Southern Torch, Inc.

What Southern Torch, Inc. does

Southern Torch, Inc. is a privately held, owner-operated regional media company headquartered in Fort Payne, Alabama, serving the Northeast Alabama, Southern Tennessee, and Northwest Georgia tri-state area. Founded in 2013 and led by President Nick Jones, the company operates a multi-platform portfolio that includes two FM radio stations (98.3 Wild Country and 101-7 The Torch), three local newspapers (Times Journal, Sand Mountain Reporter, Jackson County Sentinel), two print/production brands (Desoto Printing and Box & Ink), and a SouthernTorch.com digital news and information property. The 98.3 Wild Country station has been recognized with an ABBY Award from the Alabama Broadcasters Association.

The company monetizes its media assets through three primary revenue streams: radio advertising sold on-air across both stations, targeted print display advertising in its newspaper and magazine titles, and a digital marketing services practice offering SEO (with Silver/Gold/Platinum subscription tiers), PPC/paid media (search, social, display, shopping, video, retargeting, geofencing), WordPress-based web design with WooCommerce and Shopify e-commerce integration, and social media marketing. The core technology stack is conventional digital marketing tooling — WordPress, WooCommerce, Shopify, and standard SEO/PPC platforms — with no proprietary AI/ML differentiation.

Southern Torch employs approximately 7 people and operates as a sales-led B2B business targeting local small and medium-sized businesses in its tri-state footprint. Go-to-market is direct sales through its advertising sales team offering multi-platform integrated campaigns. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The company is bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding, no institutional investors, and no evidence of M&A activity beyond the historical assembly of its brand portfolio. A current legal matter involving criminal mural charges against President Nick Jones is an ongoing reputational and operational consideration.

Name

Southern Torch, Inc.

Legal name

Southern Torch, Inc.

Website

https://southerntorch.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Southern Torch, Inc. is a privately held, owner-operated regional media company in Northeast Alabama operating two FM radio stations, three local newspapers, print services, and digital marketing (SEO, PPC, web design) for SMB clients across the Alabama-Tennessee-Georgia tri-state area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Payne

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Radio Advertising: Radio advertising revenue generated through on-air spots and personality endorsements on 98.3 Wild Country and 101-7 The Torch stations
2. Print Advertising: Targeted print display advertising in local newspapers and magazines distributed across the coverage area
3. Digital Marketing Services: SEO, PPC, web design, and social media marketing services provided to local businesses on a fee-for-service basis

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Southern Torch, Inc. is a multi-platform media company that sells advertising and marketing services to local businesses across Northeast Alabama, Southern Tennessee, and Northwest Georgia. Its core offerings include radio advertising on owned stations (98.3 Wild Country and 101-7 The Torch), targeted print advertising in owned newspapers and magazines, and digital marketing services (SEO, PPC, web design, social media marketing). The company also operates local news publications and printing services as supporting media properties.

Product overview

Southern Torch, Inc. is a multi-platform media company operating under Southern Torch Media. The portfolio consists of print publications (Times Journal, Sand Mountain Reporter, Jackson County Sentinel newspapers), radio stations (98.3 Wild Country, 101-7 The Torch), and digital marketing services (web design, SEO, PPC, social media marketing, print and radio advertising). The company provides advertising and marketing services tailored for Northeast Alabama, Southern Tennessee, and Northwest Georgia businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Times Journal: Newspaper publication serving DeKalb County area
• Sand Mountain Reporter
• Jackson County Sentinel
• Desoto Printing
• Box & Ink

Products and services

• Times Journal Local newspaper covering DeKalb County news, sports, community events, and politics for readers in the Southern Torch coverage area.
• Sand Mountain Reporter Local newspaper serving the Sand Mountain region of Alabama with news, sports, and community coverage.
• Jackson County Sentinel Local newspaper serving Jackson County, Alabama with news, sports, and community coverage.
• 98.3 Wild Country Country music radio station broadcasting at FM 98.3 across Northeast Alabama, recognized with the Alabama Broadcasters Association ABBY Award.
• 101-7 The Torch Radio station broadcasting at FM 101.7 as part of the Southern Torch Media network serving Northeast Alabama.
• Radio Advertising Radio advertising solutions sold to local businesses leveraging the audience reach and personality endorsements of the 98.3 Wild Country and 101-7 The Torch stations.
• Targeted Print Advertising High-impact print display advertising sold to local businesses in Southern Torch-owned newspapers and magazines to drive traffic to websites and over-the-air messaging.
• Digital Marketing Services Comprehensive digital marketing services for tri-state area local businesses, combining SEO, PPC advertising, web design, and social media marketing into managed campaigns.
• Web Design Enterprise-quality WordPress web design service with built-in SEO optimization, WooCommerce and Shopify e-commerce integration, responsive layouts, and a conversion-focused approach, sold to local businesses.
• SEO Services Search engine optimization services covering local SEO, e-commerce SEO, on-page SEO, off-page SEO, and technical SEO, packaged in monthly subscription tiers (SEO Silver, SEO Gold, SEO Platinum).
• Paid Ads & PPC Pay-per-click advertising management service spanning search ads, social media ads, display ads, shopping ads, video ads, retargeting, and geofencing ads for local business clients.
• Desoto Printing Commercial printing services offered under the Southern Torch Media umbrella to local businesses and advertisers.
• Box & Ink Print publication and marketing services offered under the Southern Torch Media umbrella to local advertisers.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 50 percent of radio listeners trust brands, products, and services that a personality talks about

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Alpha Media: Major US radio broadcasting company with digital and live event capabilities operating across multiple markets — broader scale than Southern Torch but comparable radio-led local ad business model.
• iHeartMedia: Largest US radio operator with extensive digital advertising and multi-platform audio assets — relevant incumbent comparator for Southern Torch's radio + digital marketing combination, though at vastly larger scale.
• Emmis Communications: Diversified media company operating radio stations and local media properties in the US — broader portfolio but overlapping with Southern Torch's radio broadcasting and local content focus.
• Salem Communications: US radio broadcaster with digital and publishing assets targeting local and niche audiences — comparable multi-platform local media structure, though operating at materially larger scale.

Direct peers

• Adams Publishing Group: Privately held multi-platform community media company operating local newspapers, digital sites, and related print products across small and mid-sized US markets — directly comparable to Southern Torch's integrated newspaper + digital services model.
• Townsquare Media: Operator of local radio stations and digital marketing services primarily in small and mid-sized US markets — directly comparable to Southern Torch's radio + digital ad-services combination.
• Paxton Media Group: Family-owned regional media company operating community newspapers, broadcast properties, and digital services across the Southeastern US — matches Southern Torch's geographic footprint and multi-brand local media strategy.
• Ogden Newspapers: Privately held family-owned newspaper chain with digital marketing services and printing operations across small US markets — closely mirrors Southern Torch's community newspaper + digital services portfolio.
• Lee Enterprises: Publicly traded operator of local newspapers and digital marketing services across the US, serving SMB advertisers in mid-sized markets — comparable business model and customer base to Southern Torch.
• Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. (CNHI): Acquirer-operator of community newspapers and associated digital media properties in small and mid-sized US markets — analogous consolidator profile to Southern Torch's multi-brand local media approach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/southerntorch
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCTyxEMawANecj7XHYd2HURg
• Facebookfacebook.com/SouthernTorch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southern-torch-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries7 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 Southern Torch, Inc.