HD Media

What HD Media does

HD Media LLC is a privately held regional media company headquartered in Charleston, West Virginia, founded in 2013 by Doug Reynolds through the acquisition of The Herald-Dispatch in Huntington. The company has grown via a roll-up strategy into a portfolio of 10 newspaper titles — including The Herald-Dispatch (Tri-State daily), Charleston Gazette-Mail (West Virginia's largest daily), Portsmouth Daily-Times (Ohio), and seven weekly publications across southern and central West Virginia — operating across West Virginia, Virginia, Ohio, and with printing reach into Kentucky. Beyond print journalism, HD Media runs five sub-brand content verticals (Events, Lifestyle, Signature Dish, Sports, Wellness), two YouTube channels (gameday streaming and digital video), and podcasts covering WVU and Marshall athletics, making it a multi-platform local media network rather than a newspaper-only operator.

The company's underlying technology centers on a centralized commercial printing facility at its Charleston headquarters, equipped with a large-volume press capable of producing up to 40+ page full-color products on newsprint or hi-brite paper, plus state-of-the-art inkjet mailroom equipment for addressing and inserting. Adjacent technical capabilities include professional video production (TV commercials, aerial footage, real estate walk-throughs, brand campaigns) and digital distribution through mobile apps, e-editions, websites, and streaming platforms. This shared physical production infrastructure is the operational backbone that makes the multi-title roll-up economically viable and is also monetized externally as a B2B commercial printing service.

HD Media's revenue model is diversified across four streams: integrated multi-platform advertising (the largest line, sold by a direct sales team across print, digital display, streaming audio, podcasts, OTT/CTV, social, YouTube pre-roll, and digital billboards to local and regional SMB advertisers); newspaper subscriptions and newsstand sales for daily and weekly titles; external commercial printing services leveraging spare press capacity; and media production services for advertising clients. The customer base is primarily local community readers (B2C subscribers) and local/regional businesses (B2B advertisers and commercial printing clients). HD Media is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors, public listing, or funding rounds, and has historically grown through acquisitions of distressed or transitioning community newspapers, most recently taking Portsmouth Daily-Times from AIM Media Midwest in July 2024.

Name

HD Media

Legal name

HD Media LLC

Website

https://hdmediallc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

HD Media LLC is a privately held West Virginia-based regional media company operating 10 newspaper titles across West Virginia, Virginia, and Ohio, alongside centralized commercial printing, media production, and integrated multi-platform advertising services for local businesses and consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Broadcasting and Content Providers (516), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Magazine & Newspaper Subscription Platforms (Paywalls, Membership) (MPAJAMAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Clip/Short-Form & Archive Footage Syndication (Libraries/Stock) (MPABAMAL), Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Sports Streaming Platforms (MPAKAOAA), Digital Newsstand & Aggregation Platforms (Magazine/News Apps, Bundles) (MPAJAKAE)

Keywords

• Local newspaper publishing
• Commercial printing services
• Multimedia advertising solutions
• Regional media networks
• Video production services

Headquarters

HQ city

Huntington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising Revenue: HD Media generates revenue through integrated advertising campaigns across multiple platforms including streaming audio, podcasts, digital display, social media, print, OTT/CTV, YouTube pre-roll, and digital billboards. The company targets real estate/home buyers, auto dealers, and classified/display advertisers.
2. Commercial Printing Services: The company provides high-quality commercial printing services for external clients using their state-of-the-art press equipment and mailroom capabilities.
3. Newspaper Subscriptions: Revenue generated from newspaper subscriptions for daily and weekly publications including The Herald-Dispatch, Charleston Gazette-Mail, and multiple weekly papers.
4. Media Production Services: Video production services including TV commercials, promotional content, brand awareness campaigns, real estate walk-throughs, aerial video, and fundraiser narratives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

HD Media is a regional media company that owns and operates a portfolio of 10 newspaper publications (daily and weekly) serving communities across West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio. The company sells integrated multimedia advertising campaigns to local and regional businesses across print, digital, streaming audio, podcasts, social media, OTT/CTV, YouTube, and digital billboards, and offers commercial printing services and professional video production to external clients.

Product overview

HD Media Company LLC is a West Virginia-based multimedia media organization operating as a platform of newspaper publications, original digital content brands, and professional services. The company manages a portfolio of 10 acquired newspaper brands (including The Herald-Dispatch, Charleston Gazette-Mail, Portsmouth Daily-Times, and seven weekly publications) alongside five sub-brand content verticals (HD Media Events, Lifestyle, Signature Dish, Sports, and Wellness) and two professional service offerings (Commercial Printing and Media Production). The portfolio functions as an integrated local media network delivering trusted journalism, community events, lifestyle platforms, and advertising services across West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HD Media Events: Community events including Corks & Kegs, Christmas Parade, Color Run, and Coffee & Treats.
• HD Media Lifestyle
• HD Media Sports
• HD Media Wellness
• HD Media Signature Dish
• HD Media Digital

Quantifiable outcome

• West Virginia's largest newspaper by readership
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AIM Media (Civitas Media): Regional newspaper operator (formerly Civitas Media) from which HD Media acquired several titles including Portsmouth Daily-Times in 2024. Direct comparable as a private, multi-market community newspaper group.
• Boone Newspapers / Boone Family Group: Family-owned media company operating daily, weekly, and specialty publications across multiple U.S. states. Comparable as a private regional newspaper consolidator with a similar acquisition-driven growth model.
• Ogden Newspapers: Family-owned regional newspaper group operating dailies and weeklies across multiple U.S. states with a similar multi-title portfolio model, centralized production, and integrated advertising offerings. Closest peer by ownership structure and scale.
• Adams Publishing Group: Family-owned publisher of community newspapers and digital media outlets across the U.S. Directly comparable as a private, multi-state local newspaper consolidator pursuing acquisitions and integrated advertising solutions.
• Paxton Media Group: Privately held media company owning daily and weekly newspapers across the South and Midwest. Direct comparable as a private, family/closely-held regional newspaper consolidator pursuing acquisitions of community publications.

Others

• Emmis Communications: U.S. media company with radio broadcasting and magazine publishing operations. Tangentially comparable as a multi-platform local media operator with advertising sales, though with broadcast rather than newspaper focus.
• BH Media Group (acquired by Lee Enterprises): Former Berkshire Hathaway-owned newspaper group sold to Lee Enterprises in 2020. Relevant historical comparable as a multi-state daily/weekly newspaper portfolio that changed hands in industry consolidation.

Broad incumbents

• Lee Enterprises: Large publicly-traded U.S. newspaper chain operating daily and weekly publications across many states. Comparable as a regional newspaper consolidator with multi-state footprint, integrated digital/print advertising, and a roll-up acquisition strategy.
• Schurz Communications: Historically a regional media company operating newspapers and broadcast stations across the Midwest and South. Comparable as a multi-state media operator with integrated print/digital/advertising offerings, though broader in scope than HD Media.
• Gannett Co. U.S.'s largest newspaper publisher (USA TODAY network) operating hundreds of local publications. Comparable as a multi-platform local news and advertising operator, but substantially larger and publicly traded, with a national rather than regional focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@HDmediaGameday
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hd-media-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries10 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 HD Media