MetroWest Daily News
Encyclopedia
The MetroWest Daily News is a morning and afternoon daily newspaper in Framingham, Massachusetts
, USA, serving the MetroWest
region of suburb
an Boston
. It is the flagship newspaper of Community Newspaper Company
, a division of GateHouse Media
.
The newspaper covers several cities and towns in Norfolk
and Worcester
counties, but until 1998 it was named for Middlesex County
(most recently as the Middlesex News) or for the town of Framingham (through most of the mid-20th century, as the Framingham News). Today the daily and Sunday paper is published in three editions: morning editions in areas south and west of Framingham, and an afternoon "central edition".
newspaper chain in 1972.
By 1986, the paper sold 49,000 copies daily and 55,000 on Sunday, and also published four Framingham-area weekly newspaper
s: the Town Crier papers in Sudbury
, Wayland
and Weston
, and the Townsman in Wellesley
. That year, Harte-Hanks added the Daily Transcript
of Dedham
and the News-Tribune
of Waltham
, and 17 weeklies, to its holdings, and merged its Massachusetts properties into a single organization that became known as News-Transcript Group
.
Around that time, amid a review of the four local newspaper companies competing in the Framingham area, The Boston Globe gave the paper credit for wide-ranging coverage of foreign, national, local, sports, arts and lifestyle news, but Tab Communications
publisher Russell Pergament said his daily competition left a niche for his community papers:
The News' weekly competitors were mostly bought out by Fidelity Investments
in the early 1990s, and became sister papers in 1994, when Harte-Hanks decided to sell its newspapers and Fidelity's Community Newspaper Company
announced it would buy the News-Transcript Group. Before purchasing News-Transcript, CNC's only daily was the News rival Enterprise-Sun
of Marlborough
. The News' daily circulation at the time was given as 35,516, and 45,174 on Sunday.
In 2000, after adding more weeklies to its fold, Fidelity sold CNC to the publisher of the Boston Herald
. The new owner instituted a content-sharing arrangement between CNC and the Herald, resulting in a regular stream of Daily News stories appearing in the Boston newspaper.
That arrangement continued even after the Herald sold CNC to Liberty Group Publishing (later renamed GateHouse Media
) in 2006.
The regional term MetroWest
was promoted to the nameplate October 19, 1998, as a response to the dissolution of county government in Middlesex County, and a recognition of the newspaper's reach into Norfolk and Worcester counties. The name had been coined and adopted by the newspaper in the 1980s as a means of giving its circulation area more of a shared identity than earlier alternatives -- "Greater Framingham" (which many towns in the paper's northern coverage area, western Middlesex County, did not feel they belonged to) and "South Middlesex" (which excluded towns in other counties). Reporter Greg Supernovich suggested the name -- for which he received dinner for two.
' high-tech corridor -- an earlier alternative to "MetroWest" was "Databelt" -- the Daily News was among the pioneers in electronic publishing.
Along with 10 other members of the Associated Press
, the Middlesex News in 1980 offered a digital text edition to CompuServe
. The bulletin board service's subscribers could then, via dial-up, access News stories on their personal computers.
In 1987, the paper debuted its own BBS
, called Fred the Computer
. Subscribers could dial into Fred and see the next day's headlines, submit press releases and write letters to the editor. In 1993, the News set up a Gopher site, making it the first general-circulation United States
newspaper on the Internet.
Today's online
edition of The MetroWest Daily News was launched in September 2001. It shares templates and systems with other Community Newspaper Company
properties' Websites, at wickedlocal.com.
Framingham, Massachusetts
Framingham is a New England town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 68,318 as of the United States 2010 Census. -History:...
, USA, serving the MetroWest
MetroWest
MetroWest is a cluster of cities and towns lying west of Boston and east of Worcester, in the US state of Massachusetts. The name was coined in the 1980s by a local newspaper....
region of suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
an Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. It is the flagship newspaper of Community Newspaper Company
Community Newspaper Company
Community Newspaper Company, a subsidiary of GateHouse Media, is a newspaper publisher in eastern Massachusetts. It was founded in 1991 as a holding company for several suburban publishers bought by Fidelity Investments; in 2001, Fidelity sold it to the Boston Herald; in 2006, the massive chain—New...
, a division of GateHouse Media
GateHouse Media
GateHouse Media Inc. is a U.S. newspaper publisher, headquartered in Perinton, New York, that publishes 97 dailies in 20 states and 198 paid weeklies, in addition to free papers, shoppers and specialty and niche publications.- History :Liberty Group Publishing was formed in 1998 when Kenneth L...
.
The newspaper covers several cities and towns in Norfolk
Norfolk County, Massachusetts
-National protected areas:* Adams National Historical Park* Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area * Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site* John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site-Demographics:...
and Worcester
Worcester County, Massachusetts
-Demographics:In 1990 Worcester County had a population of 709,705.As of the census of 2000, there were 750,963 people, 283,927 households, and 192,502 families residing in the county. The population density was 496 people per square mile . There were 298,159 housing units at an average density...
counties, but until 1998 it was named for Middlesex County
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
-National protected areas:* Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge* Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge* Longfellow National Historic Site* Lowell National Historical Park* Minute Man National Historical Park* Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge...
(most recently as the Middlesex News) or for the town of Framingham (through most of the mid-20th century, as the Framingham News). Today the daily and Sunday paper is published in three editions: morning editions in areas south and west of Framingham, and an afternoon "central edition".
History
Originally a locally owned evening newspaper, the News was purchased by the Harte-HanksHarte-Hanks
Harte-Hanks is an advertising and direct marketing company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is particularly associated with the publication of weekly shopper publications, with 13 million circulation weekly in 1100 separate editions of the PennySaver and Flyer each week in California and...
newspaper chain in 1972.
By 1986, the paper sold 49,000 copies daily and 55,000 on Sunday, and also published four Framingham-area weekly newspaper
Weekly newspaper
A weekly newspaper is a general-news publication that is published on newsprint once or twice a week.Such newspapers tend to have smaller circulations than daily newspapers, and are usually based in less-populous communities or small, defined areas within large cities; often, they may cover a...
s: the Town Crier papers in Sudbury
Sudbury, Massachusetts
Sudbury is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, population 17,659. The town was incorporated in 1639, with the original boundaries including what is now Wayland. Wayland split from Sudbury in 1780. When first incorporated, it included and parts of Framingham, Marlborough, Stow...
, Wayland
Wayland, Massachusetts
Wayland is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,994 at the 2010 census.For geographic and demographic information on Cochituate, which is part of Wayland, please see the article Cochituate, Massachusetts.-History:...
and Weston
Weston, Massachusetts
Weston is a suburb of Boston located in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States in the Boston metro area. The population of Weston, according to the 2010 U.S. Census, is 11,261....
, and the Townsman in Wellesley
Wellesley, Massachusetts
Wellesley is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of Greater Boston. The population was 27,982 at the time of the 2010 census.It is best known as the home of Wellesley College and Babson College...
. That year, Harte-Hanks added the Daily Transcript
The Daily News Transcript
The Daily News Transcript is a five-day afternoon daily newspaper in Norwood, Massachusetts, U.S., covering the Neponset Valley of Norfolk County, Massachusetts...
of Dedham
Dedham, Massachusetts
Dedham is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,729 at the 2010 census. It is located on Boston's southwest border. On the northwest it is bordered by Needham, on the southwest by Westwood and on the southeast by...
and the News-Tribune
The Daily News Tribune
The Daily News Tribune is a five-day afternoon daily newspaper in Waltham, Massachusetts, U.S., covering that city and the neighboring city of Newton.The Tribune is managed and printed by The MetroWest Daily News...
of Waltham
Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, was an early center for the labor movement, and major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th century industrial city planning,...
, and 17 weeklies, to its holdings, and merged its Massachusetts properties into a single organization that became known as News-Transcript Group
News-Transcript Group
News-Transcript Group, based in Framingham, Massachusetts, USA, was a newspaper publisher eastern Massachusetts, overseeing three daily newspapers and several weekly newspapers before being bought by Fidelity Investments in 1995 and dissolved into Community Newspaper Company the next year.- History...
.
Around that time, amid a review of the four local newspaper companies competing in the Framingham area, The Boston Globe gave the paper credit for wide-ranging coverage of foreign, national, local, sports, arts and lifestyle news, but Tab Communications
Tab Communications
Tab Communications Inc. , based first in Newton, Massachusetts, USA, then in nearby Needham, was a weekly newspaper publisher in Greater Boston before being bought by Fidelity Investments in 1992 and dissolved into Community Newspaper Company in 1996.The company, founded in 1979, steadily expanded...
publisher Russell Pergament said his daily competition left a niche for his community papers:
The News
Fidelity Investments
FMR LLC or Fidelity Investments is an American multinational financial services corporation one of the largest mutual fund and financial services groups in the world. It was founded in 1946 and serves North American investors. Fidelity Ventures is its venture capital arm...
in the early 1990s, and became sister papers in 1994, when Harte-Hanks decided to sell its newspapers and Fidelity's Community Newspaper Company
Community Newspaper Company
Community Newspaper Company, a subsidiary of GateHouse Media, is a newspaper publisher in eastern Massachusetts. It was founded in 1991 as a holding company for several suburban publishers bought by Fidelity Investments; in 2001, Fidelity sold it to the Boston Herald; in 2006, the massive chain—New...
announced it would buy the News-Transcript Group. Before purchasing News-Transcript, CNC's only daily was the News rival Enterprise-Sun
Enterprise-Sun
The Enterprise-Sun, and its predecessors, the Hudson Daily Sun and Marlboro Enterprise, were daily newspapers covering the city of Marlborough and adjoining town of Hudson, both in Middlesex County, Massachusetts....
of Marlborough
Marlborough, Massachusetts
Marlborough is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 38,499 at the 2010 census. Marlborough became a prosperous industrial town in the 19th century and made the transition to high technology industry in the late 20th century after the construction of the...
. The News
In 2000, after adding more weeklies to its fold, Fidelity sold CNC to the publisher of the Boston Herald
Boston Herald
The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
. The new owner instituted a content-sharing arrangement between CNC and the Herald, resulting in a regular stream of Daily News stories appearing in the Boston newspaper.
That arrangement continued even after the Herald sold CNC to Liberty Group Publishing (later renamed GateHouse Media
GateHouse Media
GateHouse Media Inc. is a U.S. newspaper publisher, headquartered in Perinton, New York, that publishes 97 dailies in 20 states and 198 paid weeklies, in addition to free papers, shoppers and specialty and niche publications.- History :Liberty Group Publishing was formed in 1998 when Kenneth L...
) in 2006.
Name
The current name is the sixth for the Daily News. Known at the start of 20th century as the Framingham Evening News, it became simply the Framingham News in 1926 and carried that moniker until 1971, when the South Middlesex Daily News was adopted. Six years later, that name was shortened to South Middlesex News, then in 1979 to Middlesex News, which remained its name until 1998.The regional term MetroWest
MetroWest
MetroWest is a cluster of cities and towns lying west of Boston and east of Worcester, in the US state of Massachusetts. The name was coined in the 1980s by a local newspaper....
was promoted to the nameplate October 19, 1998, as a response to the dissolution of county government in Middlesex County, and a recognition of the newspaper's reach into Norfolk and Worcester counties. The name had been coined and adopted by the newspaper in the 1980s as a means of giving its circulation area more of a shared identity than earlier alternatives -- "Greater Framingham" (which many towns in the paper's northern coverage area, western Middlesex County, did not feel they belonged to) and "South Middlesex" (which excluded towns in other counties). Reporter Greg Supernovich suggested the name -- for which he received dinner for two.
Online
As befits a newspaper covering MassachusettsMassachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
' high-tech corridor -- an earlier alternative to "MetroWest" was "Databelt" -- the Daily News was among the pioneers in electronic publishing.
Along with 10 other members of the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, the Middlesex News in 1980 offered a digital text edition to CompuServe
CompuServe
CompuServe was the first major commercial online service in the United States. It dominated the field during the 1980s and remained a major player through the mid-1990s, when it was sidelined by the rise of services such as AOL with monthly subscriptions rather than hourly rates...
. The bulletin board service's subscribers could then, via dial-up, access News stories on their personal computers.
In 1987, the paper debuted its own BBS
Bulletin board system
A Bulletin Board System, or BBS, is a computer system running software that allows users to connect and log in to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, a user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging...
, called Fred the Computer
Fred the Computer
Fred the Computer was launched in 1987 by the Middlesex News in Framingham, Massachusetts. A single-line BBS system, it was used to preview the next day's edition with news headlines and weather information...
. Subscribers could dial into Fred and see the next day's headlines, submit press releases and write letters to the editor. In 1993, the News set up a Gopher site, making it the first general-circulation United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
newspaper on the Internet.
Today's online
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
edition of The MetroWest Daily News was launched in September 2001. It shares templates and systems with other Community Newspaper Company
Community Newspaper Company
Community Newspaper Company, a subsidiary of GateHouse Media, is a newspaper publisher in eastern Massachusetts. It was founded in 1991 as a holding company for several suburban publishers bought by Fidelity Investments; in 2001, Fidelity sold it to the Boston Herald; in 2006, the massive chain—New...
properties' Websites, at wickedlocal.com.