Medford Daily Mercury
Encyclopedia
The Medford Daily Mercury is an independent five-day (Monday through Friday) daily newspaper covering the city of Medford, Massachusetts
.
Publisher Daniel J. Horgan has owned the Daily Mercury and its sister paper, the Malden Evening News, since purchasing the Daily News-Mercury in 1996. Although Horgan restored separate titles for Medford and Malden, Massachusetts
, on any given day the two newspapers look almost identical, except for front-page stories.
, in 1969. Brickman was active in press associations and civic and governmental affairs -- he helped campaign for Massachusetts' Open Meeting Law and served on the state Ethics Commission.
Brickman, who was known to Boston-area viewers of the "Starring the Editors" television program as an outspoken regular panelist, called his final years at the helm of the three newspapers "a struggle in an antipathetic atmosphere." He sold his 75 percent interest in the papers for $1 million to Malden businessman and minority shareholder Warren H. Jackson in 1989.
The move kept the paper in local hands, although Brickman had seemed ready to sell to a Rupert Murdoch
-owned company, for more money, a year earlier. Reports in 1988 had Murdoch, who at the time owned the Boston Herald
and WFXT-TV in nearby Boston, negotiating a price between US$ 5 million and US$ 10 million.
At the time of the sale to Jackson, the three papers covered four towns -- the Malden News published an edition in Everett, Massachusetts
-- with a reported combined circulation of 11,300. Jackson announced he would save money by combining the three papers into one edition. This move created the Daily News-Mercury in 1990.
Another of Jackson's cost-cutting measures was the subject of a union picket in 1994. Despite a contract that guaranteed "lifelong employment", he fired the papers' typographers. One union member complained that the Daily News-Mercury had been "in bankruptcy for the last year; they owe us more than US$ 100,000 in pension money; they haven't given us a raise in eight years".
The underfunded pension later caused the sheriff's office to close the Daily News-Mercury temporarily in June 1995.
In 1996, the Daily News-Mercury was bought for US$ 650,000 by its current owner, Daniel J. Horgan, a publisher of weekly newspaper
s in the Boston area.
Medford, Massachusetts
Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States, on the Mystic River, five miles northwest of downtown Boston. In the 2010 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 56,173...
.
Publisher Daniel J. Horgan has owned the Daily Mercury and its sister paper, the Malden Evening News, since purchasing the Daily News-Mercury in 1996. Although Horgan restored separate titles for Medford and Malden, Massachusetts
Malden, Massachusetts
Malden is a suburban city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 59,450 at the 2010 census. In 2009 Malden was ranked as the "Best Place to Raise Your Kids" in Massachusetts by Bloomberg Businessweek Magazine.-History:...
, on any given day the two newspapers look almost identical, except for front-page stories.
History
The public face of the Medford Daily Mercury through much of the late 20th century was David Brickman, who became its publisher in 1947, bought the Malden News in 1953 and acquired the Melrose News, a former newspaper in neighboring MelroseMelrose, Massachusetts
-Government:Robert J. Dolan is the mayor. Melrose is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives by Paul Brodeur . Katherine Clark is the state senator for wards 1 through 5 and Thomas McGee is the state senator for wards 6 and 7. Melrose is part of the seventh Congressional...
, in 1969. Brickman was active in press associations and civic and governmental affairs -- he helped campaign for Massachusetts' Open Meeting Law and served on the state Ethics Commission.
Brickman, who was known to Boston-area viewers of the "Starring the Editors" television program as an outspoken regular panelist, called his final years at the helm of the three newspapers "a struggle in an antipathetic atmosphere." He sold his 75 percent interest in the papers for $1 million to Malden businessman and minority shareholder Warren H. Jackson in 1989.
The move kept the paper in local hands, although Brickman had seemed ready to sell to a Rupert Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
-owned company, for more money, a year earlier. Reports in 1988 had Murdoch, who at the time owned the Boston Herald
Boston Herald
The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
and WFXT-TV in nearby Boston, negotiating a price between US$ 5 million and US$ 10 million.
At the time of the sale to Jackson, the three papers covered four towns -- the Malden News published an edition in Everett, Massachusetts
Everett, Massachusetts
Everett is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, near Boston. The population was 41,667 at the 2010 census.Everett is the last city in the United States with a bicameral legislature, which is composed of a seven-member Board of Aldermen and an 18-member Common Council...
-- with a reported combined circulation of 11,300. Jackson announced he would save money by combining the three papers into one edition. This move created the Daily News-Mercury in 1990.
Another of Jackson's cost-cutting measures was the subject of a union picket in 1994. Despite a contract that guaranteed "lifelong employment", he fired the papers' typographers. One union member complained that the Daily News-Mercury had been "in bankruptcy for the last year; they owe us more than US$ 100,000 in pension money; they haven't given us a raise in eight years".
The underfunded pension later caused the sheriff's office to close the Daily News-Mercury temporarily in June 1995.
In 1996, the Daily News-Mercury was bought for US$ 650,000 by its current owner, Daniel J. Horgan, a publisher of 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 in the Boston area.
See also
- Malden Evening NewsMalden Evening NewsThe Malden Evening News is an independent five-day daily newspaper covering the city of Malden, Massachusetts.Publisher Daniel J. Horgan has owned the Evening News and its sister paper, the Medford Daily Mercury, since purchasing the Daily News-Mercury in 1996...
-- sister newspaper - Tribune Publications -- publisher of the Malden Evening News