Thirty-two years after it was launched in the second bedroom of a Denver apartment, 5280 has a new owner. Charity Huff, a Denver-based digital media entrepreneur, has acquired the award-winning magazine and website.
Huff has pledged to grow 5280’s digital and experiential platforms while preserving the high-quality journalism that has made 5280 one of America’s most respected city and regional magazines.
“5280 is so much more than a collection of articles,” Huff says. “It’s a living, breathing expression of what it feels like to live in Colorado. My intent is for this transition to be as exciting for everyone else as it is for me. I want our team, subscribers, advertisers, and everyone who loves Colorado to be part of 5280’s continuing transformation into a multimedia brand that delivers an unmatched experience for its audience and advertisers.”
Daniel Brogan, 5280’s founder, says that maintaining the magazine’s local and independent ownership was paramount in selecting who would carry on its legacy. “I wanted to find a new owner who cares about Denver and sees our community as more than just a piggy bank. Charity is that person,” Brogan says. “She’s fully committed to our local team and our local community. I’m excited to see 5280 flourish and grow under her leadership.”
Over the course of its three-decade history, 5280 has twice won a National Magazine Award, the magazine industry’s highest honor, and has been a finalist for the award on 12 other occasions. It was named the best big-city magazine by the City & Regional Magazine Association (CRMA) in 2018 and 2020. CRMA selected 5280.com as the best city magazine website in 2020.
5280’s readers have come to know the print magazine and its companion website as the essential guide to life in the Mile High City, with a compelling mix of smart reader service and deeply reported stories with the power to affect change.
Earlier this year, the magazine played a key role in the release of John Red Cloud, a man who had been imprisoned in Colorado on a dubious parole violation. After reading 5280’s June 2024 story, Colorado state Representatives Judy Amabile and Mike Weissman submitted a joint letter to a parole review board that supported Red Cloud’s release. “The state is moving in the wrong direction, in terms of reform. 5280 brought a bright light to this,” Amabile said.
With a total distribution of 55,000 copies per issue, the magazine is read by 355,500 people each month, according to the Circulation Verification Council, an independent auditor. It is sold on more than 300 newsstands throughout Colorado and has more than 300,000 unique followers across various social media platforms.
First published in July 1993, 5280 will now be owned by 5280 Elevated, Inc., a new company formed by Huff. Since 2007, she has founded or co-founded three other digital media companies, including Tru Measure, which built an advertising analytics platform used by the majority of the publishers, digital ad agencies, and ad-tech platforms in the United States, Europe, Australia, and Central America. That business was acquired by the McClatchy Company in 2013.
More recently, Huff launched January Spring, a digital marketing agency she still heads that partners with niche publishers to grow their membership, event attendance, and subscribers using a proven combination of targeted, programmatic display, social media, and search. Based in Denver, but with clients throughout North America, January Spring serves 180 publishers of all shapes and sizes.
Huff currently serves on the board of directors for Questor Corp, EnVision, and Recruiting Innovation. She has previously served on the boards of Swift Communications, Inc., Women’s Leadership Foundation, and Family to Family Support Network.
Throughout its history, 5280 has supported hundreds of local civic and charitable organizations, a practice Huff says will continue under her ownership.
“This brand has always been about the amazing community it serves and reflects,” Huff says. “I look forward to finding new ways to celebrate the innovators and icons that make Colorado such a special place.”
