Windy City Times
Windy City Times is a Chicago-based LGBTQ+ community news publication founded in 1985 and operated by Windy City Media Group. It delivers local news, culture, health, nightlife, and event coverage to the Chicago metro area's queer community through its website, four segmented newsletters, and historical archives.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1985
- HeadquartersChicago Park, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Windy City Times does
Windy City Times is a Chicago-based LGBTQ+ community news publication founded in 1985 and operated by Windy City Media Group. It functions as a regional editorial outlet covering news, health, culture, features, nightlife, and events for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer community in the Chicago metropolitan area. The publication distributes content through its main website (windycitytimes.com), four segmented email newsletters (BLACKlines for Black LGBTQ+ readers, En La Vida for Spanish-speaking readers, News on Q as the general newsletter, and Chicago Social Butterflies for social/events), a Queercast audio archive, and two historical PDF archives covering past issues of Windy City Times and Nightspots.
The underlying technology stack is limited to Newspack, an open-source WordPress-based content management system designed for news organizations, with no proprietary platform components, APIs, mobile applications, or disclosed AI/ML capabilities. Revenue is generated through three streams: display advertising sold to local and regional businesses, reader donations solicited through a fundjournalism.org donation page, and merchandise and publication sales via an online shop. No subscription paywall, pricing tiers, or enterprise contracts are disclosed.
The go-to-market model is community-led, leveraging content marketing, targeted newsletters, social media, and event coverage (including annual Pride coverage) to build reader engagement and attract advertisers. The publication serves a single geographic market (Chicago, Illinois) and has no disclosed subsidiaries, parent company, funding rounds, M&A activity, executive team, or third-party investor base, suggesting it operates as a small privately held media organization sustained primarily by advertising, donations, and merchandise sales.
Windy City Times firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Windy City Times
- Legal name
- Windy City Times
- Website
- https://windycitymediagroup.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1985
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Windy City Times is a Chicago-based LGBTQ+ community news publication founded in 1985 and operated by Windy City Media Group. It delivers local news, culture, health, nightlife, and event coverage to the Chicago metro area's queer community through its website, four segmented newsletters, and historical archives.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Windy City Times industry classification
Industry- NAICS
- Newspaper Publishers (513110), Periodical Publishers (51312)
- SIC
- Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines (MPAJAEAN)
Keywords
Where Windy City Times is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago Park
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Windy City Times business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Advertising: The publication generates revenue through display advertising sold to local and national businesses targeting the LGBTQ+ community. Advertisers include local businesses like Chestnut Cleaning and organizations like Gerber Hart.
- Donations/Fundraising: The publication actively solicits donations through a dedicated donation page (fundjournalism.org/donate), suggesting a reader-supported revenue model complementing advertising.
- Shop/Merchandise: The company operates a shop selling merchandise and publications.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Windy City Times product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Windy City Times is a Chicago-based LGBTQ+ news publication operating since 1985. It publishes news, culture, features, bar guides, and event listings focused on the LGBTQ+ community.
Product overview
Windy City Times is a single unified news publication (not a platform-plus-modules architecture) that serves as the primary voice of Chicago's LGBTQ+ community. The product portfolio consists of the main Windy City Times publication covering News, Health, Culture, Features, and Bars/Clubs content, supplemented by four distinct newsletters (BLACKlines, En La Vida, News on Q, Chicago Social Butterflies), a Queercast audio archive, and two PDF archives for historical Nightspots and Windy City Times issues.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Windy City Times online news publication
Companies that use Windy City Times
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Windy City Times technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Windy City Times partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Windy City Times competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Washington Blade: Washington, DC-area LGBTQ+ news outlet. Direct peer across editorial scope (politics, law, community news), multi-decade operating history, and hybrid advertising-plus-donations revenue structure.
- Dallas Voice: Texas regional LGBTQ+ news publication covering Dallas-Fort Worth. Direct peer across LGBTQ+ community news coverage, legacy print-to-digital transition, and event/community-listings verticals.
- The Advocate: Long-running national LGBTQ+ news and culture publication. Direct peer to Windy City Times by editorial model (LGBTQ-focused news, features, culture) and revenue mix (advertising plus reader-supported), though it operates nationally rather than locally.
- Bay Area Reporter: San Francisco Bay Area LGBTQ+ newspaper with a decades-long publishing history. Closely comparable to Windy City Times as a legacy regional LGBTQ+ publication covering local news, arts, and community events.
- Philadelphia Gay News: Regional LGBTQ+ newspaper covering the Philadelphia metro area. Direct peer to Windy City Times on editorial scope (local LGBTQ+ news, culture, nightlife listings), revenue model (ads, subscriptions, donations), and geographic/community-newsroom approach.
- Gay City News: New York City LGBTQ+ newspaper covering local news, politics, arts, and nightlife. Direct peer to Windy City Times on format (regional LGBTQ+ periodical), editorial verticals, and community-rooted coverage approach.
- Out Magazine: National LGBTQ+ lifestyle and culture magazine. Comparable to Windy City Times' culture/features coverage (theater, drag, film, fashion, books) and digital-plus-print editorial model, though operating at national rather than regional scale.
- Georgia Voice: Atlanta-area LGBTQ+ news outlet. Direct peer in regional LGBTQ+ journalism — same editorial verticals (news, culture, health, community events) and similar small-publication operating profile.
- QNotes: Carolinas-based LGBTQ+ news publication. Comparable as a long-running regional LGBTQ+ outlet covering local news, faith/spirituality, and community events with a hybrid ad/donation revenue model.
Emerging players
- LGBTQ Nation: Digital-first LGBTQ+ news outlet competing for the same advertiser and reader attention as Windy City Times, but optimized for national reach and social/SEO distribution rather than local community coverage.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Windy City Times social profiles
Digital presenceWindy City Times financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Windy City Times leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Windy City Times funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Windy City Times M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Windy City Times
What does Windy City Times do?
Windy City Times is a Chicago-based LGBTQ+ news publication operating since 1985. It publishes news, culture, features, bar guides, and event listings focused on the LGBTQ+ community.
Is Windy City Times a public or private company?
Windy City Times is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Windy City Times founded?
Windy City Times was founded in 1985. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Windy City Times based?
Windy City Times is headquartered in Chicago Park, United States, in the North America region.
How does Windy City Times make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Advertising is the primary driver. The others are donations/Fundraising and shop/Merchandise.
Who are Windy City Times's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Washington Blade, Dallas Voice, The Advocate, Bay Area Reporter, Philadelphia Gay News, Gay City News, Out Magazine, Georgia Voice and QNotes. LGBTQ Nation is listed as an emerging player.
Does Windy City Times have an API?
No public API is recorded for Windy City Times.
What industry is Windy City Times in?
Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJADAB, Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital), with a secondary code of MPAJAEAN, Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines. Its NAICS code is 513110 and its SIC code is 2711.