photo by Boyd Loving
June 16,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Gannett is adding to its stable of New Jersey papers by snapping up The Record , the Ridgewood News and some other weekly papers now owned by the North Jersey Media Group according to Media Ink.
According to insiders at the paper the announcement came as a shock to the Record newsroom and its already beleaguered staffers.
The 121-year-old paper long known as the Bergen Record is the second-largest daily paper in the state behind the Star-Ledger in Newark, which is owned by the Newhouse family. Gannett, the nation’s No. 1 newspaper publisher, also owns the Asbury Park Press and five other New Jersey papers.The Record seemed tired in recent years and after decades of playing a major role in setting the news agenda in New Jersey with its far left pro union slant .
While it bashed Governor Christie and harped on the tedious “Bridgegate” scandal it may have derailed presidential ambitions of New Jersey’s Gov. Chris Christie but circulation plunged , reporting lagged and the overtly biased coverage drove away advertisers .
The Record was purchased by the Borg family in 1930. Malcolm Borg is chairman, while son Stephen Borg — leader of the fourth generation of the family in control of the paper . Insiders say Stephen’s tenure at the helm has been a disaster.
