The Sentinel

Name

The Sentinel

Legal name

Sweet Tea Media, LLC

Website

https://friendsentinel.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations (MPAJADAF)

Keywords

• Community newspaper
• Local news
• Weekly print publishing
• Digital newspaper subscription
• Classified advertising

Headquarters

HQ city

Seward

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Print Newspaper Subscriptions: Weekly print newspaper subscriptions serving Crete, Friend, Wilber, and surrounding communities in Saline and Seward Counties, Nebraska. Published each Wednesday.
2. Digital Subscriptions: E-edition digital subscriptions providing online access to newspaper content. Subscribers can log in to access full articles and digital issues.
3. Classifieds and Marketplace Advertising: Classifieds and marketplace advertising featuring community announcements, event listings, and local business promotions through the marketplace section.
4. Display and Feature Advertising: Feature ads and display advertising placements within the newspaper and special sections. Includes special publications such as Salute to Veterans, Health and Wellness, Academic Achievement, and seasonal guides.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Sentinel (The Friend Sentinel) is a weekly community newspaper published every Wednesday serving Friend, Crete, Wilber, and surrounding communities in Saline and Seward Counties, Nebraska. It delivers local news, high school sports, obituaries, community celebrations, and government coverage across print and digital e-edition channels, supported by advertising and special themed publications.

Product overview

The Friend Sentinel is a local newspaper network owned by Sweet Tea Media, LLC, publishing multiple weekly newspapers serving communities in Saline and Seward Counties, Nebraska. The core offerings include four newspapers—The Friend Sentinel, The Crete News, The Wilber Republican, and Seward County Independent—all published weekly on Wednesdays. The portfolio extends beyond print with E-Edition digital access, a Marketplace for classifieds and feature ads, Special Publications (themed sections like graduation, sports previews, and community guides), the Roundball Rumble contest, and a Celebrations section for community announcements. All publications are distributed from offices in Crete and Seward, Nebraska.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Crete News: Local newspaper serving Crete, Nebraska and surrounding communities in Saline County
• The Wilber Republican
• Seward County Independent
• The Milford Times

Products and services

• The Friend Sentinel Weekly Newspaper A weekly newspaper published each Wednesday serving the community of Friend, Nebraska, covering local news, high school sports, obituaries, celebrations, and community events for local residents.
• The Crete News A weekly newspaper published each Wednesday serving the city of Crete, Nebraska and surrounding communities in Saline County.
• The Wilber Republican A weekly newspaper published each Wednesday serving the city of Wilber, Nebraska and surrounding communities.
• Seward County Independent A weekly newspaper serving Seward County, Nebraska, providing local news and community coverage.
• E-Edition Digital Access A digital version of the weekly newspaper accessible online via subscriber login, allowing viewing of current and past issues.
• Marketplace / Classifieds An online marketplace section offering classified ads, feature ads, and community marketplace listings for local businesses and residents.
• Special Publications Themed print and digital special sections including graduation editions, sports previews, health and wellness guides, academic achievement, fine arts, and community-themed publications like Czech Days and Salute to Veterans.

Segments3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Creative Circle Media SolutionscoreTechnology or IntegrationCreative Circle Media Solutions provides the publishing platform powering The Friend Sentinel website and e-edition functionality. The platform handles content management, subscription authentication, and digital delivery of newspaper content.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. (CNHI): Owned by Retirement Systems of Alabama, operates a large portfolio of community newspapers and digital platforms. Comparable as a multi-title small-market community newspaper operator, though ownership structure (institutional) differs from Sweet Tea Media's family ownership.
• Paxton Media Group: Family-owned company operating daily and weekly community newspapers primarily in the Midwest and South. Comparable multi-title community newspaper operator with similar rural/small-market positioning and digital subscription offerings.
• Ogden Newspapers: Family-owned operator of small and mid-sized community newspapers across multiple states with combined print/digital subscriptions and local advertising. Comparable in size, ownership structure, and emphasis on community journalism in small markets.
• Adams Publishing Group: Private publisher of community newspapers, shoppers, and niche publications across the Midwest and Mountain West. Directly comparable in operating small-market community papers with print/digital subscriptions and local advertising.
• Boone Newspapers: Family-owned group operating community newspapers in small and mid-sized U.S. markets. Closely comparable to Sweet Tea Media in operating philosophy, scale, and reliance on hyperlocal coverage plus local advertising.
• CherryRoad Media: Acquisitive publisher that has purchased dozens of small community weeklies and dailies from larger chains, operating them as a network. Closest direct peer in strategy: aggregating small community papers under shared production and sales infrastructure, exactly Sweet Tea Media's playbook in Nebraska.
• Phillips Media Group: Family-owned operator of small community newspapers and digital marketing services. Comparable size, structure, and community-newspaper focus, with overlapping print and digital subscription revenue models.

Broad incumbents

• Lee Enterprises: Large publicly-traded newspaper chain operating hundreds of local daily and weekly papers across the U.S. Directly comparable as a multi-title local newspaper operator with overlapping digital subscription and advertising business models, though at vastly larger scale.
• Gannett: Largest U.S. newspaper publisher (USA TODAY network) operating community and daily papers with print + digital subscription and marketplace/advertising revenue. Comparable in core publishing model and revenue mix, but at national scale with mostly larger papers.

Regional players

• Schurz Communications: Historically operated a portfolio of small and mid-sized community newspapers (now largely divested to Hubbard Radio and others), with legacy expertise in community publishing. Comparable in category but no longer an active direct operator of community newspapers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/FriendNE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-sentinel

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 The Sentinel