We started Five Mountains in response to local newsroom needs for help with niche digital projects and strategies. We launched Byline.net to combine that service with hosting tailored to local news organizations running WordPress who need more customization than an off-the-shelf platform and more focus on the needs of newsrooms than a giant managed host.

Our technology

We work with an experienced technology vendor with many years of experience hosting some of the most challenging WordPress sites on the internet. By buying their service “wholesale” we can offer their tech stack and expertise to smaller news organizations in combination with our digital services consulting and custom development.

We can support nearly any server or VPS provider (we have some favorites we can steer you towards, but can work with your specific needs as well).

Transparent ownership and aligned incentives

Five Mountains is owned and run by David Purdy, a journalist, software engineer, and producer with over a decade of newsroom and digital journalism support experience.

We are a privately-held Washington-state based LLC without outside investors, on a mission to support quality journalism and local media with a sustainable business model.