The Monroe Journal

What The Monroe Journal does

The Monroe Journal is a privately held local newspaper publisher founded in 1866 and headquartered in Monroeville, Alabama. Its primary editorial footprint is Monroe County, Alabama, with regional coverage extending into the Montgomery, Alabama market and Arkansas (Fort Smith) through dedicated sections for the Alabama Crimson Tide, Auburn Tigers, and Arkansas Razorbacks. The publication operates as a two-format product: a print newspaper of record and a digital E-Edition delivered through a viewer hosted on a third-party newspaper platform (WebsitesForNewspapers.com).

The core product stack consists of the print edition, the E-Edition digital viewer, email-delivered Breaking News Alerts, an interactive Crossword module, a Legal Notices section that serves the publisher's statutory role in Monroe County, and rate-card-based advertising placements. The website is the central distribution surface, organized into syndicated category feeds (US, Sports, Entertainment, Technology, Politics, World, Business, Health) alongside the locally produced Monroe County reporting. Payments are processed by third-party providers; the publisher does not store card data, and a first-party email signup is used for breaking-news distribution and retention.

The business model combines two revenue streams: (1) recurring annual subscriptions for digital E-Edition access, with specific tiers and pricing not publicly disclosed, and (2) third-party display advertising, primarily through Google AdSense. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the publisher's own website, with a self-serve subscription funnel. The company is a micro-publisher — between 1 and 10 employees — with no disclosed parent company, no funding rounds, no M&A activity, and no management team biographies available in source materials. There is no evidence of in-house AI/ML capability; analytics are handled via Matomo or Google Analytics, and content distribution relies on standard CMS and email tooling.

Name

The Monroe Journal

Legal name

The Monroe Journal

Website

https://monroejournal.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1866

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Monroe Journal is a privately held local newspaper founded in 1866 in Monroeville, Alabama, serving Monroe County readers with a print edition, digital E-Edition, breaking news email alerts, and legal notice publication on a WebsitesForNewspapers.com-powered site.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Local newspaper publishing
• Community news coverage
• Digital newspaper subscription
• Print media advertising
• Regional news content

Headquarters

HQ city

Monroeville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Subscription Revenue: Recurring subscription fees for E-Edition and digital access to newspaper content. Subscribers pay for access to breaking news alerts and digital archives.
2. Third-Party Advertising: Display advertising through Google AdSense and other third-party ad networks. Revenue generated from impressions and clicks on advertised content.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

The Monroe Journal is a local newspaper publishing company serving Monroe County, Alabama and surrounding regional markets. It publishes a print newspaper along with a digital E-Edition, breaking news email alerts, legal notices, advertising placements, and an interactive crossword feature. Coverage includes local news, Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers sports, Montgomery Alabama regional news, and syndicated national/international content.

Product overview

The Monroe Journal is a local newspaper publishing both print and digital (E-Edition) formats, serving Monroe County, Alabama. The core product is the print newspaper, complemented by the E-Edition digital version. Additional offerings include Breaking News Alerts (email subscription service), Legal Notices section, Advertising Services (with rate cards and circulation data), and a Crossword puzzle feature. The publication covers regional news including Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers sports, Montgomery Alabama coverage, and syndicated national/international content across categories including US, Sports, Entertainment, Technology, Politics, World, Business, and Health.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Monroe Journal (Print Edition) The print edition of The Monroe Journal, a local newspaper providing regional news coverage for Monroe County, Alabama, including sections for legal notices, sports (Alabama Crimson Tide, Auburn Tigers), and Montgomery Alabama regional coverage.
• E-Edition Digital Subscription Digital version of The Monroe Journal newspaper accessible through a dedicated online viewer, allowing subscribers to read the publication digitally along with access to archives.
• Breaking News Alerts Email-based alert service that notifies subscribers of breaking news, sports updates, and weather information as stories develop.
• Advertising Services Print and digital advertising placement services available through rate cards, with circulation information provided to advertisers.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• The Selma Times-Journal: A historic Alabama community newspaper (also founded in the 1800s) covering Dallas County with print and digital editions. Comparable as a legacy regional Alabama paper with subscription and advertising revenue.
• The Atmore Advance: A weekly local newspaper serving Escambia County, Alabama, immediately adjacent to Monroe County. Closely comparable community newspaper with a print/digital hybrid model and similar regional Alabama coverage.
• The Andalusia Star-News: A regional newspaper serving Covington County, Alabama, with print and digital editions plus subscription-based access. Similar small-market Alabama newspaper operating on a comparable editorial and revenue model.
• The Evergreen Courant: A weekly newspaper covering Conecuh County, Alabama — a neighboring rural county in southwest Alabama. Closely comparable in scale, frequency, and small-market community newspaper operations.
• The Clarke County Democrat: Local newspaper covering Clarke County, Alabama — a small rural county in the same southwest Alabama region as Monroe County. Directly comparable in scope, audience, and content mix.
• The Greenville Advocate: A community newspaper serving Butler County, Alabama — a similarly sized rural Alabama county. Like The Monroe Journal, it operates a print edition with digital E-Edition, subscriptions, and advertising, and covers regional Alabama sports. Highly comparable in scale, business model, and target market.

Broad incumbents

• The Dothan Eagle: A larger regional newspaper in southeast Alabama with print and digital editions. Comparable product offering (subscription, E-Edition, advertising) but at a larger geographic scale and broader editorial footprint.
• AL.com (Alabama Media Group / Advance Local): The dominant statewide digital news outlet in Alabama, operated by Advance Local. It directly competes for Alabama Crimson Tide, Auburn Tigers, and regional news traffic, and operates at much broader scale than The Monroe Journal's local focus.

Regional players

• The Troy Messenger: A Pike County, Alabama newspaper that overlaps with The Monroe Journal's regional Alabama sports coverage. Similar community newspaper model but serving a somewhat different geographic audience.

Others

• TownNews (formerly Stephens Media): A major technology and shared-services provider for community newspapers, including websites, digital editions, and advertising platforms. Adjacent to The Monroe Journal as an enabler/platform peer rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/monroe-journal-the

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 The Monroe Journal