Faces and Markets of PRGN is a new series of blog posts in 2024 that puts PRGN member agencies and their markets in the spotlight.
Each week, expect to read about a market from an economic, business and communications point of view, brought to you by the very people living and working on the ground in that country, state or region.
The blog pieces illustrate the vast amount of in-depth knowledge of business, media, communications and marketing PRGN brings together having presence in more than 40 countries and 70 cities on six continents through its member agencies globally.
In this week’s blog post, Natalie Ghidotti, APR, CEO and Founder of Ghidotti Communications in Little Rock describes the business and communications environment in Arkansas and offers advice to businesses navigating her home market.
Business Environment in Arkansas
Agriculture anchors Arkansas’ economy; it’s the No. 1 U.S. rice producer and the No. 3 broiler chicken producer. It is fast becoming a top outdoor recreation hub, particularly for year-round mountain biking.
A small state, Arkansas is home to big business. It’s the headquarters for Walmart, Tyson Foods, J.B. Hunt and Riceland (the world’s largest rice producer); investment bank Stephens Inc.; regional banks Bank OZK and Simmons Bank; and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville and the William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum in Little Rock.
Northeast Arkansas boasts a major steel manufacturing hub. South Arkansas has manufacturing centers for Lockheed Martin and Aerojet Rocketdyne and a growing lithium extraction industry involving ExxonMobil.Â
Southern culture rules here. Arkansas has a low cost of living, is politically conservative and its Republican government prioritizes cutting taxes to encourage growth. Its central location provides easy access to major markets.
Little Rock, Arkansas
Communications, media and PR market in Arkansas
Arkansas is a vibrant media market with newspapers, magazines, television stations, radio stations and online publications.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette is one of the few robust family-owned daily newspapers left in the U.S. Little Rock is the state’s largest media market (Nielsen No. 59) with four network affiliates (NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox), PBS and Cumulus radio stations.
Northwest Arkansas is a smaller TV market (No. 96) with four network affiliates (NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox) and a regional edition of the Democrat-Gazette. Because the area is home to major companies like Walmart, Tyson Foods and J.B. Hunt, Axios publishes a daily e-newsletter there, Axios NWA. Elsewhere, TV markets in Shreveport, Louisiana; Memphis, Tennessee; and Springfield, Missouri, reach Arkansas airwaves.
Many local communities still have small weekly papers. Niche publications, like Arkansas Business, provide intensely local business news to the state’s business and political decision-makers in print and online.
Key expertise of Ghidotti Commuications
Ghidotti uses public relations, content marketing, influencer marketing and more to improve reputations, relationships and results. Whether you aim to simplify your message, increase brand awareness, better tell your story or achieve other goals, our team will reach the people you want and drive new growth when word of mouth is no longer effective or sustainable.
We believe in an integrated approach that ties media relations to broader marketing strategies. We don’t silo media relations and focus only on coverage. We think strategically and execute specifically to ensure that our PR reputational work fits a fully integrated marketing plan.
As Southerners, we understand the importance of relationships and culture in the South. We have pitched media and handled PR for clients throughout the region. We have strong ties here in the South, so our relationships and expertise are often used to help our clients build key partnerships that drive growth.
Top 3 Advice for Companies Seeking to Navigate the Arkansas Media Market
1. Get a local partner:
Here, and throughout the South, relationships matter, and working with a local agency is key to getting introductions and earning trust. Choose a partner with personal connections who can open the door to key business and political players.
2. It IS different here:
Practicing PR in the South is different from how it’s done on the coasts. Relationships are key, and business can be conducted informally in a duck blind or on biking trail. It’s also relatively easy to reach decision-makers in Arkansas, which is often described as one big small town.
3. Media knows Big Business:
Arkansas is a small media market, but journalists here are experienced in covering big business and political matters. The state is home to Fortune 500 companies including Walmart and Tyson Foods and national political figures including Bill Clinton and Sarah Huckabee Sanders. As such, journalists, businesses and policymakers are actively engaged in national and global concerns.
Most Influential Media for Consumer Communications
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette — the largest, and only, statewide daily newspaper
KATV-TV, Channel 7 — the Little Rock ABC affiliate
Nexstar Broadcasting in Arkansas — owner/operator of affiliates in Little Rock (KARK-TV, Channel 4, NBC; KLRT-TV, Channel 16, Fox); Northwest Arkansas (KNWA-TV, Channel 24.2, NBC; KFTA-TV, Channel 24, Fox)
Tegna in Arkansas — owner of CBS affiliates in Little Rock (KTHV-TV, Channel 11) and Northwest Arkansas (KFSM-TV, Channel 5)
KAIT-TV, Channel 8 — ABC affiliate in Jonesboro, Northeast Arkansas
Most Influential Media for Corporate Communications
Arkansas Business — The only statewide weekly business newspaper, with daily business news at https://www.arkansasbusiness.comÂ
Talk Business & Politics — political and business news source with TV and public radio news partnerships and a website, https://talkbusiness.netÂ
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette — the largest, and only, statewide daily newspaper
Northwest Arkansas Business Journal (Springdale) / Northeast Arkansas Business Journal (Jonesboro) — regional business newspapers
Arkansas Money & Politics — monthly magazine covering business in the state with a website, https://armoneyandpolitics.com
Most important international events in 2024
Big Mountain Enduro mountain bike race, Round One, Mt. Nebo, May 4-5
Inaugural Arkansas Graveler, a 340-mile six-day cycling ride, North Arkansas, June 23-38
20th Anniversary of the Williams J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum in Little Rock, November 2024
Grand Opening, Alice Walton’s Whole Health Institute in Bentonville, Fall 2024
Grand Opening, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville expansion, 2024
Grand Opening, Arkansas Symphony Orchestra’s Stella Boyle Smith Music Center in Little Rock, Fall 2024
Arkansas by the Numbers*
Population
3.013 million
Languages spoken
U.S. English
Religions (% of population)
Christian (71%), dominated by evangelicals, followed by mainline Protestant
GDP per capita
$57,657 (2023)
Inflation rate
3.4% (February 2024)
Unemployment rate
3.4% (Dec. 2023)
Key sectors and industries (% of GDP)
Agriculture (3%), durable goods manufacturing (8%), retail trade (8%), real estate and rental and leasing (10.6%) (2020)
Mobile penetration, U.S.
90% (2023, via Pew Research)
Internet users (% of the population)
88.2% (2022, households with broadband internet subscription)
Corporate profit tax
4.8% (2024)
Rate of consumer tax or VAT
6.5% (2024)
* Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Economic Analysis, state of Arkansas; all figures are for Arkansas except mobile penetration, as noted
Natalie Ghidotti, APR, is CEO of Ghidotti, a public relations and content marketing agency she founded in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 2007 that has grown to serve a wide range of clients, including some of the region’s best-known brands. The firm serves clients that span all industries, including education, retail, health care, technology, nonprofits and more.
