Southbridge Evening News
Encyclopedia
The Southbridge Evening News is a weekday (Monday-Friday) afternoon daily newspaper in Southbridge, Massachusetts
. It is the flagship newspaper of Stonebridge Press
, a chain that also includes several weekly newspapers in central Massachusetts
and northeastern Connecticut
. The paper has a circulation of approximately 3,500.
and Charlton
, and three adjoining smaller towns, Brimfield
, Holland
and Wales
. It competes in each of these towns with the daily Telegram & Gazette from Worcester
, and in the three smaller towns with the daily The Republican of Springfield
.
Privately owned by the same owners since 1995, the owners of Stonebridge Press have played up the Evening News local roots, relegating most news from outside its circulation area to the inside of the newspaper. Stonebridge Press also oversaw the paper's return to broadsheet
newsprint and its conversion to digital photography and pagination.
The newspaper is distributed each weekday for same day delivery through the US Mail. It is printed in Southbridge, in Building 25 of the former American Optical Company plant.
In the mid-1990s, the rising cost of newsprint forced Worcester County Newspapers president and Evening News editor Loren F. Ghiglione to make severe cuts: the company's printing plant in Auburn, Massachusetts
, was closed (the plant is now owned by Community Newspaper Company
); the publishing schedule was cut from six to five days a week; several of the company's weeklies were closed; and the Evening News and remaining weeklies switched from broadsheet
to tabloid paper.
Southbridge, Massachusetts
The Town of Southbridge is a city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 16,719 at the 2010 census.-History:...
. It is the flagship newspaper of Stonebridge Press
Stonebridge Press
Stonebridge Press Inc. is a privately held newspaper company based in Southbridge, Massachusetts. It was formed October 27, 1995, to operate the newspapers acquired through the purchase of Worcester County Newspapers....
, a chain that also includes several weekly newspapers in central 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...
and northeastern Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. The paper has a circulation of approximately 3,500.
The News
The News, headquartered in the historical Tiffany Leonard House downtown, steps away from Town Hall, focuses its coverage on the "tri-community" towns of Southbridge, SturbridgeSturbridge, Massachusetts
Sturbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It is home to Old Sturbridge Village living history museum and other sites of historical interest such as Tantiusques.The population was 9,268 at the 2010 census...
and Charlton
Charlton, Massachusetts
Charlton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,981 at the 2010 census.- History :Charlton was first settled in 1735. It was established as a District separated off from Oxford on January 10, 1755, and became a Town in 1775 by a law that made all...
, and three adjoining smaller towns, Brimfield
Brimfield, Massachusetts
Brimfield is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,609 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, Holland
Holland, Massachusetts
-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water. Holland is bounded on the east by Sturbridge; on the south by Union, Connecticut; on the west by Wales; and on the north by Brimfield. Holland is equidistant...
and Wales
Wales, Massachusetts
Wales is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,838 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
. It competes in each of these towns with the daily Telegram & Gazette from Worcester
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
, and in the three smaller towns with the daily The Republican of Springfield
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
.
Privately owned by the same owners since 1995, the owners of Stonebridge Press have played up the Evening News local roots, relegating most news from outside its circulation area to the inside of the newspaper. Stonebridge Press also oversaw the paper's return to 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...
newsprint and its conversion to digital photography and pagination.
The newspaper is distributed each weekday for same day delivery through the US Mail. It is printed in Southbridge, in Building 25 of the former American Optical Company plant.
History
The Evening News was a cornerstone of Central Massachusetts newsmedia long before Stonebridge Press was formed in 1995. It was the flagship of Worcester County Newspapers, which included many of the same weeklies as Stonebridge.In the mid-1990s, the rising cost of newsprint forced Worcester County Newspapers president and Evening News editor Loren F. Ghiglione to make severe cuts: the company's printing plant in Auburn, Massachusetts
Auburn, Massachusetts
Auburn is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 16,188 at the 2010 census.- History :Auburn was first settled in 1789 and was officially incorporated in 1808 as the town of Ward, in honor of American Revolution General Artemas Ward...
, was closed (the plant is now owned 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...
); the publishing schedule was cut from six to five days a week; several of the company's weeklies were closed; and the Evening News and remaining weeklies switched from 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...
to tabloid paper.