Alpha News

What Alpha News does

Alpha News is an independent, Minnesota-based non-profit news organization operating primarily out of Minnetonka with a mailing address at 13033 Ridgedale Drive, PMB 101. It publishes original reporting across Crime & Public Safety, Local Minnesota News, and National News, with a stated editorial positioning of covering stories that mainstream Minnesota media avoids or ignores. The core product is the alphanews.org website, supplemented by native iOS and Android mobile apps, an email newsletter, RSS, and active social channels on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube. Editorial content also extends into multimedia through the "Liz Collin Reports" podcast, video documentaries (notably "The Fall of Minneapolis" and "Minnesota v We the People," distributed on YouTube and Rumble), and sub-brands including Crime Watch MN, Alpha News Cartoons, and Commentary & Opinions.

The underlying technology is a standard web content management system with native mobile clients; no proprietary AI, APIs, or SDKs are offered. The business model is a hybrid of three revenue streams: programmatic advertising on the website (including Adnxs placements), tax-deductible donations solicited through a dedicated donation platform (alphanews.revv.co), and merchandise sales via a Shopify storefront. Content is free to readers with no subscription or paywall detected. Audience is primarily Minnesota residents plus national readers, reached through community-driven story tips and direct-to-consumer distribution across owned digital channels. Leadership comprises an Editor-in-Chief (Anthony Gockowski), an Executive Managing Editor (Dr. JC Chaix), a Senior Producer/Investigative Reporter (Liz Collin), and several staff reporters, with a contributor relationship with Crime Watch Minnesota. The organization operates with 11–50 employees and shows no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or external funding rounds.

Name

Alpha News

Legal name

Alpha News

Website

https://alphanews.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Alpha News is an independent Minnesota-based non-profit news organization that publishes original investigative and local reporting across a website, mobile apps, and social/video channels, supported by donations, advertising, and merchandise sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital News Media

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)

Keywords

• Local news publishing
• Investigative journalism
• Digital news media
• Documentary production
• Nonprofit newsroom

Headquarters

HQ city

Minnetonka

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising: The website displays advertisements including programmatic ads (Adnxs), social media tracking pixels, and sponsored content placements.
2. Donations and Support: Alpha News accepts tax-deductible donations to support independent journalism, positioned as citizen-powered news.
3. Merchandise Sales: Online merchandise store selling Alpha News branded items through Shopify.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Alpha News is a Minnesota-based nonprofit digital news organization that publishes original local, state, and national news coverage with emphasis on Crime & Public Safety, Local Minnesota News, and National News categories. The outlet produces investigative reporting driven by confidential citizen tips and produces original documentary films such as 'The Fall of Minneapolis' and 'Minnesota v We the People'. Distribution is delivered through an owned website, mobile apps (iOS/Android), social media, video platforms, and an email newsletter.

Product overview

Alpha News is an independent Minnesota and national news organization operating as a single, unified media platform. The core offering is the Alpha News Website delivering news across Crime & Public Safety, Local Minnesota News, and National News categories. Supporting products include the Alpha News Mobile App for iOS and Android, the Alpha News Videos section featuring documentary content, a Merch Store, and a Donation Platform for reader support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Liz Collin Reports: A video series/podcast featuring investigative reporting by Liz Collin
• Alpha News Videos
• Crime Watch MN
• Alpha News Cartoons
• Commentary & Opinions

Products and services

• Alpha News Website

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Epoch Times: The Epoch Times is a digital-first news organization with a defined ideological perspective that produces news articles, video content, and documentaries, funded largely by reader donations and subscriptions. Comparable to Alpha News in content mix, multi-platform distribution, and donation-heavy revenue model.
• Breitbart News: Breitbart is a conservative digital news outlet covering politics, culture, and regional reporting with a strong online and social media presence. Directly comparable to Alpha News in audience targeting, ideological stance, and reliance on programmatic ads and donations.
• The Daily Wire: The Daily Wire is a conservative digital media company producing news articles, podcasts, documentaries, and original video content distributed via website, apps, and social platforms. It is the most directly comparable peer to Alpha News in business model (donation/subscription funded), content mix (news + long-form documentaries), and ideological positioning.
• The Federalist: The Federalist is a conservative digital media company combining news reporting with opinion content and newsletters. Directly comparable to Alpha News in ideological positioning, newsletter-driven audience engagement, and digital-only distribution model.
• The Daily Caller: The Daily Caller is a conservative digital news outlet producing original reporting, opinion, and video content distributed via website and social platforms. Comparable to Alpha News in ideological positioning, multi-platform distribution, and reliance on digital advertising and reader support.
• The Minnesota Sun: The Minnesota Sun is a regional digital news outlet covering Minnesota politics and policy with a conservative editorial stance. It directly competes with Alpha News for the same Minnesota audience and was a previous employer of one of Alpha News' reporters.

Broad incumbents

• Minnesota Star Tribune: The Minnesota Star Tribune is the dominant legacy newspaper covering Minnesota news, politics, and sports with both print and digital distribution. Represents the well-resourced incumbent against which Alpha News positions itself as an alternative for stories mainstream media overlooks.
• Minnesota Public Radio (MPR News): MPR News is a regional public radio network producing digital and broadcast news coverage focused on Minnesota. It is a relevant comparable as the dominant nonprofit news outlet in the same geography that Alpha News targets, though with a fundamentally different ideological positioning.
• Newsmax: Newsmax is a larger conservative-leaning cable and digital news outlet covering national and regional US news. It overlaps with Alpha News in ideological positioning and audience but operates at much greater scale with broadcast and subscription revenue.

Regional players

• Wisconsin Daily Star: The Wisconsin Daily Star is a regional conservative digital news outlet covering Wisconsin politics and policy. Highly comparable to Alpha News in format, tone, and business model, but serves an adjacent state rather than Minnesota directly.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/alphanews
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCZZgI-HmGsPVw72jMnsNlAg
• Facebookfacebook.com/AlphaNewsMN
• Instagraminstagram.com/mnalphanews

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Alpha News