The Newton TAB used to have a pretty good web site that mirrored all the news in the print version, though often a few days later. The web site today looks like they’ve just about thrown in the towel on the whole web enterprise.
On the home page the lead story is the Cambridge Symphony orchestra. Nearly the rest of the page is high school sports – including one story duplicated three times.
Click to the News tab and things don’t get much better. It starts with a generic WickedLocal photo of the day, followed by some empty sections that just have an “Updated at” time and no content. That’s followed by some regional and national news headlines. Finally down the bottom there are some actual Newton news stories ….. from early May.
Its a sad turn of events for someone like me who likes local news but can’t get the TAB delivered to my house (they don’t seem to deliver to short streets), and has no nearby stores that reliably carry the Tab.
How’s the print TAB holding up these days? If they’re cutting back on the web I hope they’re still doing okay with the print version. What say you, paper and ink readers?
I was under the impression that the Tab was delivered to every home in Newton. Strange. What do you mean by “short streets”? Why wouldn’t they deliver there?
You are correct that the Tab’s web presence is barely felt anymore. Occasionally there are Facebook posts, but it doesn’t look like they are taking this seriously. There was a time when I actually commented on online articles on Wicked Local and felt there was a decent discussion going on.
This is too bad, and seems contrary to the way the rest of the news industry is going.
The print version of The Tab is hardly better. It seems like the same people write the same letters on the same topics week after week.
I actually tried to get them to STOP delivering it to me, but it still litters my sidewalk every Wednesday.
@Newtoner – The details of who does/does not get delivery has always been shrouded in mystery. I think they claim to deliver to 80% of households.
My personal observation is that they seem to have “a low hanging fruit” delivery strategy. Any place that they can’t deliver lots of papers quickly they skip.
Curiously, maybe once or twice a year a Tab gets delivered to my house for no apparent rhyme or reason.
I can’t remember the last time I read to Tab or went to its website. I come here and usually if there’s anything worth reading on the Tab someone will have linked to it here.
I actually like the print version, but think they could get the community much more engaged if the same content was available online and posted on Facebook. Once people start sharing those articles, the audience will grow substantially.
It’s a sad day when a community loses a media outlet, either because it’s shut down or becomes less relevant due to budget cuts. I hardly ever agree with Andy Levin on issues, bur he’s really done his best to maintain a local media presence under diffcult circumstances.
What Jane said (except I sometimes agree with Andy). As a 5th grader I delivered the News Tribune which was a daily paper that people actually paid a subscription for (plus tips!). I don’t blame Andy – I think he is doing his best with very, very little resources. I am grateful we have the Tab at all, even though I too wish the website was more Newton-focused and updated.
I reached out to Andy Levin to ask about submitting pieces on the opioid epidemic and economic inequality as they relate to Newton. I was disappointed to never hear back as I was looking forward to writing a series on the issues for the community.
Although the Tab has had its time, the opportunity is there for a sustainable integrated digitized sourcing for stuff & news all in one. Conceptually, municipality function & performance for residents, business, and industry could usher in a national model. For instance, a revitalization of the Northland held mill village properties conceptually could become a destination for hotbed intelligence, drawing ‘beyond brick & mortar’ sustainability. The creation of an ebay sellers network for instance, integrating residents ‘stuff’ with home based global ecommerce will realign housing density, zoning redefinition, property tax classification shift, public health identification, and a deep understanding of materialism. ‘Todays hoardings are tomorrow’s cash flow’.
I can’t figure out if I should give Harry’s comment a thumbs up or thumbs down, because I can’t understand Harry’s comment.
But to better understand some of the factors that are likely impacting the TAB, this story from the BBJ might be helpful.
It is unfortunate that local news coverage has been greatly diminished across the region.
The TAB has been in decline for years. It’s heading toward the periodical category of ‘pennysaver’ (ads, classified, and a limited amount of news). It’s sad that a lively city of 85,000 people with a variety of issues, news, and events is served by a paper (and only 1 or 2 reporters) that barely compares to some that I’ve seen in rural New England towns. With only 1 or 2 reporters, much of the content is reader-submitted or syndicated, regional culture/lifestyle articles. A year or two ago, the TAB announced a new digital focus. Seems like this effort has fallen by the wayside.
give a poor man cash he’ll spend it; teach him how to earn it and he’ll never be poor again..
@Harry – teach him to earn it and he may still be poor again when the skills you taught him are no longer sellable due to changes in technology and marketplace desires.
OK… a few points of clarification:
– Almost everything in the print edition, 90 percent plus, is on the Wicked Local Newton website. These days, with news stories especially, it will generally show up online before print.
– Yes, there is a fair share of regional/national content that gets posted to the site. Sometimes, it will push the local content off the home page. If you want to browse the local news stories, your best bet is to go to the “Top Stories bucket.” To find content additional content there, click “More Top Stories.” (Jerry, I’m not sure why you were seeing only month-old stories under the News bucket. If you click “News/Community” or other subtopics the more recent stories should be there.)
– We do post all our stories and OpEd content to FB. Every day. If you “like” the FB page, our stories will show up on your feed.
– Tom Davis: I just sent you an email about your column proposal. Sometimes my age gets the best of me and I forget to close out a response.
– Jerry: If you email me your street address I can inquire about having the TAB delivered there.
Finally, thank you to Emily, Jane and Newtoner for the words of support. Appreciate it and we will continue to do our best here.
@Andy Levin – Sorry to be spreading misinformation. Whew! I’m delighted to hear that the web site is alive and well.
Dont know what was going on last night but it looked like an abandoned ghost ship. I’ll check in later with the same browser.
I’m impressed at how much Andy and Laura Lovett are able to accomplish by just getting a paper printed and distributed each Wednesday. You don’t have to agree with all or any of Andy’s editorial positions to appreciate just how far back he bends over backward to make certain that opposing viewpoints get top billing as op-eds or extended letters to the editor. And it’s a real pleasure when I call the Tab and he picks up the phone or gets back to me in short order. You don’t get that kind of service anywhere these days. Andy puts his heart and soul into this paper.
I’ve seen Laura in action on three articles pertaining to the Highlands Local Historic District and in each instance she did a commendable job getting all viewpoints incorporated into the articles she wrote. Of course, I particularly liked the first story she did in March because she included not one but two full blown color photos of Amy Wayne and me conducting a walking tour of the proposed district. I won’t say it went viral, but I sure forwarded it to many friends in Newton and throughout the world.
And I’m glad that Andy and Tom Davis are touching base on the Opioid epidemic. I know enough about the hidden and not to hidden aspects of this scourge to recognize that Tom knows what he’s talking about from real life experiences. He has a lot to contribute on this and other matters from where he’s been and where he is now.
Andy – Thanks for the tips to ease navigating the website. Very helpful!
@Andy: while you’re doing good deeds…please ask the delivery team to drop a half dozen Tabs at the Depot Coffee Shoppe in Upper Falls!
@Sallee: There are Tabs available across the street at Atlas Liquors, which now is beginning to have the feel of a variety store. I think the drop off at the Depot also is a great idea.
Andy, please have the TAB delivery restored to the entire village of Newton Upper Falls. We moved here in 1989, had TAB delivery every week until about nine months ago, when it disappeared. Then it reappeared about three months ago. Then it disappeared again about a month ago. Thanks!
I will certainly make a request to have additional deliveries in Upper Falls.
Given the decline of the TAB (sorry Andy, but it’s true and it’s not your fault), I offer up a couple of important notes.
1) A lot of local journalism is now coming from online sources(http://www.poynter.org/2017/in-many-communities-best-local-journalism-is-not-coming-from-print/456515/) , but finding a business model isn’t easy. Local news doesn’t scale in a way that attracts advertisers (see: Gatehouse) and the ease through which local businesses can reach targeted audiences in a more cost-effective manner thanks to social channels has had a dramatic impact on local news. This isn’t just true of businesses, but also of politicians. I’m sure you’ve all already seen Facebook and Instagram ads from our mayoral candidates.
2) Consuming local news DOES lead to civic engagement (http://www.journalism.org/2016/11/03/civic-engagement-strongly-tied-to-local-news-habits/). Meaning, it’s difficult to get out the vote and to get good people to run for office if they’re not engaged with news on the local level. Given that national politics is fed by local politics, think about what this means for our higher level government over the next generation. Clearly, we’re already seeing it play out, but it will only get worse.
Imagine my surprise to discover the last 5 weeks of Newton Tabs at my front door. I suspect a Village 14 Reader elf at work. Thank you.
Could be the making of a great horror story. Next week there will be ten TABs, the week after that twenty, the week after that…
I’ve lived here for two years and never got a tab delivered. Yet I get several copies of the Globe Direct spam bomb almost daily.
The website is little more than location targeted click bait from what I can tell.
@Greg Reibman – Tabzilla!
UHub http://www.universalhub.com, which covers Boston, is sort of a combination of what Village 14 is (a discussion forum of Newton topics) and what the TAB should be (a reliable, up-to-date source of news).
Would be great if we had a Newton version.
Hi Andy, I just wanted to remind you that the Newton Upper Falls neighbors would like TAB delivery. Today, June 21st, no papers were delivered. Thanks.
Joe-Louise
Will you email me the number of your house? Then I can make an “official” request. I heard they did start dropping copies at the Depot and I just put in a request for a woman who lives on Chestnut.
Hi Andy, sure I will – please send me your email.
And it’s Jo-Louise No “e” just a hypen “-” between Jo and Louise
I’m okay with stating it on the blog – it’s number 24 Indiana