Centre Daily Times

What Centre Daily Times does

Centre Daily Times is a local daily newspaper serving State College and Centre County, Pennsylvania, operating as a subsidiary brand within the McClatchy Media Network. Founded in 1898, the publication is the primary source of local news, Penn State University athletics coverage, community events, obituaries, classifieds, and weather for residents of State College, Bellefonte, Penns Valley, Philipsburg, and surrounding communities. Its content portfolio extends across breaking news, opinion columns, sports verticals for Penn State football/basketball/baseball/hockey/wrestling, and engagement features such as daily crossword and Sudoku puzzles, plus a Penn State alumni-oriented vertical.

The business operates a dual-channel print and digital platform. Distribution spans a website, native iOS and Android mobile applications, a digital E-Edition replica, email newsletters, and print home delivery, alongside a broad social media footprint on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. The technology layer is a standard McClatchy publishing platform with shared advertising sales, classifieds marketplace, obituary placement, and authentication/account management infrastructure across the network. Editorial sub-brands such as Reality Check (accountability reporting), Uniquely (feature series), and Centre County Favorites (local business guide) provide vertical differentiation within the broader publication.

Monetization is built on three pillars: digital subscriptions ($1.99 introductory then $15.99/month, or $159.99/year), print home delivery subscriptions (auto-renewing), and advertising revenue spanning display, classifieds, obituaries, celebrations, and recruitment listings — all transacted through McClatchy Advertising. The customer base comprises Centre County residents as the primary segment, with the Penn State student/faculty/alumni/fan community as a secondary segment. Leadership includes President Adrian Pratt, President and Publisher Janet Santostefano, and Human Resources Director Karen Mrsa. Headcount is 51-100 employees.

Name

Centre Daily Times

Legal name

Centre Daily Times

Website

https://centredaily.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1898

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Centre Daily Times is a 1898-founded local daily newspaper serving State College and Centre County, Pennsylvania, operated within the McClatchy Media Network. It delivers local news, Penn State athletics coverage, classifieds, obituaries, and community information to residents and the Penn State community via digital subscriptions, print, and mobile channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local News Media

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Subscription & Fulfillment Services (Print & Digital) (MPAJAKAB)

Keywords

• Local newspaper
• Digital news subscription
• Local news coverage
• Classified advertising
• College sports coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

State College

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Digital Subscriptions: Monthly and annual digital subscription plans providing unlimited access to website content, e-edition, and mobile apps. Subscriptions auto-renew after initial term.
2. Print Subscriptions: Home delivery subscription for print edition of the newspaper.
3. Advertising: Display advertising, classified ads, obituaries, and celebration ads sold to local businesses and readers.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Centre Daily Times publishes local news and information for Centre County, Pennsylvania, and the Penn State University community across digital and print channels. The publication operates a metered digital subscription model, a print home delivery subscription, and sells display, classified, obituary, and celebration advertising. It functions as the McClatchy Media Network's State College market publication.

Product overview

Centre Daily Times operates as a local digital news platform offering a core digital subscription product that provides unlimited access to breaking news, local coverage, and exclusive digital content. The product portfolio includes the E-Edition digital replica of the print newspaper, mobile apps for iOS and Android, and entertainment offerings such as Daily Crossword and Daily Sudoku puzzles. Additional services include newsletters for targeted content delivery, classifieds marketplace, obituary listings, weather news coverage, and extensive Penn State sports coverage. The platform functions as a unified digital news service within the McClatchy Media Network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Centre County Favorites: A local guide featuring community favorites including businesses, events, and attractions in Centre County.
• Reality Check
• Uniquely

Products and services

• Digital Subscription

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• McClatchycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCentre Daily Times is part of the McClatchy Media Network. The site displays McClatchy branding and is operated under McClatchy's corporate structure. McClatchy Advertising handles ad sales and placement across the network.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• StateCollege.com: Digital-first local news and community site covering State College and Centre County. It is the closest direct competitor to Centre Daily Times for local news readership, advertising, and event/community coverage in the same geographic market.
• The Daily Collegian: Penn State's student-run daily newspaper covering university news, sports, and opinion. It overlaps directly with Centre Daily Times on Penn State sports and campus coverage, though it primarily serves the student demographic.

Regional players

• The Philadelphia Inquirer: Pennsylvania's largest daily newspaper based in Philadelphia. Comparable as a state-level print and digital news operation covering Pennsylvania politics, sports, and local news, though operating in a different (larger) regional market.
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Major Pennsylvania daily newspaper serving the Pittsburgh market. Comparable as a regional daily with similar print/digital subscription and advertising model, but operating in western Pennsylvania rather than Centre County.
• WPSU Penn State: Penn State-affiliated public radio and TV station covering Centre County and central Pennsylvania. Comparable as a local public-affairs media outlet competing for the same audience attention and local/community storytelling share.
• Altoona Mirror: Daily newspaper serving Altoona and Blair County, Pennsylvania — a nearby regional market with similar mid-sized, working-class local readership. Comparable as a peer-sized community daily with print and digital subscription offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Gannett / USA TODAY Network: Largest U.S. newspaper publisher, operating hundreds of local daily and weekly titles including many that compete with Centre Daily Times in adjacent Pennsylvania markets (e.g., York Daily Record). Relevant as the dominant scale incumbent in local U.S. newspaper publishing.
• Tribune Publishing: Multi-market U.S. newspaper operator (Chicago Tribune, New York Daily News, etc.). Comparable as a broad incumbent owning multiple regional daily brands with digital subscription and advertising models analogous to Centre Daily Times'.
• Lee Enterprises: Operator of mid-market daily newspapers across the U.S. Closely comparable business model — community-focused dailies monetized through subscriptions and advertising — and a relevant benchmark for local newspaper economics.

Emerging players

• Spotlight PA: Nonprofit collaborative statewide investigative newsroom covering Pennsylvania government and accountability issues. Comparable as a Pennsylvania-focused news brand increasingly competing for the same civic-news reader and grant/funding ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/centredaily
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CentreDaily
• Facebookfacebook.com/centredaily
• Instagraminstagram.com/centredailytimes
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centre-daily-times

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Centre Daily Times