What Phoenix New Times does

Phoenix New Times is an alternative weekly newspaper and digital media publication serving the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area. Founded in 1970 and operating as Phoenix New Times, LLC under private parent Voice Media Group, the company has built 56 years of local editorial authority across news, arts and culture, food and drink, music, and lifestyle coverage. It distributes weekly print editions across Phoenix metro newsstands alongside a multi-platform digital presence reaching 1.6M+ monthly page views, 667k+ unique visitors, and 350k+ social followers across Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, Bluesky and Threads. The publication also operates a reader-supported membership program as a non-advertising revenue layer.

The company generates revenue through four primary streams: print advertising (classifieds, glossy special issues, cover wraps, premium placements, inserts), digital advertising (display banners, programmatic, search retargeting, device ID targeting, streaming TV/CTV, sponsored content, social), email marketing services to a 32k+ newsletter subscriber base, and a full-service digital marketing agency operated as V Digital Services by parent Voice Media Group, offering SEO, local SEO, paid media, programmatic, website services, analytics and white-label partnership. The Best of Phoenix annual awards franchise and events calendar function as both editorial content and additional advertising inventory.

Phoenix New Times serves local Phoenix metro businesses as its primary customer segment, supplemented by regional advertisers across industries and long-tail classified advertisers. The go-to-market motion is sales-led B2B advertising sales with a media kit request form for lead capture and direct advertiser inquiries. No proprietary technology, APIs, SDKs, or AI capabilities are disclosed, and the technical stack is implicitly dependent on third-party ad-tech platforms for programmatic and CTV execution. The company is recognized on the 2025 Inc. 5000 and 2025 Entrepreneur 360 List and previously won a 2022 Stevie Award Gold.

Name

Phoenix New Times

Legal name

Phoenix New Times, LLC

Website

https://newtimesmedia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Phoenix New Times is a Phoenix metro alternative weekly newspaper and digital media publication, founded in 1970 and owned by Voice Media Group. It sells advertising across print, digital, CTV, and email and offers a full-service digital marketing agency to local businesses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Newspaper and Digital Media

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (51311), Advertising Agencies (541810), Media Buying Agencies (54183)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)

Keywords

• Alternative weekly newspaper
• Digital advertising
• Local media
• Print advertising
• Digital marketing

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Print Advertising: Weekly print publication with classified ads, glossy special issues, cover wraps, premium placements, and inserts. Primary revenue stream for local advertisers.
2. Digital Advertising: Online publication advertising including display banners, takeovers, sponsored content, programmatic, search retargeting, micro proximity, device ID targeting, streaming TV/CTV, and social media ads.
3. Email Marketing: Email marketing services sold to advertisers to reach newsletter subscriber base.
4. Full-Service Digital Marketing: Integrated digital marketing agency services including SEO, Local SEO, Paid Media, Programmatic Advertising, Website Services, Marketing Technology, Analytics, and White Label Partnership offered through V Digital Services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Phoenix New Times is an alternative weekly newspaper and digital media outlet serving the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area, founded in 1970. The company publishes local news, arts, entertainment, dining, and culture coverage in print and online, and monetizes that audience primarily by selling print and digital advertising placements to local Phoenix businesses. It also operates V Digital Services, a full-service digital marketing agency offering SEO, paid search, social media, and web design services.

Product overview

Phoenix New Times operates as a regional alternative weekly publication offering a multi-platform media portfolio. The core offerings consist of Digital Advertising solutions (including programmatic, streaming TV/CTV, display banners, email marketing, and social media) and a Print Publication (weekly print edition with classifieds and glossy special issues). These are complemented by a Full-Service Digital Marketing Agency providing SEO, paid media, website services, and analytics. Additional products include Email Newsletters (32k+ subscribers), the Best of Phoenix Awards annual program, and an Events Calendar. The product suite is designed to deliver integrated advertising and marketing solutions to the Phoenix metro audience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Print Newspaper Advertising
• Digital Advertising
• V Digital Services
• Email Newsletters

Quantifiable outcome

• 84% of readers are fans of professional or college sports
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

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.

• V Digital ServicescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerV Digital Services is the integrated digital marketing agency arm of Phoenix New Times' parent company Voice Media Group. Offers SEO, Local SEO, Paid Media, Programmatic Advertising, Website Services, Marketing Technology, Analytics, and White Label Partnership services to Phoenix New Times advertising clients.
• Voice Media GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVoice Media Group is the parent company of Phoenix New Times and other city alt-weeklies including Dallas Observer, Denver Westword, Miami New Times, and New Times Broward-Palm Beach. Operates V Digital Services as a shared digital marketing resource across all properties.
• Facebook Business Partner DirectoryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPhoenix New Times is listed in the Facebook Business Partner Directory, enabling access to Facebook advertising tools and platform partnerships for serving advertising clients.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Riverfront Times: St. Louis alt-weekly (also part of Voice Media Group history) with comparable print + digital local journalism and SMB advertiser focus; representative of the alt-weekly category Phoenix New Times operates in.
• Willamette Week: Portland-based independent alt-weekly with weekly print, classifieds, and digital advertising; same category of local news + SMB advertising GTM as Phoenix New Times.
• LA Weekly: Long-running alt-weekly covering LA's arts, culture, food, and music scene with similar Best Of-style awards and digital advertising model; comparable category and audience profile despite market differences.
• Austin Chronicle: Independently owned Texas alt-weekly with weekly print, classifieds, and digital advertising targeting local SMBs in a single metro; closely comparable business model and revenue mix.
• Houston Press: Alt-weekly covering Houston with print + digital + local events; similar product offering and advertiser base as Phoenix New Times, useful for benchmarking local alt-weekly unit economics.
• Miami New Times: Sister alt-weekly under Voice Media Group serving the Miami metro with the same multi-platform print + digital + agency model; closest 1:1 comparable in product, GTM, and revenue structure.
• Dallas Observer: Voice Media Group alt-weekly serving Dallas with identical editorial and advertising offerings; useful proxy for evaluating Phoenix New Times' revenue per advertiser and engagement benchmarks.
• Denver Westword: Another Voice Media Group alt-weekly (Denver) operating weekly print, local news, Best Of franchise, and V Digital Services integration — directly mirrors Phoenix New Times' operating playbook in a different metro.

Emerging players

• Axios Local: Digital-native local news operation expanding into multiple US metros with newsletter-led audience monetization; competes for the same local advertiser and reader attention as Phoenix New Times but without print.

Broad incumbents

• Gannett LocaliQ: Gannett's digital marketing services arm offering SEO, paid media, and websites to SMBs; competes with Phoenix New Times' V Digital Services for the same local advertiser marketing budget at national scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/phoenixnewtimes
• Facebookfacebook.com/phoenixnewtimes
• Instagraminstagram.com/phoenixnewtimes
• TikToktiktok.com/@phoenixnewtimes
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/phoenix-new-times

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 Phoenix New Times