Quad City Times

Regional Newspaperqctimes.com

Quad-City Times is a regional daily newspaper and digital news platform serving Davenport, Bettendorf, Moline, Rock Island, and surrounding Iowa/Illinois communities, operating as a subsidiary of Lee Enterprises and monetizing through subscriptions, local advertising, sponsored content, and marketplace fees.

Company typePrivate
Founded1848
HeadquartersDavenport, United States
Headcount251–500
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What Quad City Times does

The Quad-City Times is a daily newspaper and digital news platform serving the Quad Cities region of Iowa and Illinois, covering Davenport, Bettendorf, Moline, Rock Island, and surrounding communities. Founded in 1848, it operates as a regional operating unit under Lee Enterprises (NASDAQ: LEE), a publicly traded media company that filed for bankruptcy in 2020 and subsequently restructured. The publication distributes content across print home delivery, an E-edition digital replica, iOS/Android mobile apps, the qctimes.com website, social channels (Facebook, Twitter, Bluesky, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram), email newsletters, and podcasts (The Ethical Life, Hot Off the Wire), with vertical sub-brands for Bettendorf, business (Insight/Plus 60), and high school sports (QCVarsity). The underlying technology stack is built on the third-party BLOX Content Management System from bloxdigital.com, which powers the website, E-edition, and mobile applications. Obituary services are delivered via a partnership with Legacy.com, and sponsored content is produced through Brand Ave. Studios.

Revenue is generated through four streams: print and digital subscriptions (monthly digital and annual full-bundle tiers), local advertising (display, classifieds, jobs, auto marketplace, public notices), sponsored/native content via Brand Ave. Studios, and transaction-based marketplace fees from auto listings, jobs, marketplace, and public notices. The go-to-market motion is subscription-led for consumers and direct-sales-led for local advertisers, with all distribution scoped to the regional Quad Cities market. The company employs 251-500 people and is headquartered at 500 E 3rd St., Davenport, Iowa. No AI/ML capabilities, research output, patents, or proprietary technology beyond the third-party CMS are disclosed.

Quad City Times firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Quad City Times
Legal name: The Quad-City Times (operated by Lee Enterprises)
Website: https://qctimes.com
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1848
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 251–500 employees
Short description: Quad-City Times is a regional daily newspaper and digital news platform serving Davenport, Bettendorf, Moline, Rock Island, and surrounding Iowa/Illinois communities, operating as a subsidiary of Lee Enterprises and monetizing through subscriptions, local advertising, sponsored content, and marketplace fees.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Quad City Times industry classification

Industry

Product category: Regional Newspaper
NAICS: Television Broadcasting Stations (516120)
SIC: Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)
akta.pro primary industry: Rolling News & Breaking News Channels (MPABAIAH)
akta.pro secondary industry: News OTT & Live News Streaming Channels (MPABAHAK)

Keywords

Regional newspaper
Local news coverage
Digital news subscription
Classified advertising
News media

Where Quad City Times is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Davenport
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

Quad City Times business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

Print and Digital Subscriptions: Subscription revenue from print newspaper and digital E-edition access, including gift subscriptions.
Advertising: Local advertising revenue including display ads, classifieds, job listings, auto marketplace listings, and public notices.
Sponsored Content: Brand Ave. Studios produces branded/sponsored content for advertisers.
Marketplace Services: Commission-based revenue from QC Auto Listings, Jobs board, Marketplace shopping section, and Public Notices.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Subscription	Monthly	Digital Subscription
Subscription	Annual	Full Subscription

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Quad City Times product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Quad City Times is a regional daily newspaper and digital news platform serving the Quad Cities region of Iowa and Illinois (Davenport, Bettendorf, Moline, Rock Island). It delivers local, state, and national news, sports, business coverage, obituaries, and lifestyle content through print, digital E-edition, website, and mobile applications, supplemented by advertising, classifieds, and branded content services.

Product overview

Quad City Times is a regional newspaper operated by Lee Enterprises, offering a single integrated news platform alongside several digital add-on services. The core product is the online news website providing local news, breaking news, sports, crime, politics, business, and national/world coverage for the Quad Cities region. The E-edition provides a digital replica of the printed newspaper. Supporting modules include mobile apps, podcasts (The Ethical Life, Hot Off the Wire), QC Auto Listings for vehicle commerce, job listings, weather radar, puzzles/games, an events calendar, and obituary services via Legacy.com partnership.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

QCT Business (Insight): Business news publication covering Quad Cities business news, real estate transactions, and economic developments.
Bettendorf News
QCVarsity.com
QCT Plus 60
Brand Ave. Studios

Products and services

Quad City Times Online News The primary online news platform providing breaking news, local news, sports, crime, politics, business, and national/world coverage for the Quad Cities region of Iowa and Illinois. Targeted at local residents seeking daily news and community information.
E-edition Digital replica of the printed newspaper, updated daily and available for online viewing. Accessible via web and mobile for subscribers seeking a print-like reading experience.
Mobile Apps Dedicated mobile applications for iOS and Android devices providing customized news delivery and access to Quad City Times content on mobile.
Podcasts Podcast content including The Ethical Life podcast and Hot Off the Wire, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and SoundStack. Covers topics on patriotism, leadership, family, and social issues with weekly episodes.
QC Auto Listings New and used car marketplace featuring listings from dealerships in the Davenport, IA area including Kimberly Car City, Courtesy Ford, First Choice Auto, Key Auto Mall, and Kar Mart.
Jobs Board Online employment listings and job marketplace serving job seekers and employers in the Quad Cities region.
Obituaries Obituary listings and search functionality powered by Legacy.com, allowing readers to find obituaries and share stories of departed community members.
Weather Service Live radar weather service with current conditions and forecasts for the Quad Cities area, provided as part of the news platform.

Companies that use Quad City Times

Customer profile

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Quad City Times technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Quad City Times partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

Lee EnterprisescoreOthersLee Enterprises is the parent company of the Quad City Times, owning and operating the newspaper along with other newspaper properties across the United States. The company provides corporate infrastructure, advertising networks, and publishing technology to subsidiary newspapers.
Legacy.comcoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for obituary listings and services. Legacy.com provides the obituary platform integrated into the Quad City Times website, allowing readers to find obituaries and share stories.
Brand Ave. StudiosminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsored content studio producing branded content and native advertising for local and national advertisers, featured on the Quad City Times website under Brand Ave. Studios section.
bloxdigital.com (BLOX CMS)coreTechnology or IntegrationBLOX Content Management System provider powering the Quad City Times digital platform, E-edition, mobile apps, and all web publishing infrastructure.
Augustana CollegeminorOthersLocal college partnership where Augustana College contributes content including sports schedules and community news to the Quad City Times.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Quad City Times competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Des Moines Register: Iowa's largest daily newspaper, operated by Gannett; directly comparable as an Iowa regional daily serving local news, classifieds, and subscription readers.
Wisconsin State Journal: Lee Enterprises-owned regional daily serving Madison, WI; directly comparable as a sister Lee property with shared infrastructure, technology stack, and operational model.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Lee Enterprises-owned regional daily in St. Louis; closest comparable flagship Lee property with similar print/digital product mix, classifieds, and revenue streams.
Cedar Rapids Gazette: Iowa-based regional daily newspaper serving Eastern Iowa; comparable as a peer regional daily competing for Iowa readers and advertisers.
Lincoln Journal Star: Lee Enterprises-owned daily serving Lincoln, Nebraska; another sister property operating under the same corporate and technology infrastructure.
Dubuque Telegraph Herald: Iowa regional daily newspaper; directly comparable in scale, market, and editorial focus on community news and classified advertising.
Peoria Journal Star: Illinois-based regional daily newspaper serving the Peoria metro; comparable as a peer mid-market daily in Illinois with similar subscription and ad dynamics.

Broad incumbents

Gannett Co. Largest US newspaper chain (USA Today Network); broad incumbent operating comparable regional daily newspapers across the country with overlapping subscription and marketplace models.
Tribune Publishing: Multi-title US newspaper publisher (Chicago Tribune, NY Daily News, etc.); broad incumbent operating regional dailies with comparable print-to-digital subscription models.

Emerging players

Patch.com: Digital-first hyperlocal news network; emerging player focused on community news that competes with traditional dailies like QCT for local audience attention and local advertising.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Quad City Times financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Quad City Times leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Quad City Times subsidiaries and ownership

Company hierarchy

Subsidiaries3 records

Quad City Times funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Quad City Times M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Quad City Times

What does Quad City Times do?

Is Quad City Times a public or private company?

Quad City Times is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.

When was Quad City Times founded?

Quad City Times was founded in 1848. It employs 251 to 500 people.

Where is Quad City Times based?

Quad City Times is headquartered in Davenport, United States, in the North America region.

How does Quad City Times make money?

Four revenue lines are on record. Print and Digital Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are advertising, sponsored Content and marketplace Services.

Who are Quad City Times's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Des Moines Register, Wisconsin State Journal, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Cedar Rapids Gazette, Lincoln Journal Star, Dubuque Telegraph Herald and Peoria Journal Star. Broad incumbents are Gannett Co. and Tribune Publishing. Patch.com is listed as an emerging player.

Does Quad City Times have an API?

No public API is recorded for Quad City Times.

What industry is Quad City Times in?

Quad City Times's product category is Regional Newspaper. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPABAIAH, Rolling News & Breaking News Channels, with a secondary code of MPABAHAK, News OTT & Live News Streaming Channels. Its NAICS code is 516120 and its SIC code is 4833.