Tab Communications
Encyclopedia
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 from one newspaper to 14 and made one major acquisition, buying its competitor NewsWest in 1989. Most of the Tabs are still published by CNC, now a division of GateHouse Media
, and are still named after their tabloid format, although they are now broadsheet
s.
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 company expanded into Boston
and Cambridge
.
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
and 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."
's position in Boston
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."
While criticizing NewsWest's regional perspective, Tab followed its competitors farther into MetroWest
the next year, opening Tabs in Framingham
, Natick
and Weston
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."
, Natick
, Needham
, Sherborn
, Sudbury
, Wayland
, Wellesley
and Weston
.
On April 1, 1986, NewsWest expanded into Ashland
, Holliston
and Framingham
. 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
, Needham
, Southborough
, Westborough
-- 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.
Late in 1992, Cummings, Pergament and Yousoufian sold out for an undisclosed price to Fidelity Investments
. Cummings and Pergament stayed on as heads of Tab Communications, which formed a semi-autonomous division of Community Newspaper Company
. 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. 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.
area or MetroWest
, Massachusetts
(the year of the newspapers' first issue is in parentheses):
All of these newspapers except the Dover, Sherborn and Wellesley papers are still published by Community Newspaper Company
, 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.
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
, USA, then in nearby Needham
Needham, Massachusetts
Needham is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. A suburb of Boston, its population was 28,886 at the 2010 census.- History :...
, was a 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...
publisher in Greater Boston
Greater Boston
Greater Boston is the area of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts surrounding the city of Boston. Due to ambiguity in usage, the size of the area referred to can be anywhere between that of the metropolitan statistical area of Boston and that of the city's combined statistical area which includes...
before being bought by Fidelity Investments
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 1992 and dissolved into 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...
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 still published by CNC, now 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...
, and are still named after their tabloid format, although they are now broadsheet
Broadsheet
Broadsheet is the largest of the various newspaper formats and is characterized by long vertical pages . The term derives from types of popular prints usually just of a single sheet, sold on the streets and containing various types of material, from ballads to political satire. The first broadsheet...
s.
History
Three alternative weeklyAlternative 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 local people and culture. Their news coverage is more...
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
The Real Paper was a Boston alternative weekly newspaper with a circulation of 50,000. It ran from August 2, 1972, to June 18, 1981, often devoting space to counterculture issues of the early 1970s. The offices were located on Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge, Massachusetts.The Cambridge Phoenix...
, the company expanded into 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...
and Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
.
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
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
'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, Massachusetts
Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...
and Newton
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
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."
MetroWest expansion
After solidifying the TabBoston
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...
and the near-west suburbs, the company joined a 1985 rush to capture 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....
market. 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...
, 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."
While criticizing NewsWest
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....
the next year, opening Tabs in Framingham
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:...
, Natick
Natick, Massachusetts
Natick is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Natick is located near the center of the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, with a population of 33,006 at the 2010 census. Only west from Boston, Natick is considered part of the Greater Boston area...
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....
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."
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 DoverDover, Massachusetts
Dover is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,589 at the 2010 census.Located about southwest of downtown Boston, Dover is a residential town nestled on the south banks of the Charles River. Almost all of the residential zoning requires or larger...
, Natick
Natick, Massachusetts
Natick is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Natick is located near the center of the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, with a population of 33,006 at the 2010 census. Only west from Boston, Natick is considered part of the Greater Boston area...
, Needham
Needham, Massachusetts
Needham is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. A suburb of Boston, its population was 28,886 at the 2010 census.- History :...
, Sherborn
Sherborn, Massachusetts
Sherborn is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is in area code 508 and has the ZIP code 01770. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the town population was 4,119. The assessed value of the town for the fiscal year 2005 is $1,008,146,994....
, 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:...
, 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...
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....
.
On April 1, 1986, NewsWest expanded into Ashland
Ashland, Massachusetts
Ashland is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the MetroWest region. The population was 16,593 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, Holliston
Holliston, Massachusetts
Holliston is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States in the Greater Boston area. The population was 13,547 at the 2010 census. It is part of the region known as MetroWest. Holliston is the only town in Middlesex County that borders both Norfolk and Worcester...
and Framingham
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:...
. Pergament denigrated his regional competitor, calling it "that amateur hour", while NewsWest president James Kerasiotes
James Kerasiotes
James J. Kerasiotes was the director of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and the project manager of the Big Dig in Boston during the 1990s. He was asked to resign by Massachusetts governor Paul Celucci on April 11, 2000, because of cost over runs...
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
Hopkinton, Massachusetts
Hopkinton is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, just under 30 miles west and south of Boston. The town is best known as the starting point of the Boston Marathon, held annually on Patriots' Day in April, and as the home of computer storage firm EMC Corporation.For geographic and demographic...
, 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...
, Needham
Needham, Massachusetts
Needham is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. A suburb of Boston, its population was 28,886 at the 2010 census.- History :...
, Southborough
Southborough, Massachusetts
Southborough is an affluent town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It incorporates the smaller villages of Cordaville, Fayville, and Southville. Its name is often informally shortened to Southboro, a usage seen on many area signs and maps. Its population was 9,767 at the 2010...
, Westborough
Westborough, Massachusetts
Westborough is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 18,272 at the 2010 census. The town is governed under the New England open town meeting system, headed by a five member elected Board of Selectmen whose duties include licensing, appointing various...
-- 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.
Bought by Fidelity
Following a tough year economically, Tab in 1991 sent a letter to its subscribers asking for a voluntary donation of US$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
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...
. Cummings and Pergament stayed on as heads of Tab Communications, which formed a semi-autonomous division 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...
. 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. The former Tab headquarters, in Needham
Needham, Massachusetts
Needham is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. A suburb of Boston, its population was 28,886 at the 2010 census.- History :...
, 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 BostonBoston
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...
area or 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....
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
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...
(the year of the newspapers' first issue is in parentheses):
- Allston-Brighton Tab of Allston and Brighton (1981, as Boston Tab)
- Ashland Tab of AshlandAshland, MassachusettsAshland is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the MetroWest region. The population was 16,593 at the 2010 census.-History:...
(late 1980s) - Brookline Tab of BrooklineBrookline, MassachusettsBrookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...
(1979) - Cambridge Tab of CambridgeCambridge, MassachusettsCambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
(1981) - Dover Tab of DoverDover, MassachusettsDover is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,589 at the 2010 census.Located about southwest of downtown Boston, Dover is a residential town nestled on the south banks of the Charles River. Almost all of the residential zoning requires or larger...
(late 1980s) - Framingham Tab of FraminghamFramingham, MassachusettsFramingham is a New England town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 68,318 as of the United States 2010 Census. -History:...
(1986) - Holliston Tab of HollistonHolliston, MassachusettsHolliston is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States in the Greater Boston area. The population was 13,547 at the 2010 census. It is part of the region known as MetroWest. Holliston is the only town in Middlesex County that borders both Norfolk and Worcester...
(late 1980s) - Natick Tab of NatickNatick, MassachusettsNatick is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Natick is located near the center of the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, with a population of 33,006 at the 2010 census. Only west from Boston, Natick is considered part of the Greater Boston area...
(1986) - Newton Tab of NewtonNewton, MassachusettsNewton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
(1979) - Sherborn Tab of SherbornSherborn, MassachusettsSherborn is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is in area code 508 and has the ZIP code 01770. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the town population was 4,119. The assessed value of the town for the fiscal year 2005 is $1,008,146,994....
(late 1980s) - Sudbury Tab of SudburySudbury, MassachusettsSudbury 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...
(late 1980s) - Wayland Tab of WaylandWayland, MassachusettsWayland 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:...
(late 1980s) - Wellesley Tab of WellesleyWellesley, MassachusettsWellesley 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...
(1985) - Weston Tab of WestonWeston, MassachusettsWeston 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....
(1986)
All of these newspapers except the Dover, Sherborn and Wellesley papers are still published by 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...
, 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.