CQ Roll Call
CQ Roll Call is a Washington, DC-based subscription media company covering the U.S. Congress since 1955 through news, legislative tracking, podcasts, events, and data tools, serving Hill offices, federal agencies, corporations, associations, law and lobbying firms, media, and academia under parent FiscalNote.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1955
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What CQ Roll Call does
CQ Roll Call is a Washington, DC-based subscription media business that has covered Capitol Hill since the founding of Roll Call in 1955 (and predecessor CQ in 1945). The company delivers congressional news, legislative tracking, election coverage, and political analysis through a multi-format product portfolio: the Roll Call newspaper and e-Edition, CQ daily reports and weekly magazine, five podcasts (CQ Budget, Equal Time, Fintech Beat, Political Theater, Oversight), the Factba.se searchable political database covering the Trump, Biden, and Harris administrations, the Congressional Calendar, the Casualty List of congressional departures, Capitol Ink political cartoons, email newsletters, live events, video, and the RC Jobs classifieds marketplace. Distribution spans print, web, and mobile, and the masthead includes roughly 70+ named editorial, production, and commercial staff led by Editor-in-Chief Jason Dick.
The business operates a subscription-based, B2B media model targeting Washington policy professionals. Identified customer segments include House and Senate offices, federal departments and agencies, major corporations requiring political and legislative intelligence, trade associations, law and lobbying firms, media organizations, and academic researchers. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; sales are handled through a direct enterprise motion (with a National Sales Director, VP of Commercial Operations and Partnerships, and advertising sales team in place) alongside self-serve digital subscription fulfillment. CQ Roll Call is a wholly owned subsidiary of FiscalNote, a larger political and business risk data platform, which provides both a content distribution channel and shared institutional customer access.
Revenue mechanics combine recurring subscription fees (print, digital, mobile tiers), advertising (with a dedicated advertising operations function), events sponsorship, and classifieds/recruitment (RC Jobs). The company's stated competitive advantages rest on 70+ years of brand equity, a deep editorial bench with embedded Hill relationships, an accumulating structured legislative data archive, and a nonpartisan positioning that differentiates it from more partisan digital political media. Ownership by FiscalNote ties CQ Roll Call's strategic trajectory to the parent's broader data and AI-driven policy intelligence roadmap.
CQ Roll Call firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CQ Roll Call
- Legal name
- CQ and Roll Call
- Website
- https://rollcall.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1955
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- CQ Roll Call is a Washington, DC-based subscription media company covering the U.S. Congress since 1955 through news, legislative tracking, podcasts, events, and data tools, serving Hill offices, federal agencies, corporations, associations, law and lobbying firms, media, and academia under parent FiscalNote.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CQ Roll Call industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Congressional News Media
- NAICS
- Newspaper Publishers (513110), Periodical Publishers (513120)
- SIC
- Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Business, Financial & Trade News Publishers (MPAJADAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO), Newsletters & Email-Based News Publishers (B2B/B2C) (MPAJADAJ), Data Journalism & News Intelligence Publishers (Indexes, Election/Market Data) (MPAJADAK)
Keywords
Where CQ Roll Call is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
CQ Roll Call business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Subscription Services: CQ and Roll Call are delivered in print, online and on mobile platforms. Subscription services include CQ Magazine Digital Edition, Roll Call newspaper delivery, and CQ.com access with various subscription tiers for policy professionals.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
CQ Roll Call product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CQ Roll Call delivers subscription-based congressional and policy news through multiple channels including print (Roll Call newspaper, CQ Magazine), online (CQ.com, rollcall.com), and mobile platforms. The portfolio also encompasses podcasts, data tracking tools (Factba.se, Congressional Calendar, Casualty List), email newsletters, events, and the RC Jobs classifieds board, all aimed at policy professionals who need timely, objective, and nonpartisan coverage of Capitol Hill and federal policy.
Product overview
CQ Roll Call, owned by FiscalNote, operates a multi-platform news and information portfolio covering Capitol Hill and federal government policy. The core offerings include CQ News (daily reports and weekly magazine on policy and legislation) and Roll Call (award-winning congressional news since 1955), delivered across print, online, and mobile. Supporting products include Factba.se (Trump administration search/database tool), the Congressional Calendar, The Casualty List, and multiple podcasts (CQ Budget, Equal Time, Fintech Beat, Political Theater, Oversight). Additional offerings encompass newsletters, events, Capitol Ink political cartoons, the Roll Call e-Edition digital publication, and RC Jobs classifieds. The company is part of FiscalNote's family of political and business risk solutions brands.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Factba.se: A fact-checking and data platform tracking Trump administration activities
- CQ Budget Podcast
- Political Theater Podcast
- Equal Time Podcast
- Fintech Beat Podcast
- Oversight Podcast
Products and services
- CQ News
- Roll Call newspaper
- CQ Budget Podcast
- Equal Time Podcast
- Fintech Beat Podcast
- Political Theater Podcast
- Oversight Podcast
- Factba.se
- Congressional Calendar
- The Casualty List
- Roll Call Newsletters
- Roll Call e-Edition
- CQ Roll Call Events
- RC Jobs
Companies that use CQ Roll Call
Customer profileSegments7 records
Ideal customer profiles7 records
CQ Roll Call technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
CQ Roll Call partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
CQ Roll Call competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Axios: Axios operates a broad national and political-news network including Axios DC, Pro policy verticals, and local newsletters. It overlaps with CQ Roll Call on Capitol Hill coverage while serving a much wider audience.
Direct peers
- Politico: Politico is the leading subscription political journalism outlet covering Congress, campaigns, and policy. It directly competes with CQ Roll Call for DC policy-professional readers and lobbying/law-firm subscriptions.
- Bloomberg Government: Bloomberg Government sells subscription policy intelligence, legislative tracking, and contracts data to lobbying firms, associations, and corporations — overlapping directly with CQ Roll Call's subscription policy-tracking use cases.
- The Hill: The Hill is a Washington DC-based newspaper and digital outlet covering Congress, the White House, and political campaigns. It targets the same congressional-staff, lobbying, and association audience as CQ Roll Call.
- National Journal: National Journal was a long-standing subscription political magazine and policy-intelligence service for DC influence professionals, serving a near-identical customer base to CQ Roll Call before its restructuring.
- Inside Washington Publishers: Inside Washington Publishers produces a portfolio of niche subscription policy newsletters (defense, health, tax, energy) targeting lobbying and association professionals — a comparable B2B policy-intelligence monetization model.
Emerging players
- Punchbowl News: Punchbowl News is a venture-backed DC political newsletter and events business that has rapidly captured congressional-staff readership. It is a fast-growing challenger to CQ Roll Call's subscription email and breaking-news products.
Others
- RealClearPolitics: RealClearPolitics aggregates political news, polling, and editorial content focused on campaigns and elections. It complements rather than directly replaces CQ Roll Call's congressional-coverage subscription offering.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
CQ Roll Call social profiles
Digital presenceCQ Roll Call financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CQ Roll Call leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
CQ Roll Call funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CQ Roll 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 CQ Roll Call
What does CQ Roll Call do?
CQ Roll Call delivers subscription-based congressional and policy news through multiple channels including print (Roll Call newspaper, CQ Magazine), online (CQ.com, rollcall.com), and mobile platforms. The portfolio also encompasses podcasts, data tracking tools (Factba.se, Congressional Calendar, Casualty List), email newsletters, events, and the RC Jobs classifieds board, all aimed at policy professionals who need timely, objective, and nonpartisan coverage of Capitol Hill and federal policy.
Is CQ Roll Call a public or private company?
CQ Roll Call is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was CQ Roll Call founded?
CQ Roll Call was founded in 1955. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is CQ Roll Call based?
CQ Roll Call is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does CQ Roll Call make money?
One revenue line is on record: subscription Services.
Who are CQ Roll Call's main competitors?
Axios is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Politico, Bloomberg Government, The Hill, National Journal and Inside Washington Publishers. Punchbowl News is listed as an emerging player. RealClearPolitics is listed as an others.
Does CQ Roll Call have an API?
No public API is recorded for CQ Roll Call.
What industry is CQ Roll Call in?
CQ Roll Call's product category is Congressional News Media. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJADAC, Business, Financial & Trade News Publishers, with a secondary code of MPAJAEAO, News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines. Its NAICS code is 513110 and its SIC code is 2711.