February 4, 2011
Victoria and Josh Schneps, publishers of The Queens Couriers, in New York, celebrating 25 years, have acquired Brooklyn’s Home Reporter/Sunset News and the Brooklyn Spectator group of weekly newspapers.
This will be the media company’s groundbreaking foray into Brooklyn, establishing a firm foundation for growth throughout the borough. Kevin Kamen, president/CEO of Kamen & Co Group Services of Baldwin, New York, a leading print & digital media appraisal and brokerage firm, brokered the sale.
“Bay Ridge and its environs are some of Brooklyn’s premier neighborhoods, and the Home Reporter-Spectator is one of the borough’s oldest, most respected and successful newspaper chains,” explained new owners Victoria and Josh Schneps, who will be co-publishers of the titles, a position they also hold at the Queens group.
Veteran Brooklyn journalist Kenneth Brown, for 28 years the editor-in-chief of Courier-Life Publications and then CNG Publications, has assumed the role at the Bay Ridge-based Home Reporter-Brooklyn Spectator papers.
He will be working with longtime Home Reporter-Spectator staff writer Paula Katinas, Along with Katinas, the entire staff of the Brooklyn-based chain remains intact and integral to the continuing success of the papers – and excited about the bright future this acquisition holds for the publications. The building at 3rd Avenue and 88th Street remains the headquarters for the newspapers.
Within the next weeks and months, readers will find a revitalization and expansion of their hometown community newspapers. You’ll see more content, a current and visually pleasing re-design, and more color for photos and graphics.
“We will create a strong web presence and establish even greater community involvement. But the heart of the papers will remain intact: local news and issues of interest to the community.
“Perhaps most important, we are looking to the community to partner with us in this revitalization,” said co-publisher Josh Schneps. “We want you to help us expand the coverage of the Home Reporter and Brooklyn Spectator. We want your input; we want to hear of people, places, issues and events of importance to you. From a Bay Ridge social column, to a nightclub reporter, to insider politics and an inside look on Bay Ridge’s beautiful homes, we are looking for ideas, writers, photographers and columnists who can join us in this venture.”