Community Weeklies

Last updated
Community Weeklies Inc.
Industry Newspapers
Fate Bought, then dissolved
Successor Community Newspaper Company
Founded October 24, 1991
Defunct January 11, 1996
Headquarters 204 West Cummings Park,
Woburn, Massachusetts 01801
United States
Key people
 William S. Cummings, founder
Products Three weekly newspapers
Parent Cummings Properties, 1991-1994
Fidelity Investments, 1994-1996

Community Weeklies Inc., based in Woburn, Massachusetts, United States, founded three weekly newspapers in the suburbs north of Boston before being bought by Fidelity Investments in 1994 and dissolved into Community Newspaper Company two years later.

Woburn, Massachusetts City in Massachusetts, United States

Woburn is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 38,120 at the 2010 census. Woburn is located 9 miles (14 km) north of Boston, Massachusetts.

A weekly newspaper is a general-news publication that is published once or twice a week.

Suburb Human settlement that is part of or near to a larger city

A suburb is a mixed-use or residential area, existing either as part of a city or urban area or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city. In most English-speaking countries, suburban areas are defined in contrast to central or inner-city areas, but in Australian English and South African English, suburb has become largely synonymous with what is called a "neighborhood" in other countries and the term extends to inner-city areas. In some areas, such as Australia, India, China, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and a few U.S. states, new suburbs are routinely annexed by adjacent cities. In others, such as Saudi Arabia, Canada, France, and much of the United States, many suburbs remain separate municipalities or are governed as part of a larger local government area such as a county.

Contents

The company was founded by developer William S. Cummings of Winchester, the largest property owner in Woburn, to compete with the Daily Times Chronicle and a supposedly "anti-business" local political scene.

Winchester, Massachusetts Town in Massachusetts, United States

Winchester is a small suburban town located 8.2 miles north of downtown Boston, Massachusetts, United States in Middlesex County. It is the 7th wealthiest municipality in Massachusetts and functions largely as a bedroom community for professionals who work in the greater Boston area. The population was 21,374 at the 2010 United States Census.

The Daily Times Chronicle is a family-owned five-day daily newspaper published in Woburn, Massachusetts, with separate daily editions and associated weekly newspapers covering several towns along Massachusetts Route 128 in eastern Middlesex County.

History

After years of complaining about the quality of the local daily and criticizing local politics—including several guest columns in the Daily Times—Cummings in 1991 envisioned starting a monthly newspaper to offer "an alternative voice" in Woburn. He found an advertising base willing to support a weekly, however, so in October 1991 he debuted his free weekly, explaining:

Nevertheless, Cummings' status as Woburn's largest landowner, and landlord at its largest office parks, opened the paper to the impression that its editorials and business coverage were simply mouthpieces for Cummings Properties, a charge Cummings denied. [1]

The Woburn paper's coverage of Stoneham and Winchester—neighboring towns to Woburn—proved so successful that Cummings established new weeklies for those towns in 1994. Upon the debut of the Winchester Town Crier, Cummings detailed his formula: Emphasis on features and sports, with less coverage of local government than his competitors. [2]

Stoneham, Massachusetts Town in Massachusetts, United States

Stoneham is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, nine miles north of downtown Boston. Its population was 21,437 at the 2010 census, and its proximity to major highways and public transportation offer convenient access to Boston and the North Shore coastal region and beaches of Massachusetts. The town is the birthplace of Olympic figure-skating medalist Nancy Kerrigan and is the home of the Stone Zoo.

Later that year, however, Cummings decided to sell his three-paper chain to Fidelity Investments, parent of Community Newspaper Company, the largest publisher of weeklies in Massachusetts. [3]

Fidelity Investments Inc., commonly referred to as Fidelity, is a multinational financial services corporation based in Boston, Massachusetts.

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.

Massachusetts State of the United States of America

Massachusetts, officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It borders on the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the states of Connecticut and Rhode Island to the south, New Hampshire and Vermont to the north, and New York to the west. The state is named after the Massachusett tribe, which once inhabited the east side of the area, and is one of the original thirteen states. The capital of Massachusetts is Boston, which is also the most populous city in New England. Over 80% of Massachusetts's population lives in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, a region influential upon American history, academia, and industry. Originally dependent on agriculture, fishing and trade, Massachusetts was transformed into a manufacturing center during the Industrial Revolution. During the 20th century, Massachusetts's economy shifted from manufacturing to services. Modern Massachusetts is a global leader in biotechnology, engineering, higher education, finance, and maritime trade.

Community Weeklies was dissolved in early 1996, when CNC realigned its operating units by geography, assigning the papers to its new Northwest Unit. [4]

Properties

At the time of its sale to CNC, Community Weeklies consisted of the following weeklies: [3]

The Winchester paper was folded into CNC's The Winchester Star, a decades-old weekly. The Advocate is in the Northwest Unit; the Stoneham paper, originally grouped in Northwest, is now part of CNC's North Unit.

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References

  1. ↑ Bushnell, Davis. "Newspaper Wars Being Waged in Medford and Woburn". The Boston Globe, page 5, October 27, 1991.
  2. ↑ Dabilis, Andy. "Winchester to Get New Newspaper by Feb. 17". The Boston Globe, page 5, February 6, 1994.
  3. 1 2 "Business Briefcase". Boston Herald, page 36, September 30, 1994.
  4. ↑ Cassidy, Tina. "Community Newspaper Realigns Properties". The Boston Globe, January 12, 1996.
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