Obituary Pirates: What You Should Know About Your Obituaries and Online Revenues
December 1, 2022
At the Funeral Directors Association of Kentucky Mid-Winter Conference I recently attended, one of the speakers talked about obituaries as part of a presentation on funeral websites and social media as they relate to funeral homes. One point that was made numerous times in the presentation was the importance of obituaries as a link to your funeral home’s website, and the profit potential they represent. The presenter pointed out that often times the obituary that you write in conjunction with the family you are serving, can end up on another company’s website.
So what’s the big deal, you ask? Well, if someone from out of town (or even someone from your town) Google’s the deceased person’s name looking for his or her obituary and ends up on a website that has taken the obituary from your funeral home, a few things can happen:
- The person could leave a condolences message for the family THAT WILL NEVER REACH YOUR FAMILY. This happened with the death of my mother this past November. In researching this article, I ran across a number of messages that people had left on the Legacy website through our local paper that never showed up on the website of the funeral home that provided her services.
- The person who is leaving a condolence message or making another contribution on the obituary page may be asked to leave their email address. As the funeral home serving that family, do you know who is behind these companies that are asking for this data or what they could do with this data down the road?
- On these sites it’s relatively easy to order flowers – a potential source of profits for your funeral home. But these profits won’t come your way if the flower order is not made through your funeral home website, where it should be made. And what if the flowers show up at the wrong funeral home, or are never delivered? Who do you think the family that ordered them is going to blame? They will likely presume that your funeral home was involved in the flower order.
The real question is – why would a company take this obituary information? It could be the flower revenue that the company can generate from the obituary, or it could be the collection of email addresses happening and the value of that data. Who knows, but do you want to be “on the hook” for the release of information years down the road?
Here is what you need to know: The obituary that you (and your family) create together is in fact intellectual property and is protected under copyright law. Unfortunately, most third party companies who take the obituaries from the funeral home ignore this. Or worse, some of these companies have contracts in place with local newspapers that cause the obituary to appear on websites other than the funeral homes’.
In her presentation she recommended that you include a copyright notice with every obituary in your fax, e-mail or funeral management program that you use to send the obituary to the newspaper. You should also include this with the obituary on your website’s online obituary pages.
Obituaries can now air on radio alongside television — reaching a quarter of a billion monthly listeners with one click. Plus the Legacy Touch PIN integration, upcoming events, and an on-demand webinar on AI for funeral homes.
A year after integrating with Chptr, Tribute Technology customers can now reach a quarter of a billion monthly radio listeners through the same one-click workflow that already powers televised memorial announcements. WAUNAKEE, Wis. — July 30, 2026 — Tribute Technology today announced that its integration with Chptr now extends beyond local television to include radio through Chptr's expanded partnership with iHeartMedia. Already adopted by more than 100 funeral homes, the expanded integration gives funeral homes access to the television and radio audiences most likely to learn about a passing, attend a service, and support grieving families, all through the same one-click obituary workflow. One year ago, Tribute Technology embedded Chptr's broadcast memorial technology directly into its platform, making it possible for funeral homes to transform an obituary into a professionally produced television memorial announcement without leaving the system they already use every day. Today, that same integration includes nationwide radio distribution alongside television, giving funeral homes access to all 210 U.S. television markets and more than 90 percent of U.S. radio stations reaching a quarter of a billion monthly listeners, all without additional software, data entry, or training. More than 100 funeral homes have already enrolled in the new radio service, reflecting the success of Chptr's existing television integration and the continued demand for trusted broadcast memorial announcements. For funeral homes, the value of broadcast isn't simply reach. It's reaching the right audience. Adults 55 and older remain among the most loyal local television viewers, while radio reaches 87% of U.S. adults every week, more than any other single media platform. Together, television and radio continue to be among the nation's most trusted sources of local news and information, making them uniquely effective channels for community memorial announcements. "This is exactly what we look for in a partnership," said J.B. Showalter, Senior Vice President of Partnerships at Chptr. "Tribute Technology already sits inside the daily workflow of thousands of funeral homes. Bringing our production platform, media partnerships, and nationwide television and radio distribution into that same workflow means families get a meaningful new way to share the news of a passing, without asking funeral professionals to change how they already serve families." For families, the expanded integration means memorial announcements can now reach more of the people whose lives were touched through the trusted local media they already know. For funeral homes, it provides another meaningful way to serve families while reinforcing their role as a trusted community resource. "Over the last year, we've seen that families truly value having their loved one's obituary shared on local television," said Anthony Harris, Location Manager at Oak Hill Funeral and Cremation Services. "No single place reaches everyone. Some people watch the news. Others hear the local radio station on the way to work. Adding radio gives us another trusted way to help families reach more of the people who would want to know. It's another meaningful service we can provide with every arrangement." The addition of radio builds on a year of successful television distribution through the existing Tribute Technology integration. "Our responsibility is to continually strengthen the platform funeral homes depend on every day," said Craig Greenseid, CEO of Tribute Technology. "When we can bring meaningful new capabilities into that workflow without adding complexity, our customers benefit. Expanding our integration with Chptr is another example of our commitment to helping funeral professionals better serve families through the technology they already trust." The expanded integration is now available to all Tribute Technology customers. Learn more at Tribute Spotlights | TV Obituaries | Tribute Technology . About Tribute Technology Tribute Technology is a leading provider of software and services for the death care profession, helping funeral homes, cemeteries, crematories, and online publishers better serve families through connected technology. Its integrated platform simplifies operations, strengthens family engagement, and powers one of North America's largest digital obituary networks. More than 9,000 funeral homes rely on Tribute Technology solutions to support the families they serve. About Chptr Founded in 2020 and headquartered in New York, Chptr is building the distribution network for community storytelling. The company's Broadcast, Social, Video, and Slideshows offerings help funeral homes extend the reach of remembrance, connecting families with the communities that knew and cared about their loved ones. By partnering with funeral homes and media organizations, Chptr ensures life's most meaningful stories reach the people who matter most while keeping funeral professionals at the center of the experience.
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