Weekly newspaper disappears
The former editor and publisher of The Putnam County News & Recorder says the 158-year-old newspaper has been sold but the identity of its new owners is a mystery and the Cold Spring weekly was not published on Wednesday (April 24).
Douglas Cunningham told readers on April 17 that he was retiring and had sold the newspaper. He did not identify the buyers and, when reached by email, declined further comment.
Cunningham purchased The PCNR and The Putnam County Courier in December 2016 from Roger Ailes, then chairman and CEO of Fox News, and his wife, Elizabeth, who owned a home in Philipstown. At the time, Cunningham was the editor and associate publisher. His wife, Sheila, became the majority owner. The Courier, which dates to 1841 and was published on Tuesdays, also did not appear this week.
“We are retiring,” wrote Cunningham, who lives in Beacon. “We have grandchildren now. We have appreciated your reading, your support and your encouragement. I hope you’ll provide the same support to the new owners.”
Eric Gross, who has been a reporter for The PCNR and The Courier for decades, said he planned to continue contributing to both papers. He said on Tuesday he did not know the identity of the new owners.
The PCNR’s Facebook page has been taken down, and the most recent posts to its Twitter and Instagram accounts are from 2023.
The paper was founded in March 1866 as The Cold Spring Recorder by Charles Blanchard, who promised readers “a family journal devoted to the dissemination of general and local news, and the impartial discussion of questions of public interest.”
He sold the paper in 1867 to a group of residents who appointed the village postmaster, Sylvester Beers Allis, as editor. Nearly 20 years later, in 1886, a county history reported that The Recorder, now owned by Allis, was “independent in politics, fearless in expression of opinion and has an extensive circulation.”
In 1938, The Recorder merged with The Putnam County News, founded five years earlier, to form The Putnam County News & Recorder. In 1965 the paper adopted the motto — “We are 100 Years Old — But New Every Wednesday” — for its centennial.
Roger Ailes purchased The PCNR from Brian O’Donnell in 2008, and Elizabeth Ailes became publisher. In early 2009 the Ailes bought The Courier, which had stopped publishing six weeks earlier.
Let us all hope that The Putnam County News and Recorder and The Putnam County Courier can be saved. Local newspapers should not die. It’s good for The Highlands Current, a newspaper I love, to have a competitive newspaper in town, especially one that covers only Philipstown, and it is obviously good for the community to have two papers.
I agree with Mr. Whipple: I would hate for us to lose The PCNR after all these years. Hyper-local news coverage is practically non-existent these days.
While I read and advertised in The PCNR for decades, I felt that when the wonderful Highlands Current came to town, there was a sea change with that paper after Doug Cunningham took the helm. In my humble opinion, I believe that Cunningham’s attitude became, “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em,” when it came to the political / editorial leanings of the paper.
I noticed that his tone became ever more liberal (Democratic) and less conservative (Republican) than it had been under his predecessors. I have no idea why or how this change happened, but I think it may have turned off readers who like the formerly conservative perspective. At least that’s what I’ve heard from acquaintances who were still subscribers or advertisers.
In any event, I look forward to seeing what the new PCNR will be like. I certainly wish all involved the best and hope that they can make a go of it in a very difficult times.
Before 2009, The PCNR’s coverage of Putnam Valley politics and government was terrific because of Ed Greiff, its indefatigable freelance reporter. Ed attended every Town Board and Planning Board meeting and was in Town Hall on an almost daily basis, talking to supervisors and employees. Before his death in 2009, Ed was planning a book on Putnam Valley politics during the days of Supervisor Carmelo Santos.
Since Ed’s death, The PCNR’s coverage has been seriously lacking. For example, in 2021, there was no coverage of the school board election (no candidate profiles). More recently, its coverage of the contaminated fill at the construction site of the new firehouse has lagged behind The Putnam Examiner and The Current. Let’s hope The PCNR’s new owners do better.
I’ll miss Doug Cunningham at the helm of The PCNR. Although I didn’t always agree with his opinions, he was a straight shooter, even when it ruffled feathers. He took the lead in reporting on some controversial issues, notably the issue of Hamilton Fish III, which he extensively covered. I wish Mr. Cunningham a happy retirement and hope he continues to take part in the community conversation.
It is absolutely fitting that the only public announcement of what is going on is not from The PCNR but from The Current, and that The PCNR, which claimed to be “the only real newspaper” in Philipstown, is, as always, devoid of news about what is happening. [via Facebook]
I’ll miss Cunningham’s column. I get my info from a range of sources, but I came around to enjoying his perspective. He provided an interesting view on Putnam County government. [via Facebook]
McKay Wilson is a reporter for The Journal News.
Roger Ailes sowed the seeds of this once-esteemed publication’s demise. It’s a shame. [via Facebook]
I doubt there is a buyer lined up. Print media is dead and his paper was three bucks a copy for puff pieces and no real news. If you were running for or in office and took ads in his paper, he would never say anything negative about you. [via Facebook]
But, you know, let’s keep voting The PCNR as the “paper of record.” [via Facebook]