Tab Communications Inc. (also called Tabloid Newspaper Publishers), based first in
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is approximately west of downtown Boston. Newton resembles a patchwork of thirteen villages, without a city center. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population of Ne ...
, United States, then in nearby
Needham, was a
weekly newspaper
A weekly newspaper is a general-news or Current affairs (news format), current affairs publication that is issued once or twice a week in a wide variety broadsheet, magazine, and electronic publishing, digital formats. Similarly, a biweekly new ...
publisher in
Greater Boston
Greater Boston is the metropolitan region of New England encompassing the municipality of Boston (the capital of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the most populous city in New England) and its surrounding areas. The region forms the northern ar ...
before being bought by
Fidelity Investments
Fidelity Investments, commonly referred to as Fidelity, earlier as Fidelity Management & Research or FMR, is an American multinational financial services corporation based in Boston, Massachusetts. The company was established in 1946 and is on ...
in 1992 and dissolved into
Community Newspaper Company
Community Newspaper Company, or CNC, was the largest publisher of weekly newspapers in eastern Massachusetts in the 1990s and first decade of the 21st century. It also published several daily newspapers in Greater Boston.
The company's propertie ...
in 1996.
The company, founded in 1979, steadily expanded from one newspaper to 14 and made one major acquisition, buying its competitor ''NewsWest'' in 1989. Most of the ''Tabs'' are published by
GateHouse Media, who bought CNC in 2006, and are still named after their
tabloid format, although they are now
broadsheet
A broadsheet is the largest newspaper format and is characterized by long Vertical and horizontal, vertical pages, typically of . Other common newspaper formats include the smaller Berliner (format), Berliner and Tabloid (newspaper format), ta ...
s.
History
Three
alternative weekly
An alternative newspaper is a type of newspaper that eschews comprehensive coverage of general news in favor of stylized reporting, opinionated reviews and columns, investigations into edgy topics and magazine-style feature stories highlighting l ...
advertising representatives formed their own company in 1979, publishing the ''
Brookline Tab'' and ''Newton Tab'' as advertising-heavy community papers. Two years later, prompted by the closure of ''
The Real Paper
''The Real Paper'' was a Boston-area alternative weekly newspaper with a circulation in the tens of thousands. It ran from August 2, 1972, to June 18, 1981, often devoting space to counterculture and alternative politics of the early 1970s. The o ...
'', the company expanded into
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
and
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
.
At first, CEO Russel Pergament acknowledged that the papers gave softball coverage to some political topics, but said his papers were happy to "live on crumbs from
''The Globe'''s table"—to report the local news the big-city daily was missing. He said in 1981 that "we find that the people who live in
Brookline
Brookline may refer to:
Places in the United States
* Brookline, Massachusetts, a town near Boston
* Brookline, Missouri
* Brookline, New Hampshire
* Brookline (Pittsburgh), a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
* Brookline, Vermont
See ...
and
Newton
Newton most commonly refers to:
* Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist
* Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton
Newton may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Newton'' (film), a 2017 Indian film
* Newton ( ...
know their local politics better than ever now, largely due to us."
Later that year, however, observers had kudos for the ''Cambridge Tab'', citing its eye-catching headlines and devotion to issue-based journalism as separating it from the 137-year-old ''Cambridge Chronicle''. One reader said he preferred the ''Tab'' because "I want to know what's going on behind the scenes in politics. I'm not so interested in who was born or who died or what's on the school lunch menu." Pergament continued to stress the importance of local coverage in a 1986 story about free local weekly papers in ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'': "The key to our success is that we're relentlessly local," he said.
MetroWest expansion
After solidifying the ''Tab''
's position in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
and the near-west suburbs, the company joined a 1985 rush to capture the
MetroWest market.
Wellesley, formerly monopolized by the ''Townsman'', a 79-year-old weekly, saw the advent of ''NewsWest'', a regional weekly, and a new local news page at the ''
Middlesex News'' daily, which also bought the ''Townsman'' that year.
Tab entered the Wellesley market in October, months after ''NewsWest''. Mark Jurkowitz, editor of the new ''Wellesley Tab'', said "We live and die with local coverage. We felt there was a need in Wellesley for a good, exciting, feisty weekly."
[Sleeper, Peter B. "Read All About It: 4 Newspapers Woo Wellesley -- and Ad Dollars". ''The Boston Globe'', page 21, October 23, 1985.]
While criticizing ''NewsWest''
's regional perspective, Tab followed its competitors farther into
MetroWest the next year, opening ''Tabs'' in
Framingham
Framingham () is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. Incorporated in 1700, it is located in Middlesex County and the MetroWest subregion of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The city proper covers with a popul ...
,
Natick
Natick ( ) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is near the center of the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, with a population of 37,006 at the 2020 census. west of Boston, Natick is part of the Greater Boston area. ...
and
Weston
Weston may refer to:
Places Australia
* Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra
* Weston, New South Wales
* Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra
* Weston Park, Canberra, a park
Canada
* Weston, Nova Scotia
* ...
in May 1986. Pergament reiterated that the difference between his newspapers and the others was local focus: "People are not getting enough local news" in ''NewsWest'' and the ''Middlesex News'', he said. "Well, we're going to give them local news like they've never had it before -- we're going to out-''News'' the ''News''."
[Mehegan, David. "Suburban Newspapers Slug It Out for Ad Dollars". ''The Boston Globe'', page 23, May 14, 1986.]
Purchase of ''NewsWest''
While the ''Tab'' came trickling into MetroWest town-by-town, a regional weekly hit eight communities at once, May 22, 1985. ''NewsWest'' mailed 45,000 free copies per week, hitting every home in
Dover
Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...
,
Natick
Natick ( ) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is near the center of the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, with a population of 37,006 at the 2020 census. west of Boston, Natick is part of the Greater Boston area. ...
,
Needham,
Sherborn,
Sudbury,
Wayland,
Wellesley and
Weston
Weston may refer to:
Places Australia
* Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra
* Weston, New South Wales
* Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra
* Weston Park, Canberra, a park
Canada
* Weston, Nova Scotia
* ...
.
On April 1, 1986, ''NewsWest'' expanded into
Ashland,
Holliston Holliston may refer to:
* Holliston, Saskatoon, Canada
*Holliston, Massachusetts, USA
**Holliston High School, a secondary school in Holliston, Massachusetts
* ''Holliston'' (TV series), a television show on Fearnet, set in Holliston, Massachusetts
...
and
Framingham
Framingham () is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. Incorporated in 1700, it is located in Middlesex County and the MetroWest subregion of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The city proper covers with a popul ...
. Pergament denigrated his regional competitor, calling it "that amateur hour", while ''NewsWest'' president
James Kerasiotes alleged that ''Tab'' and the ''
Middlesex News'' were trying to sabotage their new competitor.
Over the next few years, ''NewsWest'' added several more towns to its distribution area --
Hopkinton,
Marlborough
Marlborough may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Marlborough, Wiltshire, England
** Marlborough College, public school
* Marlborough School, Woodstock in Oxfordshire, England
* The Marlborough Science Academy in Hertfordshire, England
Austral ...
,
Needham,
Southborough,
Westborough
Westborough is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 21,567 at the 2020 Census, in over 7,000 households. Incorporated in 1717, the town is governed under the New England open town meeting system, headed ...
—and in 1989 approached Tab Communications in an attempt to buy it. Instead, Tab ended up purchasing ''NewsWest'', bringing its founder James Carlin on board as company chairman and retaining Kerasiotes as a board member. Tab's circulation, at the time, was given at 163,000.
[French, Desiree. "Two Suburban Newspapers to Merge Forces". ''The Boston Globe'', page 39, February 28, 1989.]
Bought by Fidelity
Following a tough year economically, Tab in 1991 sent a letter to its subscribers asking for a voluntary donation of
US$
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
10 to keep the newspapers, and community events they sponsored, afloat.
Late in 1992, Cummings, Pergament and Yousoufian sold out for an undisclosed price to
Fidelity Investments
Fidelity Investments, commonly referred to as Fidelity, earlier as Fidelity Management & Research or FMR, is an American multinational financial services corporation based in Boston, Massachusetts. The company was established in 1946 and is on ...
. Cummings and Pergament stayed on as heads of Tab Communications, which formed a semi-autonomous division of
Community Newspaper Company
Community Newspaper Company, or CNC, was the largest publisher of weekly newspapers in eastern Massachusetts in the 1990s and first decade of the 21st century. It also published several daily newspapers in Greater Boston.
The company's propertie ...
. The deal raised CNC's weekly circulation to 550,000.
Tab Communications was dissolved in early 1996, when CNC realigned its operating units by geography, splitting the ''Tabs'' between the new Metro and West units.
[Cassidy, Tina. "Community Newspaper Realigns Properties". ''The Boston Globe'', January 12, 1996.] The former Tab headquarters, in
Needham, became CNC's corporate office and headquarters of the Metro Unit; the West ''Tabs'' moved in with their former competitor, the ''
Middlesex News''.
Properties
Upon its sale to CNC in 1992, Tab Communications consisted of 14 free weekly newspapers, with a circulation well over 150,000, all in the immediate
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
area or
MetroWest,
(the year of the newspapers' first issue is in parentheses):
* ''Allston-Brighton Tab'' of
Allston
Allston is an officially recognized neighborhood within the City of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was named after the American painter and poet Washington Allston. It comprises the land covered by the zip code 02134. For the most part ...
and
Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
(1981, as ''Boston Tab'')
* ''Ashland Tab'' of
Ashland (late 1980s)
* ''Brookline Tab'' of
Brookline
Brookline may refer to:
Places in the United States
* Brookline, Massachusetts, a town near Boston
* Brookline, Missouri
* Brookline, New Hampshire
* Brookline (Pittsburgh), a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
* Brookline, Vermont
See ...
(1979)
* ''Cambridge Tab'' of
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
(1981)
* ''Dover Tab'' of
Dover
Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...
(late 1980s)
* ''Framingham Tab'' of
Framingham
Framingham () is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. Incorporated in 1700, it is located in Middlesex County and the MetroWest subregion of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The city proper covers with a popul ...
(1986)
* ''Holliston Tab'' of
Holliston Holliston may refer to:
* Holliston, Saskatoon, Canada
*Holliston, Massachusetts, USA
**Holliston High School, a secondary school in Holliston, Massachusetts
* ''Holliston'' (TV series), a television show on Fearnet, set in Holliston, Massachusetts
...
(late 1980s)
* ''Natick Tab'' of
Natick
Natick ( ) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is near the center of the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, with a population of 37,006 at the 2020 census. west of Boston, Natick is part of the Greater Boston area. ...
(1986)
* ''Newton Tab'' of
Newton
Newton most commonly refers to:
* Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist
* Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton
Newton may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Newton'' (film), a 2017 Indian film
* Newton ( ...
(1979)
* ''Sherborn Tab'' of
Sherborn (late 1980s)
* ''Sudbury Tab'' of
Sudbury (late 1980s)
* ''Wayland Tab'' of
Wayland (late 1980s)
* ''Wellesley Tab'' of
Wellesley (1985)
* ''Weston Tab'' of
Weston
Weston may refer to:
Places Australia
* Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra
* Weston, New South Wales
* Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra
* Weston Park, Canberra, a park
Canada
* Weston, Nova Scotia
* ...
(1986)
All of these newspapers except the Dover, Sherborn and Wellesley papers are still published by
Community Newspaper Company
Community Newspaper Company, or CNC, was the largest publisher of weekly newspapers in eastern Massachusetts in the 1990s and first decade of the 21st century. It also published several daily newspapers in Greater Boston.
The company's propertie ...
, in the company's Metro and West units. The Sudbury, Weston and Wayland papers are still issued in combined editions with former competitors; the Cambridge paper still competes with the ''Chronicle'', now also owned by CNC.
References
{{CNC
Mass media in Middlesex County, Massachusetts
MetroWest
Defunct newspaper companies of the United States