Media In Quincy, Massachusetts

Quincy, Massachusetts is a mid-sized city just south of Boston with a population of around 95,000 residents. While it lives in the shadow of its bigger neighbor to the north, Quincy has developed its own unique media landscape over the years. This guide will explore the various forms of media based in Quincy, providing an overview of the local outlets and voices that help shape the city’s culture and identity.

Print Media

The Quincy Patriot Ledger

The most prominent print media in Quincy is The Patriot Ledger, the local newspaper that has been serving the South Shore community since 1837. Now published daily, the Patriot Ledger provides coverage of local news, sports, arts and entertainment, business, and more for Quincy and surrounding towns.

With a daily circulation of about 47,000, the Patriot Ledger is a vital source of information for Quincy residents. People turn to the Patriot Ledger to stay up to date on local government news, high school sports, restaurant openings, events calendars, and even obituaries. The paper has won numerous awards over the years for its reporting and photography.

The Patriot Ledger has adapted to the digital age by greatly expanding its online presence at patriotledger.com. In addition to publishing online versions of print articles, the website features comprehensive entertainment listings, blogs, photo galleries, videos and more. But many Quincy locals still prefer sitting down with the print edition over coffee each morning. The Patriot Ledger remains an institution in the city.

Quincy Access Magazine

For those looking to plug into Quincy’s arts and culture scene, Quincy Access Magazine is an essential resource. This free monthly magazine highlights local artists, musicians, performers, galleries, events, and general happenings around the city.

Published independently since 1993, Quincy Access keeps residents informed about the creative community and all of the homegrown talent the city has to nurture. The magazine is available at dozens of locations around Quincy, including coffee shops, stores, libraries, and more. Quincy Access also has a website that is updated regularly.

Suburban Businesses Publishing Company

For business news on the South Shore, Suburban Businesses Publishing Company provides two locally-focused publications: the Quincy Journal and South Shore Business.

The Quincy Journal is a free weekly newspaper that covers local business news, new store openings, interviews with entrepreneurs, updates from the Chamber of Commerce, and profiles of companies in Quincy. This is the go-to source for those looking to support local businesses or stay on top of the city’s business landscape.

Meanwhile, South Shore Business is a monthly publication focused on businesses throughout the broader South Shore region. But it still provides plenty of Quincy-centric business profiles and news for local readers.

Television

Quincy Access Television

Quincy Access Television (QATV) is a public access TV station that showcases programming created by residents and organizations from Quincy and surrounding towns.

QATV operates two channels – Channel 8 for public access and Channel 22 for government and education coverage. Channel 8 features a wide array of locally-produced content including talk shows, cooking shows, arts programs, sports coverage, comedy shows, podcasts, musical performances, and much more. Meanwhile Channel 22 provides live broadcasts of city council meetings, school committee meetings, and other municipal programming to keep citizens informed and engaged.

The station’s state-of-the-art facilities also offer television production classes to teach community members professional skills and empower them to have their own voice on public access TV. Overall, QATV represents an incredible community resource right in Quincy’s backyard.

Quincy Voices

Quincy Voices is an online grassroots media outlet working to capture diverse stories and perspectives in the city. Created in 2016 by local Chris Walker, Quincy Voices publishes photo essays, oral histories, profiles of unsung community members, investigative pieces, and other impactful local content on its website.

Produced by citizen journalists from all walks of life, the pieces on Quincy Voices all help build connections and understanding among residents. The outlet has covered topics ranging from historic preservation to small businesses to the Muslim community to education in Quincy. While not a traditional media company, Quincy Voices is an important platform amplifying local voices and shaping the public discourse in the city.

Radio

WJDA 1300 AM

One of Quincy’s main local radio stations is WJDA 1300 AM, a 1000-watt regional news and talk station. Broadcasting since 1947, WJDA features local programming coveringtopics like politics, current events, sports, and entertainment throughout the South Shore.

Local shows on WJDA include:

• Good Morning Quincy – A weekday morning show with news, weather, traffic, interviews, and more to start the day
• The South Shore Report – A daily afternoon talk show discussing local issues
• The Joe Zone – A sports talk show hosted by longtime Quincy resident Joe Zane
• The Toni Mendes Show – Talk show covering arts, culture and lifestyle
• Irish Hit Parade – Locally produced Irish music program airing on Saturdays

WJDA is a valuable forum for civic discourse in Quincy, providing an outlet for residents to make their voices heard and stay connected to local current events. It’s also the flagship radio home for Quincy High School sports.

WQRC 99.9 FM

For music and entertainment in Quincy, WQRC 99.9 FM “The Q” delivers a hot adult contemporary format to listeners throughout the South Shore. Owned by Quincy Media Corporation, The Q launched in 2006 and has quickly become one of the go-to radio stations in the region.

The Q’s music mix spans pop hits from the 70s, 80s, 90s and today. On-air personalities like Jen Carter, Brad Langston, and Amanda Marie keep listeners engaged with entertainment news, contests, interviews and content tied to the local community. The Q is also involved in promoting many city events and fundraisers.

While not exclusively hyperlocal, The Q still incorporates Quincy into its identity and provides a lively soundtrack for residents of the city. It’s popular with commuters, office workers, and anyone looking for catchy hits of yesterday and today.

Online Media

Quincy Patch

No overview of media in Quincy is complete without mentioning the Quincy Patch. Patch is a nationwide network of locally-focused online news outlets, and the Quincy Patch launched in 2010 to cover neighborhood news in the city.

The Quincy Patch publishes articles daily about local government, businesses, schools, development projects, community events, and general happenings around town. Patch has its finger on the pulse of neighborhood news and information people need to know as Quincy residents.

With its user-friendly website and focus on hyperlocal content, the Quincy Patch quickly became a popular news source and aggregator for community members. It also shares posts from local blogs and partners with community organizations to spread the word about events and initiatives.

Quincy Access Television (Online)

In addition to public access television, QATV also serves the community through its robust online and social media presence. QATV live streams all its public access and municipal programming through its website so viewers can watch online on-demand.

It also posts clips and segments from shows on YouTube and Facebook. Following QATV online is a great way for Quincy residents to stay in the know about interesting people, events, and organizations in the city.

Quincy Bloggers Network

Quincy has an active community of bloggers who focus their writing on local issues, news, restaurants, history, sports, and lifestyle topics. The Quincy Bloggers Network is a website that aggregates posts from these various independent blogs and content sites all in one place as a resource for residents.

Some popular blogs in the network include Only in My Dreams about Quincy history, Eat Local about food and dining, and 15 Minutes in Quincy spotlighting local community events. The Quincy Bloggers Network lets people sample all the unique perspectives being shared by their fellow citizen journalists and bloggers.

Community Media Groups

Quincy Access Television

As mentioned earlier, QATV facilitates television production classes and workshops to empower citizens to create community programming and have a platform to share their voice. These free training courses teach skills like camera work, lighting, audio mixing, editing, studio production, and more. QATV also offers equipment access and mentoring to nurture media skills within the city.

Quincy Art Association

Founded in 1932, the Quincy Art Association supports local visual artists through monthly meetings, exhibitions, and educational programs to cultivate creativity in the community. The QAA Gallery in the Quincy Center area provides space for resident artists to showcase their work through rotating exhibits. The QAA also publishes the annual Quincy Directory of the Arts to promote local artists.

Quincy Community Theatre

For those with a passion for performance art, Quincy Community Theatre (QCT) has been the main home for theatre in the city since 1932. QCT puts on five mainstage productions every year along with theatre classes and winter children’s shows. Located in a former church renovated into a black box theater, QCT provides opportunities for locals to exercise their dramatic talents.

Quincy Choral Society

Music also thrives in Quincy through groups like the Quincy Choral Society, founded in 1959. This non-audition mixed choral ensemble performs concerts throughout the year including an annual spring production. Membership draws from singers across the South Shore looking to grow their vocal skills and engage with the arts community.

Quincy Sons of Italy

For those wanting to celebrate Quincy’s rich Italian heritage, joining institutions like the Quincy Sons of Italy is a great way to get involved. This non-profit fraternal organization sponsors community events, provides scholarships, holds Italian language and cooking classes, and promotes cultural education to honor the city’s history.

Future Focus Media Youth Program

This nonprofit organization provides hands-on media production programs for high school students in underserved communities. Participants learn skills in photography, videography, graphic design and other fields while creating projects that make a social impact. The program empowers Quincy teens to use media as a force for good in their city.

Major Media Events in Quincy

Quincy hosts various annual events that shine a spotlight on different forms of community media and entertainment. Some highlights on the calendar include:

• Quincy International Film Festival – Each April, this multi-day event showcases independent films from around the world including both features and shorts across all genres. Local filmmakers are also encouraged to submit their work. The festival brings media artists and cinema fans together to celebrate the power of film.
• Quincy Art Festival – Every June, the city celebrates visual arts with this juried festival that transforms downtown into an outdoor art gallery. The works of over 100 artists are displayed along with live painting, art activities for kids, and more. The festival is produced by the Quincy Arts Association.
• Quincy Porchfest – For one day each July, musical acts take to porches across the city for a unique music festival spread out across Quincy neighborhoods. Attendees walk from porch to porch taking in free live performances by local musicians of all varieties.
• Quincy Comedy Fest – Introduced in 2018, this festival brings stand-up comedy shows to venues across the city featuring nationally-known headliners and up-and-coming New England comics. The fest debuted with a sold-out show from SNL alum Darrell Hammond at the Quincy Middle School auditorium.
• Quincy Holiday Parade – Kicking off the season each November, Quincy’s Holiday Parade is a time-honored tradition featuring floats, bands, performers, and an appearance from Santa himself. The parade marches down Hancock Street broadcasting holiday cheer. It airs live on QATV.

Notable Media Figures from Quincy

Over the years, Quincy has been home to a number of notable media personalities, including:

• Elizabeth Whitney – This 19th century Quincy native grew into one of the nation’s first female journalists and war correspondents, reporting from hotspots like the Mexican-American War. She paved the way for women in the news industry.
• Robert Lowell – Born and raised in Quincy, Lowell became one of America’s most famous poets and won the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award. He is known for his moving confessional style.
• Ruth Gordon – After beginning in theater, this Academy Award-winning actress went on to star in a string of hit Hollywood films from the 1930s through her death in the 1980s.
• Mark Bianchi – Bianchi is the long-running host of Quincy’s morning radio show Good Morning Quincy on WJDA 1300 AM. He’s a household name across the South Shore.
• The Woodward School for Girls – This prestigious all-girls prep school has called Quincy home since its founding in 1879. Many prominent women across various industries graduated from Woodward and launched careers in media.
• Jonathan Papelbon – This Quincy native pitched 12 seasons in Major League Baseball, making him one of the city’s most famous professional athletes. He was a frequent sports radio and TV guest during his playing days.

Quincy may exist outside of the mainstream national media glare, but these notable figures plus the many local outlets and organizations ensure the city’s unique identity and strong sense of community continue to thrive. For a mid-sized city so close to Boston, Quincy retains a vibrant media landscape it can genuinely call its own.