Newsday Rockland Shuts Down

Posted on 27 June 2013 by Editor

Knock knock. Who’s there? HR.

Reports first trickled across Twitter yesterday, June 5, and sure enough, big conglomerate Cablevision has pulled the plug on News12 digital sibling, Newsday Westchester/Rockland.

On Wednesday, Newsday’s Rockland news offering website went dark.

newsdaygonefishingLaunched in 2012 to cover local news and compete with LoHud and the Rockland County Times throughout the Hudson Valley, various Newsday Rockland reporters climbed the charts, so to speak, helping to break important countywide news stories, including the recent Ramapo FBI raid and the Spring Valley mayoral corruption case.

The shuttering of the operation leaves several dynamic journalism voices momentarily silent — Sarah Armaghan, Meghan Murphy and Timothy O’Connor. But as reporter Murphy said in response to the situation, “We journalists are resilient. Seven times down, eight times up!”

Earlier this week, parent company Cablevision was given a thumbs-down by the market, with Standard & Poor cutting the company’s outlook from “stable to negative,”according to LoHud. The shutdown of Newsday’s Hudson Valley effort sent Cablevision shares up a few ticks.

Now, all Rocklanders have left is that Newsday12 roving news van, featuring Ty Millburn.

Here’s hoping that Armaghan, Murphy and O’Conner, three reporters who are certain to make a mark, land on their collective feet. No one knows for whom that HR knock knock comes — whether to reorganize, downsize, eliminate, or plain say, it’s your time to leave the building. Thanks, truly, for all you’ve done for the company. Now don’t let the door hit you.

Good luck, y’all.

 

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