Tab Communications

Infobox Defunct Company
company_name = Tab Communications Inc.
company_logo =
slogan =
fate = Bought, then dissolved
successor = Community Newspaper Company
foundation = 1979
defunct = January 11, 1996
location = 254 Second Avenue, Needham, Massachusetts 02494 USA
industry = Newspapers
key_people = "Tab's three founders:" Russel Pergament, CEO
Dick Yousoufian, president Stephen Cummings, publisher "From NewsWest merger:" James F. Carlin, Tab chairman James Kerasiotes, Tab director
products = Weekly newspapers in Boston and several western suburbs
num_employees =
parent = Independent, 1979-1992 Fidelity Investments, 1992-1996
subsid =

Tab Communications Inc. (also called Tabloid Newspaper Publishers), 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 broadsheets.

History

Three alternative weekly 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." [O'Connor, Rory. "Death at an Early Age". "The Boston Globe", October 18, 1981.]

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." [Hirshson, Paul. "3 Papers Joust for Position in Cambridge". "The Boston Globe", page 1, March 20, 1983.]

MetroWest expansion

After solidifying the "Tab"'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." 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, 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"."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, 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.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$10 to keep the newspapers, and community events they sponsored, afloat. [Arnett, Elsa C. "Free Boston Weekly Asks Readers to Give". "The Boston Globe", May 15, 1991.]

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. [Krasner, Jeffrey. "Fidelity Investments Unit Buys Out TAB Newspapers". "Boston Herald", December 5, 1992.]

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 area or MetroWest, Massachusetts (the year of the newspapers' first issue is in parentheses):
* "Allston-Brighton Tab" of Allston and Brighton (1981, as "Boston Tab")
* "Ashland Tab" of Ashland (late 1980s)
* "Brookline Tab" of Brookline (1979)
* "Cambridge Tab" of Cambridge (1981)
* "Dover Tab" of Dover (late 1980s)
* "Framingham Tab" of Framingham (1986)
* "Holliston Tab" of Holliston (late 1980s)
* "Natick Tab" of Natick (1986)
* "Newton Tab" of 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 (1986)

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.

References