It was disappointing to recently read about new financial difficulties facing both Newsday and New Jersey Star Ledger newspapers.
In the 1960s, New York City was blessed with over 12 daily newspapers sold at thousands of neighborhood newsstands. I still remember many of Newsday’s Queens based competitors from decades ago such as the Long Island Star Journal, Long Island Press and Suffolk Sun, who have come and gone.
Prior to the 1962 newspaper strike, which lasted for 114 days before ending on March 31, 1963, New Yorkers had numerous newspapers. These included the New York Post, New York Daily News, New York Journal American, New York World Telegram & Sun, New York Mirror, The New York Times, New York Herald Tribune, Long Island Star Journal, Long Island Press and Staten Island Advance.
It was an era when a majority of citizens received their news from newspapers, as opposed to televison news.
These broadcasts would be primarily local news, sports and weather, seldom more than 30 minutes. Technology and budgets were not readily available to send out reporters for remote coverage for national or international stories. Readers could select from morning, midday and late afternoon editions, available at thousands of newsstands. Today there are fewer newspapers left.
The continued demise of newspapers since the 1960s is bad news for readers. Most American cities and suburbs are down to one local daily or weekly newspaper. Newspapers and magazines have to deal with increasing costs for newsprint, delivery and distribution along with reduced advertising revenues and declining readership due to competition from the Internet and other new information sources. We are fortunate to live in one of the few remaining free societies, with a wealth of information sources available for all.
Today there is an ongoing circulation battle between the New York Post, New York Daily News and The New York Times. They face competition from other daily newspapers such as Newsday, Staten Island Advance, USA Today and the Wall Street Journal.
In Great Neck, New Hyde Park, Herricks, Williston Park, Garden City, Manhasset, Roslyn and other neighborhoods in adjacent Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties – there continues to be ongoing circulation battles between a number of daily newspapers.
Readers can select from Newsday along with the New York Times, Post and Daily News. There are also national editions of USA Today and the Wall Street Journal along with freebies such as AM New York and Metro New York.
More people turn to all news radio, national network news such as ABC, CBS, NBC along with their local affiliates, NY1 (New York City), News 10 (CBS Long Island affiliate), News 12 (Long Island), FOX-5, WOR-9, WPIX-11, PBS, along with cable new stations such as CNBC, CNN, FOX, BBC and the Internet for late braking news which can sometimes become stale by the time it reaches print the next day. A growing population of new immigrants support their own newspaper, radio and television stations.
In the marketplace of ideas, let us hope there continues to be room for everyone, including Newsday, The Star Ledger along with our own Great Neck News and other Blank Slate publication affiliates.
Larry Penner
Great Neck
