La Conner Weekly News

What La Conner Weekly News does

La Conner Weekly News is a privately held community newspaper operating as La Conner News Publishing Company, LLC, serving La Conner, Washington, and the surrounding Skagit Valley region. Founded in 1976 as the Channel Town Press by Alan Pentz, the paper is currently published weekly in print with a companion digital presence; both formats are bundled at a $1.25-per-week subscription. Coverage spans local government (town council, school district, statehouse), tribal community news for the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, school sports, obituaries, opinion and letters, classifieds, recipes, puzzles, and a community calendar.

The newspaper is run by a six-person staff using ROAR Online Publication Software from Lions Light Corporation as its publishing platform. Digital extensions include a website with structured news sections, an e-Edition PDF archive, an RSS feed, an online classifieds portal, a community directory, and email newsletters. Publisher Ken Stern, who acquired the paper in 2017, announced his retirement in December 2024, and the La Conner Community News group, led by board chair Andrew Ashmore, is actively pursuing acquisition of the paper, leaving the publication's ownership and operating future uncertain.

The business model is dual-stream: recurring subscription revenue from local residents (print + e-Edition) and advertising revenue from local merchants, nonprofits, and public institutions. Distribution is grassroots and community-led, combining weekly print drops at local newsstands and mailboxes with self-serve digital access; the publisher historically reinforced this by personally delivering papers to stands. There is no disclosed funding, no institutional investment, and no geographic reach beyond Skagit County, Washington.

Name

La Conner Weekly News

Legal name

La Conner News Publishing Company, LLC

Website

https://laconnerweeklynews.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

La Conner Weekly News is a six-employee community newspaper serving La Conner and Skagit Valley, Washington, publishing weekly print and e-Edition editions covering local government, school, tribal, and community news, funded by subscriptions and local advertising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Community Newspaper

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Local community newspaper
• Weekly print publication
• Community news coverage
• Newspaper advertising
• Subscription journalism

Headquarters

HQ city

La Conner

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Subscriptions: Weekly newspaper subscriptions sold to local residents. Subscribers receive both print and digital (e-Edition) access.
2. Advertising: Local businesses and organizations advertise through display ads, classified ads, and special promotional sections. The paper relies heavily on local merchants and nonprofit organizations for advertising revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

La Conner Weekly News publishes a weekly community newspaper covering local news, school district reporting, town council meetings, tribal community news, high school sports, opinion/editorials, obituaries, classifieds, and lifestyle content for La Conner and the surrounding Skagit Valley. The paper distributes both a printed weekly edition (via newsstands and mail subscription) and a digital e-Edition PDF, supported by an advertising platform serving local merchants, nonprofits, and government entities.

Product overview

La Conner Weekly News is a single-product local community newspaper with digital extensions. The core offering is the weekly print edition covering local news, school district updates, community events, arts & entertainment, opinion/editorial content, obituaries, and classifieds. Digital products include e-Edition PDF archives, an RSS feed for content syndication, an online classifieds system, community directory, community calendar, recipe column, and puzzles. The publication is published by La Conner News Publishing Company, LLC and currently faces an ownership transition with a community group seeking to purchase the paper.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers5 records

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

One partnership is on record.

• La Conner Community NewscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 December 2024Community group seeking to purchase the La Conner Weekly News from current publisher Ken Stern. Board chair Andrew Ashmore met with Stern, Washington Newspaper Publishers Association director Ellen Hiatt, and retired publisher Dave Gauger on December 13, 2024, to discuss the acquisition.

Scale indicators3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Sedro-Woolley Courier-Tribune: Long-standing community newspaper serving Sedro-Woolley, also in Skagit County. Comparable in providing hyperlocal civic and school coverage for a small city in the same regional market.
• Stanwood Camano News: Local weekly newspaper covering Stanwood and Camano Island in the same north Puget Sound region as La Conner. Closely comparable in scale, publication cadence, and coverage of community news, schools, and local government.
• Whidbey News-Times: Community newspaper serving Coupeville and central Whidbey Island. Comparable weekly local-news format with similar coverage of civic, school, and community topics in a small-town setting.
• South Whidbey Record: Community weekly serving South Whidbey Island in Washington state. Closely parallels the La Conner Weekly News model of covering a small, geographically defined community with local news, government, schools, and opinion content.
• Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber: Independent community weekly serving Vashon Island, WA. Operates a similar small-market print + digital subscription and advertising model with deep community engagement and is widely cited as a peer in the small-town weekly category.
• San Juan Journal: Weekly community newspaper serving the San Juan Islands of Washington. Operates a near-identical small-town weekly model with print + digital editions covering local government, schools, and island community life.
• Anacortes American: Weekly community newspaper serving Anacortes, WA in the same Skagit County market. Operates with the same small-town weekly model covering local government, schools, and community events as La Conner Weekly News.

Broad incumbents

• Skagit Valley Herald: Regional daily newspaper covering the broader Skagit County market that includes La Conner. A larger incumbent in the same geographic market, offering overlapping civic and community coverage but distributed daily rather than weekly.

Emerging players

• Mount Vernon Democracy Lab / La Conner Community News: Community-organized group (led by Andrew Ashmore) actively engaging the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association to acquire or establish local news in the La Conner area. Represents the nonprofit/community-ownership model increasingly used to sustain small-town journalism.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/la-conner-weekly-news

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 La Conner Weekly News