''The Gardner News'' is a

daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...

serving seven cities and towns in northwest

Worcester County, Massachusetts Worcester County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 862,111, making it the second-most populous county in Massachusetts while also b ...

. In addition to the city of Gardner, where it is headquartered, it also covers the rural towns of Ashburnham, Hubbardston, Phillipston, Templeton,

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

, and

Winchendon, Massachusetts Winchendon is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,364 at the 2020 census. The town includes the villages of Waterville and Winchendon Springs (also known as Spring Village). A census-designated place, ...

. ''The News'' publishes every day except Sunday. Its chief local competitor is GardnerMagazine.com, an online publication with a circulation of about 20,000 unique households in 2023. Its chief traditional newspaper competitors are the county's two largest newspapers, the Fitchburg '' Sentinel & Enterprise'' and Worcester ''

Telegram & Gazette The ''Telegram & Gazette'' (and ''Sunday Telegram'') is the only daily newspaper of Worcester, Massachusetts. The paper, headquartered at 100 Front Street and known locally as ''the Telegram'' or the ''T & G'', offers coverage of all of Worceste ...

'', as well as the ''

Athol Daily News The ''Athol Daily News'' is a small, six-day daily (Monday through Saturday) newspaper in north central Massachusetts. Based in the town of Greenfield, the newspaper covers the towns of Athol, Erving, New Salem, Orange, Petersham, Phillipsto ...

''.

History

The Gardner News was first established as a weekly newspaper on July 3, 1869 by A. G. Bushnell. The paper was released every Saturday and was popularly received. From 1885 to 1895 the paper was owned by

Asa Stratton Asa Evans Stratton (February 10, 1853 – August 14, 1925) was an American newspaper editor, lawyer, and baseball player who played one game for the Worcester Ruby Legs in 1881. Early life Stratton was born on February 10, 1853, in Grafton, M ...

, a former professional baseball player and attorney. On June 21, 1897, under the direction of owner and editor Levi H. Greenwood, the ''News'' became a four-page daily paper. Both a weekly and daily edition were published until December 31, 1904, when the final weekly edition came off the presses. In 1906 the paper moved to a newly constructed building at 309 Central Street. In 1921 the paper was purchased by Walter E. Hubbard of Brattleboro, Vermont, who previously owned the '' Brattleboro Reformer'' and the ''Beverly Times''. Upon Hubbard's death, ownership of the paper was assumed by a trust.

Bell family

After the death of her father, Dorothy Hubbard Bell became publisher of ''The Gardner News''. When she died in 1963, her two sons, C. Gordon Bell and W. Shane Bell became the owners. In 1964, C. Gordon Bell became general manager and his father W. F. Gordon Bell became president. In 1973, C. Gordon Bell succeeded his father as president and publisher. During Gordon Bell's tenure as publisher, the newspaper modernized and was recognized as a leader among small New England dailies. Upon Gordon Bell's death in 1992, his wife Alberta Bell became publisher of the newspaper where she had worked since 1986. In June 2011, Alberta Bell announced she would sell the paper to

MediaNews Group MNG Enterprises, Inc., doing business as Digital First Media and MediaNews Group, is a Denver, Colorado-based newspaper publisher owned by Alden Global Capital. The company has been growing its portfolio and as of May 2021, owns over 100 newspa ...

, which owns the ''Sentinel & Enterprise''. Five months later she called off the sale, without giving any reason publicly. In March 2018, Alberta Bell sold The Gardner News to Gatehouse Media.

The Leominster Times

During Alberta Bell's tenure as publisher, ''The Gardner News'' made one bid to expand its footprint, a six-month attempt in late 1994 to establish a new newspaper for Fitchburg and

Leominster, Massachusetts Leominster ( ) is a city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the second-largest city in Worcester County, with a population of 43,782 at the 2020 census. Leominster is located north of Worcester and northwest of Boston. Both ...

. ''The Leominster Times'' was marketed as a general-interest newspaper, but Bell said she would make special efforts to cover minorities in Fitchburg and Leominster. Initially launched as a six-day daily newspaper (Monday through Saturday) in July 1994, ''The Times'' five months later cut back to a twice-weekly schedule and focused its coverage on Leominster only. Its January 6, 1995 issue was its last.

References

External links

''The Gardner News'' Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gardner News Gardner, Massachusetts Mass media in Worcester County, Massachusetts Newspapers published in Massachusetts Publications established in 1869 1869 establishments in Massachusetts