Quietly but systematically, US media giant Gannett has told numbers of its print readers it isn’t going to be around much longer.

Gannett has also announced plans to close its West Milwaukee printing plant, moving production of 11 papers including the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel to the Journal Star in Illinois.

There’s been no general announcement from the USA Today publisher… just a standard announcement on each of the Wicked Local websites for its East Massachussets mastheads.

Under the headline, ‘Local newspapers aren’t dying, they’re dead’, Greg Reibman of the Charles River Regional Chamber noted that the Newton Tab, Needham Times and Watertown Tab & Press will stop publishing in May, as part of a “sweeping series of soon-to-be-former papers across Massachusetts”, including the Brookline Tab and Waltham News Tribune. “It’s not clear if Gannett is stopping the presses on the printed Wellesley Townsman too.”

And he points out that “ironically the announcements are behind paywalls – and, at least yesterday – not in the printed Newton Tab, so print-only readers may never know what happened.

‘The [name of paper here] will continue to report on the news readers need and want,’ each of the cookie-cutter Gannett statements read. ‘But it will no longer arrive at the end of your driveway or in your mailbox once a week.’

Reibman says the truth is that none of the papers covering the four chamber communities have had much local news in them for quite some time. “Yesterday’s Newton Tab, for example, contained just one obituary: It was for a woman from Georgia who had no apparent connection to Newton, or even Massachusetts.

“Gannett has not had a reporter dedicated to covering Watertown for years. Newton, Needham and Wellesley each have had one dedicated FTE.

“Media watchdog Dan Kennedy recently reported that Gannett was going to be reassigning nearly all of its local reports to regional news beats, so this may be another step in that cost cutting process.

“And yes, Gannett (and GateHouse Media before that) has already weaned us off of expecting much news in our local newspapers. But certainly, this is the end of an era for these once-proud publications, which have a long, often feisty, history of ‘relentlessly local’ service to our communities.

The Newton and Brookline Tabs – at which Reibman’s career began – were founded in 1979 but also the result of a merger with the old Newton Graphic, which dates back to 1882.

The Needham Times goes back to 1932 and merged with the Needham Tab in 2001.

“And then there’s Watertown Tab & Press, dating back to the old Watertown Press, first published in 1870. After merging with the Watertown Sun –its slogan was ‘Always Boosting Watertown’s Industries’ – it rebranded in 1985.

“Over the decades, over the centuries, over many generations, these papers have been documenting the people, the businesses and the decisions that have made our communities what they are today.

And, says Reibman, “in a few weeks, they'll all be gone”.

In its statement, updated March 16, the Watertown Tab says it will cease publishing a print newspaper and “will instead exclusively offer news online at www.wickedlocal.com/watertowntab, on social media, via digital newsletters and other platforms. The final print edition of The Watertown Tab will be May 6, 2022. 

“This business decision reaffirms The Watertown Tab’s commitment to the sustainable future of local news. The Watertown Tab and its parent company, Gannett, understand many readers value and depend upon the news and information they find weekly in their print products.

“The company’s focus on digital news presentation helps ensure continued delivery of valuable community journalism and effective platforms for advertisers. 

“The Watertown Tab will continue to report on the news readers need and want. But it will no longer arrive at the end of your driveway or in your mailbox once a week. You can find it online at www.wickedlocal.com/watertowntab. 

“Now, more than ever, it’s critical to support local journalism through subscriptions and advertising. If you don't already have one, please consider purchasing a digital subscription, which grants you unlimited access to all of our reporting, including much that is offered only to subscribers.”

But while Reibman believes readers have been weaned off news over a period, going without printed community newspapers will be a shock.