The Morning Call
The Morning Call is a regional daily newspaper and digital news platform serving the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania (Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton). Founded in 1883, it is owned by Tribune Publishing and monetizes subscriptions, advertising, and community awards programs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1885
- HeadquartersAllentown, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Morning Call does
The Morning Call is a regional daily newspaper serving the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania, with primary coverage of Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, and surrounding communities. Founded in 1883, it operates both a print edition and a digital platform at mcall.com, providing local news, sports (including Philadelphia Phillies, Eagles, and Flyers coverage), weather, business reporting, opinion, entertainment listings, obituaries, classifieds, and public notices to Lehigh Valley residents. The company is wholly owned by Tribune Publishing, a Chicago-based newspaper conglomerate.
The product portfolio is anchored by the mcall.com website and supplemented by a Daily e-Edition, an Evening e-Edition, subscription email newsletters, the Morning Call Store (selling back issues, page prints, and branded merchandise), and an online classifieds and jobs marketplace. Beyond news, the company operates community engagement programs including the Readers' Choice Awards, Top Workplaces (entering its 15th year in 2027), and a Top Lawyers directory—each functioning as both community services and B2B monetization vehicles. The underlying technology is a standard newspaper content management system supporting content publishing, e-edition rendering, and subscription management; no proprietary AI, ML, or data platform capabilities are disclosed.
Revenue is generated through three streams: recurring digital and print subscriptions (including the two e-Editions), advertising (display, classifieds, job listings, and branded content partnerships with Ascend and Brandpoint), and events and programs tied to the awards and directory initiatives. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The company is a private, non-publicly traded subsidiary of Tribune Publishing, incorporated in Pennsylvania, with operations based in Allentown and 501–1000 employees.
The Morning Call firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Morning Call
- Legal name
- The Morning Call
- Website
- https://mcall.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1885
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- The Morning Call is a regional daily newspaper and digital news platform serving the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania (Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton). Founded in 1883, it is owned by Tribune Publishing and monetizes subscriptions, advertising, and community awards programs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Morning Call industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Regional Newspaper Publishing
- NAICS
- Newspaper Publishers (513110)
- SIC
- Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)
Keywords
Where The Morning Call is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Allentown
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Morning Call business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Subscription Revenue: The Morning Call generates revenue through digital and print subscriptions, offering daily e-Editions and evening e-Editions for subscribers.
- Advertising: The newspaper generates advertising revenue through display ads, classifieds, job listings, and branded content partnerships.
- Events and Programs: Revenue generated through awards programs including Readers' Choice Awards, Top Workplaces, and Top Lawyers that engage local businesses and readers.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
The Morning Call product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Morning Call is a regional daily newspaper serving the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania, publishing local news, sports, weather, business, and community content across print and digital channels. Its primary offerings are a digital news website (mcall.com), daily and evening e-Editions, email newsletters, and an online classifieds and jobs marketplace, complemented by a merchandise store and community award programs such as Readers' Choice and Top Workplaces.
Product overview
The Morning Call is a regional news publication offering a unified digital platform for Lehigh Valley and Allentown, PA news coverage. The core product is the main news website (mcall.com) supplemented by Daily and Evening e-Editions for electronic newspaper access. Additional offerings include the Morning Call Store for merchandise and archives, classifieds and jobs marketplace, email newsletter subscriptions, and award programs including Top Workplaces and Readers' Choice Awards.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Morning Call Website (mcall.com) Primary digital news platform providing local news, sports, weather, business, entertainment, and community coverage for the Lehigh Valley and Allentown, PA region, available with both free and subscription-based content access.
- Daily e-Edition Digital newspaper edition available for online reading, providing daily news coverage in electronic format for subscribers of The Morning Call.
- Evening e-Edition Electronic edition of the newspaper updated in the evening with the latest news and coverage for The Morning Call readers.
- Email Newsletters Subscription-based email newsletter service delivering curated news content and breaking news alerts to The Morning Call's registered subscribers.
- Classifieds Online classified advertising platform including jobs, public notices, and other classified listings for the Lehigh Valley region, serving both individual posters and local businesses.
- Morning Call Store Online store offering back issues, page prints, article plaques, and books related to The Morning Call content for readers and gift purchasers.
- Top Workplaces Awards Program Annual recognition and sponsored program spotlighting outstanding workplaces in the Lehigh Valley region, with participating employer nominations and regional rankings.
- Readers' Choice Awards Annual community awards program allowing readers to vote for the best local businesses and services in the Lehigh Valley, with sponsored participation from local companies.
- Top Lawyers Directory Annual directory featuring top-rated lawyers in the Lehigh Valley region, published as a recognition and reference resource for residents and businesses.
Companies that use The Morning Call
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Morning Call technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Morning Call partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Tribune PublishingcoreThe Morning Call is owned and operated by Tribune Publishing, a major newspaper publishing company that owns multiple regional newspapers across the United States including Chicago Tribune, Orlando Sentinel, and other properties.
Scale indicators1 record
Expansion highlights4 records
The Morning Call competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Reading Eagle: Berks County, PA regional daily newspaper with print and digital editions. Closely comparable as a mid-size Pennsylvania local newspaper covering a specific metro market with subscription and advertising revenue.
- The Philadelphia Inquirer: Major Pennsylvania regional daily newspaper serving Philadelphia and surrounding counties. Directly comparable as a Tribune-era regional print/digital news brand monetizing subscriptions and advertising in a defined Pennsylvania market.
- The Times-Tribune (Scranton): Northeastern Pennsylvania regional daily newspaper serving the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre market. Directly comparable regional newspaper with similar product structure and Pennsylvania local news focus.
- PennLive (The Patriot-News): Central Pennsylvania regional newspaper and digital site covering Harrisburg and the mid-state. Directly comparable in business model, audience (Pennsylvania local news consumers), and product mix (e-editions, newsletters, classifieds).
Emerging players
- Patch: Hyperlocal digital news network covering thousands of U.S. communities including the Lehigh Valley. Directly competitive on local digital news coverage but operates with a much lower-cost digital-first model and limited print legacy.
Broad incumbents
- The Baltimore Sun: Tribune Publishing regional daily serving the Baltimore metro. Sibling property with similar scale, content verticals, and monetization model, useful for benchmarking performance and strategic direction.
- Hartford Courant: Tribune Publishing regional daily in Connecticut. Another sibling property with comparable subscription, advertising, and e-edition products, providing a useful benchmark for regional newspaper unit economics.
- Chicago Tribune: Tribune Publishing flagship regional newspaper serving the Chicago metro. Sibling property under common ownership, sharing technology, advertising infrastructure, and editorial content syndication with The Morning Call.
- Orlando Sentinel: Tribune Publishing regional newspaper covering Central Florida. Sibling property operating the same subscription, e-edition, and advertising playbook, making operational and strategic patterns directly comparable.
- Gannett LocaliQ: Gannett's digital marketing services arm paired with USA Today Network regional newspapers. Comparable as a large-scale regional/local news and advertising competitor with overlapping Pennsylvania footprint and similar subscription/advertising mix.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Morning Call social profiles
Digital presenceThe Morning Call financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Morning Call leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The Morning Call funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Morning Call M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Morning Call
What does The Morning Call do?
The Morning Call is a regional daily newspaper serving the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania, publishing local news, sports, weather, business, and community content across print and digital channels. Its primary offerings are a digital news website (mcall.com), daily and evening e-Editions, email newsletters, and an online classifieds and jobs marketplace, complemented by a merchandise store and community award programs such as Readers' Choice and Top Workplaces.
Is The Morning Call a public or private company?
The Morning Call is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was The Morning Call founded?
The Morning Call was founded in 1885. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is The Morning Call based?
The Morning Call is headquartered in Allentown, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Morning Call make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Subscription Revenue is the primary driver. The others are advertising and events and Programs.
Who are The Morning Call's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Reading Eagle, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Times-Tribune (Scranton) and PennLive (The Patriot-News). Patch is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are The Baltimore Sun, Hartford Courant, Chicago Tribune, Orlando Sentinel and Gannett LocaliQ.
Does The Morning Call have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Morning Call.
What industry is The Morning Call in?
The Morning Call's product category is Regional Newspaper Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJADAB, Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital). Its NAICS code is 513110 and its SIC code is 2711.