North Of Boston Media Group

What North Of Boston Media Group does

North Of Boston Media Group is a privately held, multi-platform community media company headquartered in North Andover, Massachusetts, with origins traceable to 1846. It publishes four daily newspapers, one Weekender, three weekly newspapers, and more than 50 targeted special sections per year, alongside glossy lifestyle magazines and digital news websites that together reach more than 250,000 households daily across southern New Hampshire and northeastern Massachusetts. The company also runs the North of Boston Marketplace online classifieds platform and a SmugMug-based photo reprint storefront, and maintains a direct salesforce selling retail, classified, digital, magazine, and insert advertising via quote-based rate cards.

The underlying technology footprint is anchored by an in-house commercial offset printing operation specializing in tabloid and broadsheet newspaper production, with prepress capabilities and full-service direct mail design, imaging, inserting, and delivery. This press capacity is leveraged both for owned publications and as a contract printer for dozens of other New England publishers. The company has no disclosed mobile app, no public API or SDK, and no AI/ML capabilities.

The business model combines five revenue streams: print advertising, digital advertising, recurring subscriptions, B2B commercial printing services, and direct mail services, with one-time photo reprint sales as an ancillary line. Customers include local retail and classified SMB advertisers, New England publisher clients for printing services, and household readers and subscribers in the North of Boston region. Distribution is regional and sales-led through dedicated advertising representatives, while the leadership team is led by Group Publisher Jim Falzone, VP of Advertising Mark Zappala, Director of Audience Development Steve Milone, and Group Editor Tracey Rauh.

Name

North Of Boston Media Group

Legal name

North of Boston Media Group

Website

https://nobmg.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

North Of Boston Media Group is a private community media company in North Andover, Massachusetts, publishing daily and weekly newspapers, glossy magazines, and digital sites that reach 250,000+ households across southern New Hampshire and northeastern Massachusetts, while also providing commercial printing and direct mail services to other New England publishers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Media and Commercial Printing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (51311), Newspaper Publishers (513110), Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Services-Direct Mail Advertising Services (7331)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Newsstand & Aggregation Platforms (Magazine/News Apps, Bundles) (MPAJAKAE), Magazine & Newspaper Subscriptions / Delivery Retail (CRALAAAH)

Keywords

• Community newspaper publishing
• Commercial printing services
• Lifestyle magazines
• Digital advertising sales
• Direct mail services

Headquarters

HQ city

North Andover

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Print Advertising: Revenue from retail display advertising, classified advertising, magazine advertising, and insert advertising placed in newspapers and publications. Multiple rate cards exist for different advertising formats.
2. Digital Advertising: Revenue from digital advertising products including websites and online advertising placements.
3. Subscriptions: Revenue from newspaper and publication subscriptions.
4. Commercial Printing Services: Third-party commercial printing for other New England publishers, including printing, packaging, and delivery of newspapers, newsletters, catalogs, event programs, flyers, magazines, and direct mail pieces.
5. Direct Mail Services: Design, imaging, inserting and direct mail services for commercial customers.
6. Photo Products: Photo reprints and related photo products sold to customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

North Of Boston Media Group is a multi-platform regional media company that publishes four daily community newspapers, one Weekender, three weeklies, and more than 50 targeted special sections annually, along with glossy lifestyle magazines and digital news websites reaching over 250,000 households daily across southern New Hampshire and northeastern Massachusetts. The company also sells advertising (retail, classified, digital, magazine, insert) and operates a commercial printing division providing tabloid and broadsheet newspaper printing, graphic design, imaging, inserting, and direct mail services to other New England publishers and commercial customers.

Product overview

North Of Boston Media Group operates as a multi-platform media company offering a portfolio of print and digital products. The core offering consists of four daily newspapers, one Weekender, three weekly newspapers, and multiple glossy lifestyle magazines, all serving southern New Hampshire and northeastern Massachusetts. These publications collectively reach more than 250,000 households daily. The company also maintains digital websites for online content distribution and offers a commercial printing division that provides design, imaging, inserting, and direct mail services to other publishers and commercial customers. Additional offerings include photo reprints and an online classifieds marketplace. The portfolio is anchored by community journalism across print, digital, and printing service lines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Newspapers Award-winning community newspaper portfolio covering southern New Hampshire and northeastern Massachusetts, including four dailies, one Weekender, and three weeklies, plus more than 50 targeted special sections published annually for local readers and advertisers.
• Lifestyle Magazines Glossy lifestyle magazines celebrating the distinctive character of North of Boston communities, featuring high-quality photographs, insightful profiles, and local tradition coverage.
• Digital News Websites Online news and content platforms providing digital access to North of Boston Media Group's journalism and community coverage.
• Commercial Printing Services Third-party commercial printing specializing in tabloid and broadsheet newspaper production for other New England publishers, plus graphic design, imaging, inserting, and direct mail services. Supports newspapers, newsletters, catalogs, event programs, flyers, magazines, and direct mail pieces.
• North of Boston Marketplace (Online Classifieds) Online classifieds platform serving the North of Boston region, providing classified advertising placement for employment, real estate, automotive, legal notices, and personal listings.
• Photo Reprints Service allowing customers to purchase reprints of photographs published in North of Boston Media Group publications.
• Advertising Services (Retail, Classified, Digital, Magazine, Insert) Multi-format advertising sales across retail display, classified, digital, magazine, and insert placements in North of Boston Media Group publications, with pricing managed through published rate cards and direct sales representatives.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reaches 250,000+ households daily in southern New Hampshire and northeastern Massachusetts
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tribune Publishing: Owns metropolitan and community newspapers including the Chicago Tribune and New York Daily News. Comparable as a multi-title newspaper group with a mix of print advertising, digital subscriptions, and commercial printing assets.
• CNHI (Community Newspaper Holdings Inc.): Owns community newspapers and associated commercial printing operations across multiple U.S. markets. Comparable business model to NOBMG with shared press capacity serving both owned titles and third-party customers.
• Ogden Newspapers: Family-owned group of daily and weekly community newspapers with in-house commercial printing operations. Highly comparable to NOBMG's combination of community publishing plus third-party print services.
• Lee Enterprises: Operates daily and weekly newspapers across the U.S., focused on mid-sized community markets. Closely comparable to NOBMG's model of running multiple community titles with shared printing and digital advertising infrastructure.
• Paxton Media Group: Family-owned publisher of daily and weekly newspapers plus commercial printing operations in the Midwest and South. Closely comparable to NOBMG's combination of community publishing and B2B printing services.
• Schurz Communications: Family-owned media company with newspaper publishing, broadcast, and digital operations. Comparable as a multi-product regional media group, though with broader broadcasting holdings than NOBMG.
• Gannett Co. Largest U.S. local newspaper publisher operating USA TODAY and hundreds of daily and weekly community newspapers. Directly comparable to NOBMG as a multi-title regional newspaper group with shared digital ad and subscription products, though at vastly greater scale.
• MediaNews Group / Alden Global Capital newspapers: Operates a large portfolio of daily newspapers across the U.S. with shared production and digital infrastructure. Comparable as a multi-title regional newspaper operator with similar cost-structure pressures to NOBMG.

Broad incumbents

• Hearst: Diversified media conglomerate that owns daily newspapers (San Francisco Chronicle, Houston Chronicle, etc.) alongside magazines, TV stations, and digital businesses. Overlaps with NOBMG in newspaper publishing but operates at significantly greater scale and broader portfolio.
• Advance Publications: Private media conglomerate owning newspapers (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Oregonian, etc.) through Advance Local, plus Condé Nast. Comparable in community newspaper operations and printing infrastructure, though with a much broader media portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/north-of-boston-media-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 North Of Boston Media Group