newspaper serving the Roanoke Valley and broader Western Virginia — directly comparable geography and topic coverage to Cardinal News but operating as an established, ad-supported print/digital incumbent rather than a nonprofit.

Regional players

• Mountain Lake PBS: A public broadcasting station serving Southwest Virginia — geographically overlapping with Cardinal News's coverage area and producing regional news and feature content, but operating as a TV broadcaster rather than a digital-first nonprofit newsroom.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cardinalnewsva
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@cardinalnewsva
• Facebookfacebook.com/cardinalnewsva
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cardinal-news
• Instagraminstagram.com/cardinalnewsva
• TikToktiktok.com/@cardinalnewsva

Compliance2 records

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 Cardinal News