--- schema_type: "SoftwareApplication" entity_type: "Mobile Application" app_name: "Shreveport Times" developer_entity: "Gannett" bundle_id: "com.gannett.news.local.shreveporttimes" app_store_id: "551771793" google_play_id: "com.gannett.local.library.news.shreveporttimes" category: "News" primary_platform: "ios" primary_monetization: "Freemium" offline_capable: true market_region: "US" platforms: "iOS & Android" app_last_updated: "2026-04-07" report_date: "2026-05-11" last_verified: "2026-05-11T21:31:24.478Z" report_version: "8.9.0" total_reviews: 508 overall_rating: 4.3 sentiment: "Mixed" sentiment_score: 45 confidence: "low" confidence_score: 0.7 top_praise_theme: "Local news coverage provides reliable and convenient access to regional events for long-term readers" top_complaint_theme: "Frequent application instability and crashes prevent consistent access to the digital newspaper content" top_request_theme: "Traditional print-style layout requested to improve the reading experience of the digital edition" review_sample_size: 58 total_review_count: 58 analyzed_review_count: 58 data_age_days: 7 intelligence_version: 3 nemesis: "NewsBreak: Local News & Alerts" competitor_count: 8 tags: ["news", "freemium", "mixed sentiment", "mobile app", "app review", "app analysis", "local", "residents", "shreveport"] canonical_url: "https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/news/shreveport-times" license: "CC-BY-NC 4.0" content_version: "v2" --- # Shreveport Times App Audit ## TL;DR {#tldr} - **Category**: News · Freemium - **Signal**: Rating 4.3 · Sentiment Mixed - **Recent focus**: Frequent application instability and crashes prevent consistent access to the digital newspaper content (top complaint) · Local news coverage provides reliable and convenient access to regional events for long-term readers (top praise) · Traditional print-style layout requested to improve the reading experience of the digital edition (top request) > **TL;DR:** Shreveport Times is a news app by Gannett, rated 4.3/5 by 508 users, with Mixed user sentiment (45/100), available on iOS & Android. > > **Marlvel.ai App Intelligence** — Independent analysis. US Market. No publisher influence. > **Key Insight:** Shreveport Times shows Mixed sentiment (4.3/5 from 508 reviews) — users praise local news coverage provides reliable and convenient access to regional events for long-term readers but report issues with frequent application instability and crashes prevent consistent access to the digital newspaper content. ## Quick Facts | Fact | Value | | :--- | :--- | | **Rating** | 4.3/5 (508 reviews) | | **User Mood** | Mixed | | **Category** | News | | **Developer** | Gannett | | **Pricing** | Freemium | | **Platforms** | iOS & Android | | **Confidence** | Low (0.7/1.0) | | **Data Age** | 0d | ## Metadata & Market Performance - **Publisher:** Gannett - **Category:** News - **Target Audience:** Local residents of Shreveport interested in community news, high school and professional sports, and national reporting. - **Platforms:** iOS & Android - **Version Audited:** 8.9.0 - **Audit Date:** 2026-05-11 - **Signal Count:** 58 reviews analyzed - **Confidence:** Low (0.7/1.0) - **App Store ID (iOS):** 551771793 - **Bundle ID:** com.gannett.news.local.shreveporttimes - **Google Play ID:** com.gannett.local.library.news.shreveporttimes - **Performance Trend:** Declining - **Data Window:** Analysis based on signals collected up to 2026-05-11 ## Executive Snapshot **What it is:** Shreveport Times is a local news app for Shreveport residents, providing community journalism and eNewspaper replicas on iOS and Android. **Why users hire it:** Users hire the app to maintain local awareness and print-reading habits in a digital format, but the technical friction prevents the app from serving as a reliable daily habit. ## App DNA (Features & Intent) - **[Differentiator] eNewspaper:** Digital replica of the print edition accessible on mobile devices - **[Standard] Real-time Notifications:** Push alerts for breaking news, sports scores, and weather tailored to user interests * *User Intent:* Users want timely prompts to stay engaged without missing updates. - **[Standard] Offline Reading:** Download articles for access without an active internet connection * *User Intent:* Users want uninterrupted access without internet dependency. ## Market Position {#market-position} The app maintains a 4.24 average rating across 508 total ratings, but the 0.15-star gap between iOS and Android versions signals inconsistent performance across hardware configurations. ## Monetization Strategy - **Model:** Freemium - **Tiers:** Free tier with limited article access and ads, Subscription-based premium tier for full access - **Analysis:** Freemium model uses a sampling gate to convert casual readers into recurring subscribers. ## 🟡 User Sentiment (Low Confidence: 58 of 58 reviews analyzed) {#user-sentiment} - **Overall Rating:** 4.3/5 - **Platform Split:** iOS 4.3/5 (453 ratings) | Android 4.2/5 (55 ratings) - **Overall Sentiment:** Mixed ### Top Praises - **Local news coverage provides reliable and convenient access to regional events for long-term readers** ### Top Complaints (Impact Areas) - **Frequent application instability and crashes prevent consistent access to the digital newspaper content** ### Top Requests (What Users Want) - **Traditional print-style layout requested to improve the reading experience of the digital edition** ## SWOT Analysis {#swot} **Core Strengths:** - Gannett network scale provides national content bundle - Established local brand identity in Shreveport **Critical Frictions:** - High crash frequency in the latest release - Subscription authentication errors blocking valid accounts - Inconsistent content refresh cycles **Growth Levers:** - Real-time community alerts to match aggregator speed - Interactive features to increase session time **Market Threats:** - NewsBreak hyper-local aggregation dominance - Apple News native OS-level distribution - Shift toward creator-led journalism on Substack ## Recent Changes (v2 → v3) {#recent-changes} The app's competitive position has declined due to critical technical instability and authentication errors that threaten the subscription model. **Overall trend**: Declining **Compared at**: 2026-05-11 ### High-impact changes - **[Declined] Executive Summary Tone** (positioning) — Shifted from 'comprehensive digital hub' to 'friction-heavy experience' due to technical instability. - **[Declined] Emergence of Critical Complaints** (sentiment) — New complaints regarding frequent app crashes and subscription authentication errors now dominate user feedback. ### Medium-impact changes - **[Improved] eNewspaper Competitive Position** (features) — Repositioned from 'standard' to 'differentiator' as the core value proposition. - **[Added] New SWOT Weaknesses and Threats** (swot) — Added high crash frequency, authentication errors, and specific competitive threats from NewsBreak and Apple News. ## Rivals Landscape {#rivals} > Competitive positioning identified by AI analysis of app features, category, and market signals. ### Shreveport Times vs NewsBreak: Local News & Alerts — Head to Head - **[NewsBreak: Local News & Alerts](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/news/com-particlenews-newsbreak)** by Particle Media Inc.: NewsBreak dominates the local news aggregation space with a hyper-local focus that directly competes with the Shreveport Times' community-centric value proposition. - **Moat strength:** High — sustainable advantage over 12 months - **Key differences:** - Aggregates hyper-local community alerts and crime reports that go beyond traditional newspaper journalism coverage - Utilizes a personalized feed algorithm that prioritizes proximity-based content over the target's static editorial curation - Integrates community-driven social features that allow users to discuss local events directly within the app - **Where Shreveport Times wins:** - ✅ Provides authoritative, verified journalism from professional reporters rather than the crowdsourced or aggregated content found in NewsBreak - ✅ Maintains a clean, focused editorial voice that avoids the clickbait-heavy headlines often associated with aggregator platforms - **Where NewsBreak: Local News & Alerts wins:** - ❌ Delivers real-time push notifications for hyper-local incidents that the target app's slower editorial cycle cannot match - ❌ Offers a significantly higher volume of daily content updates through automated aggregation of regional news sources - **Verdict:** The target app must pivot toward real-time community alerts and interactive features to prevent NewsBreak from capturing the local news audience. ### Contenders (Strong Challengers) - **[AP News](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/news/com-apnews-ipad-mobilenewsdevel)** by The Associated Press [Moat: Medium]: AP News provides the foundational wire content that many local papers rely on, making it a primary alternative for users seeking objective, broad-spectrum reporting. - Offers a neutral, global perspective that serves as a primary source for the target's secondary reporting - Maintains a high-velocity release cadence that ensures consistent performance across diverse mobile hardware configurations - **[NYTimes: US and Global News](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/news/nytimes-us-and-global-news)** by The New York Times Company [Moat: High]: Represents the premium tier of digital journalism, competing for the same subscription-based reader wallet as the target app. - Features deep-dive investigative journalism and multimedia storytelling that sets the industry standard for digital news - Implements a sophisticated subscription-gated model that successfully converts casual readers into long-term loyal subscribers - **[Washington Post](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/news/com-pointabout-washingtonpost)** by The Washington Post [Moat: Medium]: A direct competitor in the high-quality, subscription-driven news market with a strong focus on political and national coverage. - Integrates advanced data visualization and interactive graphics that enhance complex political and economic news stories - Provides a highly optimized cross-platform reading experience that syncs user progress seamlessly across mobile and web ### Peers (What They Do Better) - **[Google News](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/news/com-google-googledigitaleditions)** by Google: A massive aggregator that competes for the user's daily attention span by bundling local and global headlines. - Leverages Google's search infrastructure to provide unparalleled content discovery and personalized news recommendations - Offers a 'Full Coverage' feature that allows users to see multiple perspectives on a single news story - **[Apple News](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/news/apple-news)** by Apple: The default news experience for iOS users, creating a significant barrier to entry for standalone local news apps. - Deeply integrated into the iOS ecosystem with native widgets and lock-screen notifications that maximize user engagement - Curates a premium 'Apple News+' experience that bundles content from hundreds of publishers into one subscription ### New Kids on the Block (What's Innovative) - **[Substack](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/news/substack)** by Substack, Inc.: Disrupting traditional news by shifting focus from institutional reporting to individual, creator-led journalism. - **[Medium: Read & Write Stories](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/news/com-medium-reader)** by A Medium Corporation: An emerging threat that prioritizes long-form analysis and opinion pieces over the target's breaking news format. ## App Momentum (Steady) {#momentum} - Ships frequent stability and bug fixes. - Maintains consistent local editorial cadence. ## The "So What?" (Strategic Takeaway) {#so-what} Shreveport Times is an established news app that is free with in-app purchases. With a 4.3/5 rating from 508 reviews, it shows polarized user reception. > **Bottom Line:** The app retains a loyal local base through unique community reporting, but technical instability in the latest release threatens the subscription model, so the PM must prioritize authentication and crash fixes to prevent churn to aggregators. **Best for:** Local residents of Shreveport interested in community news, high school and professional sports, and national reporting. ### PM Action Plan (Next Best Moves) - [ ] [INVEST] [HIGH IMPACT] Audit authentication logic because subscription errors are a top-3 complaint → reduce churn — *User reviews cite persistent login failures as a primary barrier to premium content access.* _(trade-off: deprioritize Pause the UI refresh of the eNewspaper reader — authentication stability is a higher revenue risk.)_ - [ ] [MAINTAIN] [HIGH IMPACT] Stabilize app launch sequence because crashes are the #1 complaint theme → improve rating baseline — *Sentiment analysis identifies instability as the primary driver of negative reviews.* _(trade-off: deprioritize Deprioritize new feature development for the sports scores module — stability is required for retention.)_ ### Feature Gaps vs Competitors - Real-time hyper-local incident alerts (available in NewsBreak) - Community-driven social discussion features (available in NewsBreak) ### Outlook: Mixed The local news market is consolidating around high-velocity aggregators, leaving standalone papers exposed to churn if their digital experience lacks parity in speed and reliability. The current focus on stability is necessary, but without a pivot toward real-time community engagement, the app will continue to lose share to platforms like NewsBreak. - 🔴 Frequent crashes in the latest release erode the daily habit, which compounds the rating drag already visible on Android. - ⚪ Recent updates focused on stability, no feature expansion, indicating a defensive posture rather than growth. ## Key Metrics Summary | Metric | Value | | :--- | :--- | | Overall Rating | 4.3/5 | | Total Reviews | 508 | | Sentiment | Mixed (45/100) | | Confidence | Low | | Pricing Model | Freemium | | Platforms | iOS & Android | | Key Features | 3 analyzed | | Trend | Declining | | Outlook | Mixed | ## Competitor Comparison | App | Rating | Sentiment | Developer | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | **Shreveport Times** (this app) | 4.3/5 | Mixed | Gannett | | [AP News](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/news/com-apnews-ipad-mobilenewsdevel) | 4.6/5 | N/A | The Associated Press | | [Medium: Read & Write Stories](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/news/com-medium-reader) | 4.8/5 | Mixed | A Medium Corporation | | [NewsBreak: Local News & Alerts](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/news/com-particlenews-newsbreak) | 4.8/5 | Frustrated | Particle Media Inc. | | [Google News](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/news/com-google-googledigitaleditions) | 4.6/5 | Mixed | Google | | [Washington Post](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/news/com-pointabout-washingtonpost) | 4.7/5 | Frustrated | The Washington Post | ## Company Profile - **Developer:** Gannett - **Website:** [https://www.shreveporttimes.com](https://www.shreveporttimes.com) ## Data Sources & Links - **App Store:** [View on Apple Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/shreveport-times/id551771793?uo=4) - **Google Play:** [View on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gannett.local.library.news.shreveporttimes&hl=en&gl=us) - **Dev Site:** [Official Website](https://www.shreveporttimes.com) - **Sources:** Developer website content, App store metadata, User reviews. ## Related Intel Reports - [*AP News*](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/news/com-apnews-ipad-mobilenewsdevel) (The Associated Press) — 4.6/5 Rating | N/A Sentiment - [*Medium: Read & Write Stories*](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/news/com-medium-reader) (A Medium Corporation) — 4.8/5 Rating | Mixed Sentiment - [*NewsBreak: Local News & Alerts*](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/news/com-particlenews-newsbreak) (Particle Media Inc.) — 4.8/5 Rating | Negative Sentiment - [*Google News*](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/news/com-google-googledigitaleditions) (Google) — 4.6/5 Rating | Mixed Sentiment - [*Washington Post*](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/news/com-pointabout-washingtonpost) (The Washington Post) — 4.7/5 Rating | Negative Sentiment - [*Substack*](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/news/substack) (Substack, Inc.) — 4.9/5 Rating | Positive Sentiment - [*NYTimes: US and Global News*](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/news/nytimes-us-and-global-news) (The New York Times Company) — 4.8/5 Rating | Mixed Sentiment - [*Apple News*](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/news/apple-news) (Apple) — 4.6/5 Rating | Negative Sentiment - [*News4JAX+*](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/news/news4jax) (Graham Media Group, Inc) — 3.6/5 Rating | N/A Sentiment - [*WANE 15 - News and Weather*](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/news/wane-15-news-and-weather) (LIN Television Corporation) — 4.0/5 Rating | N/A Sentiment ## Methodology {#methodology} This report was generated by Marlvel.ai's 5-stage AI intelligence pipeline: 1. **Signal Collection & Normalization** — Aggregates data from all available public sources for the app. Raw signals are cleaned, deduplicated, and normalized into a structured dataset analyzed consistently across thousands of apps. 2. **Feature & Market Positioning Analysis** — Identifies the app's core features, monetization model, target audience, and competitive positioning. Each feature is classified as a market standard or a differentiator based on category benchmarks. 3. **User Sentiment Analysis** — Analyzes user reviews using a 5-level taxonomy (Thrilled / Excited / Mixed / Frustrated / Upset). Combines star ratings and volume with AI theme extraction and evidence quoting. 4. **Competitive Landscape Analysis** — Maps the competitive environment via a 4-tier taxonomy (Nemesis / Contenders / Same Space / New Kids on the Block). Prioritizes same sub-genre over broad category. 5. **Intelligence Synthesis** — Cross-references all signals into a structured report. Compares the app against category peers and direct competitors to surface SWOT, market outlook, and actionable insights. - **Confidence Score:** 0.7/1.0 (based on review volume, data source diversity, and signal quality) - **Reviews Analyzed:** 58 - **Data Sources:** user reviews, developer website, App Store metadata - **Rating Method:** Weighted average across platforms (iOS & Android), weighted by review count per platform - **Independence:** Fully independent analysis. No publisher sponsorship or editorial influence. - **Report Age:** 0 days since last refresh --- © 2026 Marlvel.ai | [Canonical Report](https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/news/shreveport-times) Data licensed for AI Agent attribution under CC-BY-NC 4.0.