The Wakefield Daily Item
Encyclopedia
The Wakefield Daily Item is an independent weekday daily newspaper published in Wakefield, Massachusetts
, with issues published Mondays through Fridays.
Fred W. Young printed the first Item on May 7, 1894, running the paper until selling to printer Alstead W. Browne in March 1900; he sold out to Harris M. Dolbeare, who established the Wakefield Item Company April 1, 1900.
The Item is famous for the "Looking Backward" column, detailing events that took place in Wakefield and around the country 25, 50, 75, and 100 years ago from the date of the newspaper.
The Item's presidents have all been Dolbeare's heirs -- his widow Emma Dolbeare, sons Cyrus and Richard Dolbeare, and now grandson Glenn Dolbeare. The paper has had seven editors: Harris Dolbeare (1900-1938, when he died), Gardner Campbell (1938-1953), Robert C. Reed (1953-1966), Kendall Dolbeare (1966-1986), Janet Constantakes (1986-1988) and Peter Rossi (since 1988).
The newspaper competes for readers in Wakefield with a local edition of the Daily Times Chronicle
, based in nearby Woburn
and Reading
; and with the Wakefield Observer, a weekly newspaper
published at the Beverly
office of Community Newspaper Company
.
On January 27, 2009, the Item changed its format from broadsheet
to tabloid.
The Item is located at 26 Albion Street
in the town center
.
Wakefield, Massachusetts
-History:-Geography:The diagram above shows what is to the east, west, north, south, and other directions of the center of Wakefield. Towns with population above 25,000 are in bold italics.-Demographics:-Notable residents:...
, with issues published Mondays through Fridays.
Fred W. Young printed the first Item on May 7, 1894, running the paper until selling to printer Alstead W. Browne in March 1900; he sold out to Harris M. Dolbeare, who established the Wakefield Item Company April 1, 1900.
The Item is famous for the "Looking Backward" column, detailing events that took place in Wakefield and around the country 25, 50, 75, and 100 years ago from the date of the newspaper.
The Item's presidents have all been Dolbeare's heirs -- his widow Emma Dolbeare, sons Cyrus and Richard Dolbeare, and now grandson Glenn Dolbeare. The paper has had seven editors: Harris Dolbeare (1900-1938, when he died), Gardner Campbell (1938-1953), Robert C. Reed (1953-1966), Kendall Dolbeare (1966-1986), Janet Constantakes (1986-1988) and Peter Rossi (since 1988).
The newspaper competes for readers in Wakefield with a local edition of the Daily Times Chronicle
Daily Times Chronicle
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.The newspaper was formerly known as the Woburn...
, based in nearby Woburn
Woburn, Massachusetts
Woburn is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. The population was 38,120 at the 2010 census. Woburn is located north of Boston, Massachusetts, and just south of the intersection of I-93 and I-95.- History :...
and Reading
Reading, Massachusetts
Reading is an affluent town situated in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, some north of central Boston. The population was 24,747 at the 2010 census.-Settlement and Independence:...
; and with the Wakefield Observer, a 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...
published at the Beverly
Beverly, Massachusetts
Beverly is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 39,343 on , which differs by no more than several hundred from the 39,862 obtained in the 2000 census. A resort, residential and manufacturing community on the North Shore, Beverly includes Beverly Farms and Prides...
office of 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...
.
On January 27, 2009, the Item changed its format 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.
The Item is located at 26 Albion Street
Item Building
Item Building is a historic building at 26 Albion Street in Wakefield, Massachusetts, headquarters of The Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield's main community newspaper.It was built in 1912 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989....
in the town center
Common District (Wakefield, Massachusetts)
Common District is a historic district between Lake Quannapowitt, Main Street, Common Street, Church Street, and Lake Avenue in Wakefield, Massachusetts.The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990....
.