The Modesto Bee
Acquired Subsidiary
The Modesto Bee is a daily newspaper and digital news service covering Modesto and California's Central Valley.
Founded
1868The Modesto Bee is a daily newspaper and digital news service covering Modesto and California's Central Valley.
The Modesto Bee distributes content across print, web, mobile apps, e-Edition, and email newsletters. Its digital platforms include modbee.com, iOS and Android apps, and a digital replica of the print edition.
The newsroom covers local government, public safety, education, sports, business, and opinion. Audience reach extends across Stanislaus County and neighboring Central Valley counties, supported by a combined print-and-online subscriber base.
The Modesto Bee serves readers in Stanislaus, southern San Joaquin, Merced, Tuolumne, Calaveras, and parts of Mariposa counties. Its coverage area includes Modesto, Turlock, Oakdale, Ceres, Patterson, and Sonora.
The publication competes with other regional newspapers, local television stations, and digital news aggregators for audience and advertising revenue. Like many local newspapers, it faces ongoing industry headwinds from print circulation decline and the shift to digital subscriptions and programmatic advertising.
The Modesto Bee focuses intensely on local coverage of Stanislaus County and the surrounding Central Valley, producing original reporting on crime, education, politics, and high school sports that national outlets do not match. Its long publication history and established print-and-digital subscription base give it strong brand recognition and reader trust in its primary market.
As part of the McClatchy Media Network, the newsroom benefits from shared technology, advertising infrastructure, and access to statewide and national content while retaining a local editorial voice. The publication also distributes through mobile apps, e-editions, and newsletters, reaching readers across multiple platforms.
The Modesto Bee's business model relies on a mix of paid digital subscriptions, print subscriptions, single-copy sales, and advertising revenue. Readers pay recurring fees for unlimited digital access, while advertisers purchase display, classified, and programmatic placements across print and digital properties.
The newspaper also monetizes through sponsored content, obituaries, legal notices, and recruitment advertising. As part of the McClatchy Media Network, it shares advertising infrastructure and technology costs with sibling publications.