The Patriot Ledger
Encyclopedia
The Patriot Ledger is a daily afternoon newspaper published in Quincy, Massachusetts
and serving the South Shore. Its circulation is 55,000 on weekdays and 63,000 for its Weekend edition which is published on Saturday mornings.
Known for its thorough news coverage of the 26 communities south of Boston, The Patriot Ledger has won numerous international, national and regional newspaper and public service awards over the years. It was named the New England Press Association's Newspaper of the Year for 2005 and 2006.
It was the hometown paper of President John Quincy Adams
, a frequent writer of letters to the editor after he left the White House
and became a congressman.
The longest-running family ownership began in 1852 when George Washington Prescott went to work for the paper as a carrier. He later bought the newspaper.
Prescott was a descendant of Col. William Prescott
, who won fame at the Revolutionary War Battle of Bunker Hill
with his order: "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes."
In 1899, Prescott started The Quincy Daily Ledger, continuing The Patriot as a weekly. In 1916, the weekly and daily were merged into The Quincy Patriot Ledger. The paper later expanded to serve communities throughout the South Shore.
In the 1950s, the paper became a pioneer in newspaper production. Early experimentation led to development of the first practical phototypesetting
machine. The paper was the first in the world to use the device. Newspaper executives from throughout the world visited the paper to learn about the new process.
The Patriot Ledger was also among the first papers in the nation to establish zoned editions for local news and advertising, exchanging journalists with foreign countries, transmitting news copy and page layouts by facsimile, using a front-end computer editing system, installing a two-way radio system for spot news coverage, pioneering the use of 35-millimeter photography and setting up a "little merchants" carrier system.
In 1979, G.W. Prescott Publishing Co. bought the Memorial Press Group
and the award-winning Old Colony Memorial of Plymouth, Massachusetts.
The Patriot Ledger moved from its longtime editorial and business office location in downtown Quincy to the Crown Colony Office Park in South Quincy in 1988. Its printing and circulation operations had moved from downtown to the South Quincy site in 1961.
The newspaper was sold in 1997 to Newspaper Media LLC, which also owned The Enterprise
newspaper in Brockton
. It was bought by its current owner, GateHouse Media
, in 2006. The company, headquartered in Fairport, New York
, is among the largest publishers of locally based print and online media in the United States.
The company owns 87 dailies in 20 states and 198 paid weeklies, in addition to free papers, shoppers and specialty and niche publications.
The Ledger was named Newspaper of the Year for 2007 among papers between 35,500 to 60,000 daily circulation in the annual contest of the New England Newspaper Association. The Ledger was also named one of two Distinguished Papers in the judging of weekend and Sunday newspapers in its circulation category.
The Ledger was the New England Press Association's Newspaper of the Year for 2005 and 2006, and it won a general excellence award in the 2006 contest. The Ledger was also the New England Newspaper Association's Weekend Newspaper of the Year for 2004.
Rick Daniels is publisher of The Ledger and The Enterprise and chief executive officer of GateHouse New England, which owns seven daily papers and more than 100 weeklies.
Chazy Dowaliby is the editor of The Ledger and The Enterprise
.
Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nicknames are "City of Presidents", "City of Legends", and "Birthplace of the American Dream". As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council...
and serving the South Shore. Its circulation is 55,000 on weekdays and 63,000 for its Weekend edition which is published on Saturday mornings.
Known for its thorough news coverage of the 26 communities south of Boston, The Patriot Ledger has won numerous international, national and regional newspaper and public service awards over the years. It was named the New England Press Association's Newspaper of the Year for 2005 and 2006.
Background
The paper was founded on Jan. 7, 1837, as the weekly Quincy Patriot by John Adams Green and Edmund Butler Osborne.It was the hometown paper of President John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former...
, a frequent writer of letters to the editor after he left the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
and became a congressman.
The longest-running family ownership began in 1852 when George Washington Prescott went to work for the paper as a carrier. He later bought the newspaper.
Prescott was a descendant of Col. William Prescott
William Prescott
William Prescott was an American colonel in the Revolutionary War who commanded the rebel forces in the Battle of Bunker Hill...
, who won fame at the Revolutionary War Battle of Bunker Hill
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill took place on June 17, 1775, mostly on and around Breed's Hill, during the Siege of Boston early in the American Revolutionary War...
with his order: "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes."
In 1899, Prescott started The Quincy Daily Ledger, continuing The Patriot as a weekly. In 1916, the weekly and daily were merged into The Quincy Patriot Ledger. The paper later expanded to serve communities throughout the South Shore.
In the 1950s, the paper became a pioneer in newspaper production. Early experimentation led to development of the first practical phototypesetting
Phototypesetting
Phototypesetting was a method of setting type, rendered obsolete with the popularity of the personal computer and desktop publishing software, that uses a photographic process to generate columns of type on a scroll of photographic paper...
machine. The paper was the first in the world to use the device. Newspaper executives from throughout the world visited the paper to learn about the new process.
The Patriot Ledger was also among the first papers in the nation to establish zoned editions for local news and advertising, exchanging journalists with foreign countries, transmitting news copy and page layouts by facsimile, using a front-end computer editing system, installing a two-way radio system for spot news coverage, pioneering the use of 35-millimeter photography and setting up a "little merchants" carrier system.
In 1979, G.W. Prescott Publishing Co. bought the Memorial Press Group
Memorial Press Group
Memorial Press Group, based in Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA, was a chain of weekly newspapers along the South Shore near Boston, Massachusetts. Long owned by The Patriot Ledger in nearby Quincy, MPG and its daily parent were sold to GateHouse Media in 2006.Today, several former MPG papers still...
and the award-winning Old Colony Memorial of Plymouth, Massachusetts.
The Patriot Ledger moved from its longtime editorial and business office location in downtown Quincy to the Crown Colony Office Park in South Quincy in 1988. Its printing and circulation operations had moved from downtown to the South Quincy site in 1961.
The newspaper was sold in 1997 to Newspaper Media LLC, which also owned The Enterprise
The Enterprise (Brockton)
The Enterprise is an afternoon daily newspaper published in Brockton, Massachusetts, United States. The newspaper is considered a newspaper of record for Brockton and several suburban communities of northern Bristol and Plymouth counties, and southern Norfolk County, Massachusetts...
newspaper in Brockton
Brockton, Massachusetts
Brockton is a city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States; the population was 93,810 in the 2010 Census. Brockton, along with Plymouth, are the county seats of Plymouth County...
. It was bought by its current owner, 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...
, in 2006. The company, headquartered in Fairport, New York
Fairport, New York
Fairport is a village located in the town of Perinton which is part of Monroe County, New York. Fairport is a suburb east of Rochester. It is also known as the "Crown Jewel of the Erie Canal"...
, is among the largest publishers of locally based print and online media in the United States.
The company owns 87 dailies in 20 states and 198 paid weeklies, in addition to free papers, shoppers and specialty and niche publications.
The Ledger was named Newspaper of the Year for 2007 among papers between 35,500 to 60,000 daily circulation in the annual contest of the New England Newspaper Association. The Ledger was also named one of two Distinguished Papers in the judging of weekend and Sunday newspapers in its circulation category.
The Ledger was the New England Press Association's Newspaper of the Year for 2005 and 2006, and it won a general excellence award in the 2006 contest. The Ledger was also the New England Newspaper Association's Weekend Newspaper of the Year for 2004.
Rick Daniels is publisher of The Ledger and The Enterprise and chief executive officer of GateHouse New England, which owns seven daily papers and more than 100 weeklies.
Chazy Dowaliby is the editor of The Ledger and The Enterprise
The Enterprise (Brockton)
The Enterprise is an afternoon daily newspaper published in Brockton, Massachusetts, United States. The newspaper is considered a newspaper of record for Brockton and several suburban communities of northern Bristol and Plymouth counties, and southern Norfolk County, Massachusetts...
.