InForum

What InForum does

InForum is the digital publishing platform of The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead, a regional newspaper founded in 1890 and now operated by privately held parent Forum Communications Company. The publication serves the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area and broader North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota markets, delivering local news, sports, weather, obituaries, business coverage, lifestyle content, opinion, and classifieds to regional consumers. InForum reaches audiences through a multi-channel footprint that includes the inforum.com website, native iOS and Android mobile applications, a digital e-paper replica, the WDAY+ over-the-top streaming service, and affiliated broadcast television via WDAY Channel 6. The organization also operates a podcast network (Hot Mic with Dom Izzo, Bison Media Zone, InForum Minute, Plain Talk, UND Hockey Podcast, Happy Hour with John Gaskins, and others), the Best of the Midwest lifestyle guide, and the Agweek specialty agricultural publication as an acquired-but-retained brand.

InForum's core technology is a content management and distribution platform built around the Forum Communications digital infrastructure (Brightspot-based CMS per the CDN asset paths), supporting multi-format publishing across web, mobile, e-paper, and streaming surfaces. The WDAY+ streaming service is integrated with WDAY's broadcast sports and news operations, enabling live and on-demand video. The company monetizes through three primary streams: digital and print advertising (retail, classifieds, legal, employment), recurring consumer subscriptions (digital, e-paper, WDAY+, bundled print delivery) with promotional acquisition pricing at $2 for six months, and transaction-based revenue from classifieds, public notices, and obituaries. Customers split between regional consumer subscribers/readers and local businesses purchasing advertising and classified placements, with dedicated sales lines for retail advertising, legal ads, employment, auctions, and obituaries indicating a structured B2B sales motion alongside the consumer GTM. The newsroom is led by Editor-in-chief Matthew Von Pinnon, with separate broadcast leadership at WDAY under news director Jeff Nelson.

Name

InForum

Legal name

InForum

Website

https://inforum.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1890

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

InForum is the digital and multi-platform news operation of The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead, serving regional consumers and local advertisers across North Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota with local news, sports, weather, obituaries, classifieds, streaming video (WDAY+), and broadcast television (WDAY), owned by Forum Communications Company.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional News Media

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations (5161), Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Television Broadcasting Stations (4833), Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Consumer News & Digital Newsrooms (Web/App-First) (MPAJADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ), News/Talk Radio Networks (MPABABAD), Talk/News/Sports Radio Networks & Syndication (MPAIAEAG)

Keywords

• Regional news publishing
• Digital news media
• Newspaper subscriptions
• Local advertising sales
• Broadcast journalism

Headquarters

HQ city

Fargo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Digital and Print Advertising: Primary revenue stream from retail advertising, classifieds, legal ads, and employment ads across digital and print platforms
2. Subscription Revenue: Paid digital subscriptions and print subscriptions including e-paper access
3. Classifieds and Public Notices: Revenue from classifieds including business announcements, milestones, obituaries, auctions, and public notices

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

InForum publishes local and regional news, sports, weather, obituaries, business coverage, and lifestyle content for the Fargo-Moorhead area and broader North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota markets through its website, mobile apps, e-paper, podcast network, WDAY+ streaming service, and affiliated broadcast television station WDAY. It sells digital/print subscriptions to consumers and advertising (display, classifieds, legal notices, employment, TV, commercial printing) to local and regional businesses across these platforms.

Product overview

InForum operates as a multi-platform digital news organization offering a primary news website supplemented by mobile applications, a streaming video service (WDAY+), broadcast television (WDAY), a podcast network, and specialty publications (Agweek). The product portfolio includes digital advertising services, classifieds marketplace, public notice publishing, and lifestyle content through the Best of the Midwest guide. Content distribution spans the InForum website, mobile apps, e-paper editions, OTT streaming, podcast platforms, and social media channels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• InForum News Website Primary digital news platform covering local news, sports, weather, business, and lifestyle content for the Fargo-Moorhead region and broader North Dakota and Minnesota markets.
• InForum Mobile App (iOS/Android) Native mobile applications for iOS and Android providing access to news content, streaming video, and account management for InForum subscribers on mobile devices.
• WDAY+ Streaming Service Over-the-top (OTT) streaming service offering live sports broadcasts (including Bison athletics and WDAY Sports+), local news video content, and on-demand video programming from the WDAY television station.
• InForum E-Paper Digital replica edition of The Forum newspaper allowing subscribers to read the full print publication in electronic format.
• Classifieds / JobsHQ Online classified advertising platform featuring employment listings (JobsHQ), automotive sales, real estate, auctions, and general classifieds operated in partnership with Forum Communications.
• Public Notices Platform for publishing and accessing legal public notices for Minnesota and North Dakota, enabling citizens to view official government and legal announcements.
• Best of the Midwest (Fargo-Moorhead) Curated local lifestyle guide showcasing best restaurants, hotels, attractions, and activities in the Fargo-Moorhead region, including the annual Best of the Best 2025 awards.
• InForum Podcast Network Collection of podcast shows including Hot Mic with Dom Izzo, Bison Media Zone, InForum Minute, Plain Talk, Plain Money Talk (presented by Bell Bank), UND Hockey Podcast, Happy Hour with John Gaskins, and other regional interest podcasts covering North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota.
• WDAY Television Station Local broadcast television station (Channel 6) in Fargo providing local news, weather, sports coverage, and syndicated programming, operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of Forum Communications Company.
• Agweek Agricultural news publication covering farming, ranching, and agribusiness industry news, technology, and policy, operated as a wholly owned specialty brand of Forum Communications Company.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Bell BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBell Bank sponsors the Plain Money Talk podcast presented by InForum, featuring financial advice content hosted by Duluth News Tribune's Jay Gabler with rotating Bell Bank financial experts.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lee Enterprises: Lee Enterprises is a major U.S. operator of mid-size regional daily newspapers and digital news platforms, with a subscription and advertising model that mirrors InForum's regional newspaper and digital subscription approach.
• McClatchy: McClatchy operates regional daily newspapers across the U.S. with a digital subscription and advertising model that closely parallels InForum's regional news and subscriber-driven business.
• Tribune Publishing: Tribune Publishing runs regional dailies plus digital news platforms with subscription and advertising revenue, comparable to InForum's print + digital news + local-market focus.
• Forum Communications Company: Forum Communications Company is the private parent of InForum, operating sister publications across ND, SD, and MN with shared ad sales, classifieds, and broadcast assets—InForum's most direct structural peer and corporate sibling.
• Duluth News Tribune (Forum sister paper): A Forum Communications sister publication serving Duluth, MN with print, digital subscription, and local news advertising—offering the most direct regional comparable to InForum's operations inside the same corporate family.
• The Bismarck Tribune: Another Forum Communications regional daily serving North Dakota (Bismarck), with the same print + digital subscription + classifieds + local advertising stack that InForum operates in Fargo-Moorhead.

Broad incumbents

• Gannett Co. Gannett is the largest U.S. newspaper chain (USA Today Network), operating hundreds of local daily newspapers with print, digital subscription, and advertising revenues—directly comparable to InForum's blended print/digital monetization.
• Hearst Media (Newspapers): Hearst operates a portfolio of regional daily newspapers (and broadcast) with diversified revenue across print, digital subscriptions, and advertising—broadly similar to Forum Communications' integrated model around InForum.
• Gray Television: Gray Television is a major U.S. local broadcast television operator (including affiliated news). WDAY's broadcast operations mirror Gray's local TV plus digital news strategy targeting regional audiences.
• Nexstar Media Group: Nexstar is the largest U.S. TV broadcaster, with affiliated local news, sports, and digital content distribution—paralleling WDAY/WDAY+ integrated broadcast and streaming model at InForum.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/inforum
• Facebookfacebook.com/inforumFM
• Instagraminstagram.com/inforumfm
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/inforumfargo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries2 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 InForum