The Monroe Times

What The Monroe Times does

The Monroe Times is a privately held community newspaper serving Monroe, Green County, and Lafayette County in southern Wisconsin, founded in 1898 and continuously published since. It operates as the sole local newspaper for the community since 1927, with 1-10 employees and a footprint covering 10 local schools' sports programs. The publication is owned by Morris Newspaper Corporation of Wisconsin, a regional newspaper conglomerate that publishes 11 papers across Wisconsin, having acquired The Monroe Times from Bliss Communications in February 2017.

The company's core product is a print newspaper supplemented by a digital e-edition subscription, both distributed via the Anvil CMS-based website themonroetimes.com. Additional revenue products include display and classified advertising, legal notice placements for county governments, photo ordering services, and obituaries. Content sections cover local news, prep/college/recreational sports, community events, and historical features (including a 'Stories Behind the Stars' WWII series and 'Exciting Times in History' archive). The paper has won Wisconsin Newspaper Association Newspaper of the Year three times (2018, 2020, 2021).

The business model is sales-led and hybrid: recurring print and digital subscriptions anchor consumer revenue, while advertising sales (display, classified, legal notices) targeted at local SMBs and government entities form the primary revenue engine. Distribution spans print home delivery, digital e-edition, website, and social media (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, Threads). The newspaper does not disclose subscription pricing or revenue figures, and no venture capital or private equity ownership is present.

Name

The Monroe Times

Legal name

The Monroe Times

Website

https://themonroetimes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1898

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Monroe Times is a 125-year-old community newspaper serving Monroe, Green County, and Lafayette County in southern Wisconsin with print, digital e-edition, classifieds, and legal notice products. It is owned by Morris Newspaper Corporation of Wisconsin and employs 1-10 people.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (51311), 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
• Print and digital subscriptions
• Classified advertising
• Legal notice publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Monroe

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, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Print and Digital Subscriptions: Subscription-based revenue from print newspaper and digital e-edition access
2. Advertising Sales: Display advertising and classified ads sold to local businesses, including legal notices for government entities
3. Classifieds and Legal Notices: Revenue from classified ads and legal notice publications required by local governments
4. Photo Orders: Sale of photographs and photo products to community members

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Monroe Times is a community newspaper that publishes local news, sports, obituaries, classifieds, and legal notices for Monroe, Green County, and Lafayette County, Wisconsin. The company sells print and digital (e-edition) subscriptions to readers, display and classified advertising to local businesses, and charges fees for legal notice placements required by local governments and photo reprints.

Product overview

The Monroe Times is a local newspaper serving Monroe, Green County, and the Wisconsin-Illinois state line region since 1898. The company offers a print newspaper subscription as its core product, supplemented by an E-Edition digital subscription for online access. Additional products include classified advertising, photo ordering services, and legal notice placement. Content sections cover sports (prep, college/pro/recreational, youth, and outdoors across 10 schools), community news and events, obituaries, photo galleries, and lifestyle content. The publication maintains a digital presence through its website with subscriber login functionality.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Monroe Times Print Edition Traditional print newspaper delivered to subscribers in Monroe, Green County, Lafayette County, and the Wisconsin-Illinois state line region, containing local news, sports, obituaries, community coverage, and classified advertisements.
• E-Edition Digital Subscription Electronic digital edition of the newspaper accessible online via subscription, providing digital access to print content.
• Classified Advertising Online and print classified advertisement section including classified line ads, employment listings, and personal classifieds sold to local individuals and businesses.
• Photo Orders Photo ordering service that allows community members to purchase prints of photographs published in the newspaper.
• Legal Notices and Advertisement Placement Legal notice and advertisement placement services including court-required notices, adoption notices, foreclosure notices, and name change announcements, primarily sold to government entities, attorneys, and businesses.

Quantifiable outcome

• Won WNA Newspaper of the Year three times (2018, 2020, 2021)

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Janesville Gazette: Wisconsin daily newspaper and the flagship of Bliss Communications, which previously owned The Monroe Times for 28 years. Highly comparable product (local daily newspaper) and overlapping Wisconsin market.
• The Freeport Journal-Standard: Small-city daily newspaper in northwestern Illinois along the Wisconsin-Illinois state line, with comparable rural community coverage and similar size; some staff have previously worked at The Monroe Times.
• The Lakeland Times: Wisconsin weekly newspaper serving the Lakeland region with print and digital editions, local advertising, classifieds, and community journalism. Editor Adam Krebs previously worked there.
• Kenosha News: Wisconsin local daily newspaper offering print and digital subscriptions, display advertising, and community news. Operates a similar small-city newspaper business model.
• Beloit Daily News: Wisconsin-based community daily newspaper with a similar mix of print subscription, local advertising, classifieds, and legal notices serving a single mid-sized city market.
• La Crosse Tribune: Regional Wisconsin newspaper with print and digital editions, local sports coverage, and advertising-driven revenue, serving western Wisconsin communities comparable to Monroe's market.
• The Platteville Journal: Wisconsin local newspaper published by the same parent company (Morris Newspaper Corporation of Wisconsin), serving a similarly sized small community. Most directly comparable peer due to shared ownership, scale, and operating model.

Regional players

• Leader-Telegram (Eau Claire): Western Wisconsin regional newspaper with print and digital editions, comparable in scale and community coverage approach to The Monroe Times but serving a larger multi-county market.
• Telegraph Herald (Dubuque): Regional daily newspaper serving Dubuque, Iowa and nearby tri-state communities adjacent to the Monroe market. Comparable small-market daily newspaper model with similar rural readership.

Broad incumbents

• Wisconsin State Journal: Larger Wisconsin newspaper covering Madison and surrounding areas. Same state-level peer with overlapping advertiser pool and similar editorial format, but broader geographic scope and resources.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/monroetimes
• Facebookfacebook.com/monroetimes
• Instagraminstagram.com/themonroetimes
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/monroe-times

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 The Monroe Times