What Journal de Morges SA does

Journal de Morges SA is a privately held regional newspaper operating in the Morges district of Canton Vaud, Switzerland, founded on October 3, 1894 by François Trabaud. The company publishes original local journalism covering politics, sports, culture, society, and community events for residents of the Morges district and select neighboring communes (Aubonne, Bière, Bussigny-près-Lausanne) that were historically integrated into the title. Since November 1, 2016, the newspaper has been independently owned by editor-in-chief Cédric Jotterand, who acquired it from Tamedia following a community-backed buyout that expanded the subscriber base to approximately 6,000.

The company's core product is a print edition published twice weekly on Tuesday and Friday, complemented by a digital e-paper, a continuously updated website (journaldemorges.ch), email newsletters, and social media channels on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Ancillary revenue lines include a photo sales service (12 CHF per 13x18 print, 10 CHF per digital JPG), the PME Directory (Espace PME) and Club PME membership program that offers local SMEs visibility on the website and in the Friday print edition, photo galleries, reader surveys, and games/contests. The technical stack is a conventional digital publishing platform: a CMS, e-paper rendering, online subscription infrastructure at abo.journaldemorges.ch, and a separate advertising portal at pub.journaldemorges.ch, with no disclosed AI/ML capabilities or proprietary algorithms.

The business model rests on three pillars: recurring subscriptions at 98 CHF per year (approximately 8 CHF per month), local advertising sales to SMBs in the Morges region, and transactional photo sales. The nine-person team comprises five full-time journalists, three professional photographers, and three administrative/advertising collaborators, supported by a network of external contributors. The customer base is almost entirely long-tail individual subscribers and local SMB advertisers, with no disclosed enterprise or institutional customers. The company reports no funding rounds, no parent company, and no subsidiaries, operating as a single-title independent newsroom.

Name

Journal de Morges SA

Legal name

Journal de Morges SA

Website

https://journaldemorges.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1894

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Journal de Morges SA is an independent Swiss regional newspaper serving the Morges district in Canton Vaud, publishing print editions twice weekly and a digital e-paper, with approximately 6,000 subscribers paying 98 CHF per year and ancillary revenue from local SMB advertising and photo sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local/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 media
• Print and digital subscriptions
• Community journalism
• Local advertising services

Headquarters

HQ city

Morges

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

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. Subscriptions: Print and digital subscriptions generating recurring revenue. Print edition published twice weekly (Tuesday and Friday). Digital e-paper version available. Subscription price: 98 CHF per year.
2. Advertising: Local businesses advertise in the newspaper and on the website pub.journaldemorges.ch. Multiple local advertisers are displayed on the website.
3. Photo Sales: Photo sales service offering printed photos (13x18 format) for 12 CHF and digital JPG photos for 10 CHF.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Journal de Morges SA publishes a regional newspaper covering the Morges district in Canton Vaud, Switzerland, both in print (twice weekly on Tuesday and Friday) and on a digital news website with e-paper access via subscription. The company also sells news photographs (printed 13x18 and digital JPG), runs an online local SME directory (Espace PME) and a free PME membership program (Club PME), and offers interactive features such as reader surveys and contests.

Product overview

Journal de Morges SA operates a traditional regional news media business offering both print and digital products. The core offerings include the weekly print newspaper (Tuesday and Friday editions) and its digital counterpart accessible via subscription, plus an e-paper digital replica. The company also provides ancillary services including a photo sales service for published images, an SME business directory (Espace PME/Club PME) for local businesses, photo galleries, interactive surveys (sondages), and games/contests (jeux-concours). The product portfolio spans from traditional print journalism to digital subscriptions and community-focused local business services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Journal de Morges (Digital Edition) Online digital edition of the regional newspaper providing daily news coverage of the Morges district, accessible through subscription to local residents and other readers.
• Journal de Morges (Print Edition) Weekly print newspaper published twice weekly (Tuesday and Friday), delivering regional news coverage of politics, sports, culture, and society in the Morges district to subscribers and newsstands.
• E-Paper Digital replica of the print edition available for online viewing and reading, included with the annual subscription to subscribers.
• Photo Sales Service Service allowing readers to purchase photos published in the newspaper, available as paper prints (13x18 format at 12 CHF) or digital JPG downloads (10 CHF).
• PME Directory (Espace PME) Online directory showcasing local businesses and SMEs in the Morges district, with regional categorization, designed to give local merchants visibility.
• Club PME Free membership program for local SMEs to create a business profile page and gain visibility on the Journal de Morges website and in the Friday print edition.

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 6000 subscribers supporting independent local journalism

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Le Matin: Swiss national French-language tabloid (Tamedia group) covering Vaud and broader Swiss news. A broader incumbent whose regional coverage competes with Journal de Morges for local advertisers and readers.
• RTS (Radio Télévision Suisse): Swiss public broadcaster and dominant media brand in French-speaking Switzerland, producing regional news across Vaud including the Morges district. A large incumbent competitor for local advertising budgets and audience attention.
• Tribune de Genève: Major regional newspaper for Geneva, owned by Tamedia, with substantially larger reach and resources. Provides overlapping Vaud/Swiss-Romandie coverage but operates at much greater scale than Journal de Morges.

Direct peers

• Le Courrier: Geneva-based independent regional newspaper covering politics, culture, and local issues. Similar independent-ownership, community-supported structure and recurring-publication business model serving Swiss Romandie.
• La Liberté: Regional newspaper serving Canton Fribourg with a long publication history, similar subscription and local journalism model. Directly comparable as a small-to-mid Swiss French-language regional title with print and digital editions.
• Le Régional: Small Swiss regional newspaper covering parts of Canton Vaud with a hyperlocal focus. Closely comparable in size, scope, and target audience to Journal de Morges.
• 24heures: The principal regional newspaper for Vaud canton (Lausanne-based), now part of Tamedia. Larger circulation than Journal de Morges but covers the same geography, local politics, sports, and culture with subscription and advertising revenue streams.
• arcinfo: Regional digital-first news platform for Canton Neuchâtel, successor to L'Express and L'Impartial. Comparable subscription model and hyperlocal focus, illustrating the digital transition path for small Swiss regional titles.
• La Côte: Vaud-based regional newspaper covering the La Côte district, also owned by Tamedia (Edipresse legacy). Serves a similar community-news role with print, e-paper, and subscription model, making it the closest geographic and structural peer to Journal de Morges.
• Le Nouvelliste: Regional newspaper covering Canton Valais, with a comparable community-based subscription model and coverage of cantonal politics, sports, and culture. Comparable in scale, target audience, and product mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UChbdxjWbjd-zxpcropip7zg
• Facebookfacebook.com/www.journaldemorges.ch
• Instagraminstagram.com/journaldemorges
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/journal-de-morges-sa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Journal de Morges SA