The Morning Call

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.

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

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

• Local newspaper publishing
• Regional news coverage
• Digital news subscription
• Newspaper advertising sales
• Community news media

Headquarters

HQ city

Allentown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Subscription Revenue: The Morning Call generates revenue through digital and print subscriptions, offering daily e-Editions and evening e-Editions for subscribers.
2. Advertising: The newspaper generates advertising revenue through display ads, classifieds, job listings, and branded content partnerships.
3. 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

Core 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.

Segments1 record

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.

• Tribune PublishingcoreOthersThe 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

Direct 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

• Xx.com/mcall
• Facebookfacebook.com/mcall.lv
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/19708

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 Morning Call