Press & Sun-Bulletin Cancels Local Columnists
The names of some long-time Binghamton journalists are disappearing from the Press & Sun-Bulletin newspaper.
The Gannett site has dropped three local columnists without any notice or explanation to readers.
"The Great Outdoors" Sunday feature by Rick Marsi, along with "Giving Back" by Connie McKinney and the Faith column by Thomas Picciano have been canceled.
The columnists were notified by email that the most recent columns they submitted would be the last to be carried by the Press & Sun-Bulletin.
Editor Kevin Hogan did not respond to an email from WNBF News requesting comment about the decision to drop the features and other planned changes for the Binghamton newspaper.
An unsigned email from Gannett Corporate Communications and Public Relations was received following the message sent to Hogan. The statement from the company read: “As we continue to evolve our strategy to best engage the community, The Press & Sun-Bulletin remains committed to providing reliable and trusted local content and news.”
For now, it appears the newspaper will continue to publish two weekly features by former Broome County historian Gerald Smith - Spanning Time on Sundays and Southern Tier Throwback on Fridays.
Marsi, McKinney and Picciano all expressed disappointment that they no longer would be able to contribute to the Press & Sun-Bulletin.
The cancellations are the latest in an ongoing serious of budget cuts at Gannett newspapers across the country.
Marsi told WNBF News that the email informing him that his latest column would be his last essentially said the move was being made because the editors working on his columns "need to spend that time providing content our readers can’t get anywhere else.”
Marsi said: "I thought my column was the poster child for content Press readers couldn’t get anywhere else."
McKinney said she enjoyed writing the Giving Back column which shared stories about area volunteers who are "the unsung heroes." She said she was "happy to shine a spotlight on deserving people."
Picciano said he "appreciated the opportunity to share the stories of a great number of faith-filled people in our local community."
Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.
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