The Larchmont Gazette, online since June of 2002, will suspend regular publication this week.
We’re not disappearing completely. The Gazette archives – including thousands of items published since June 2002 – will still be accessible at http://www.larchmontgazette.com.
And, should a new team of publishers and editors come forward, we will work with them to re-open the Gazette as a contemporary news site.
So, why are we closing down now?
Paula Eisenberg and Judy Silberstein, publishers of the Larchmont Gazette
It’s time for us to move on in our lives. The Gazette has been a tremendous labor of love – operating as a community volunteer effort since June of 2002, when we posted our first articles and sent out our first weekly email update. The number of contributing writers, photographers, commentators, and advertisers has continued to grow – as has our readership. We’ve had a lot of help, for which we are immensely grateful. (See Without Your Help There Would Have Been No Gazette for only a partial list of editors and contributors.)
But we feel our core objectives have been met.
Back in 2002, we started the Gazette with the aim of filling a void in quality coverage of local government, political and community news from the Village of Larchmont and Town of Mamaroneck, particularly in the 10538 postal zone. With the loss of its print daily in previous decades, Larchmont was missing ways to disseminate important information and to sustain community-wide conversations.
Well, 10538 is no longer as media-starved as it once was.
We now have print and online media providing regular reporting of municipal, school, political, business and community events. Citizens have more and easier access to live and on-demand video of town, village and school board meetings through LMC-TV on air or via the Internet. Calendars, meeting agendas, minutes, budgets and other primary documents are increasingly available to the public 24/7 online via municipal or media websites.
Similarly, public conversation is being carried on – with varying levels of civility – in letters to the editor and on an ever increasing number of online forums.
Will something be missing when the Gazette stops publishing? We like to think so: with scores of knowledgeable and skilled volunteers, we’ve been able to produce first-class reporting and writing with a depth and breadth difficult for commercial or smaller outlets to match. That’s why we’re keeping the door open to a restart of the Gazette in the future.
We’ve shown that a grassroots, volunteer effort can lead to quality local journalism. What we haven’t done, however, is to locate our successors.
Are You Interested in a Future Gazette?
That’s where YOU come in. Given the diversity of talent represented in Larchmont - in business, publishing, journalism, advertising, marketing and related fields – we expect there are those of you out there with the ability and interest to take the Gazette into the next decade.
Now that we’re stepping down, we’re hoping the Gazette’s next team will step up.
Intrigued? Give us a call at 834-2893 or email publisher@larchmontgazette.com
Meanwhile, you can find all the back stories, recipes, obituaries and more at http://www.larchmontgazette.com
- Judy and Paula
Click here to leave a comment.
What a sad email, to see my link to my former hometown (lived there almost 20 years-moved to NE (’77) then SF Bay area) is disappearing. I have to say my favorite bonus was pictures of Manor Park. I still go back in my dreams, so I was pleased to see there will be archives. Thank you so much from one of your many long distance fans. Lorraine (Williams) Forbes
Judy & Paula
Thank you for all your hard work and dedication that made The Larchmont Gazette a wonderful publication, people like you make Larchmont a special place to live. Best of luck in your future endeavors
Dear Judy and Paula,
Thank you so much for the many years you have published the Gazette. I always enjoyed keeping up with the local news on line and I will greatly miss your newsletter.
With appreciation,
Ellen Freeman
Thank you both for such a dedicated contribution to our community. As a working woman with so little time to spend in town, I guess I came to take The Gazette for granted as my quick source for what’s going on locally. I will miss it, and owe you a great debt.
As a former Larchmont resident for around 50 years and now living in Florida, I will miss not keeping up with the local news.
Thank you for having the Gazette for the past 8 years and good luck to you in your retirement from the gazette.
Judy and Paula,
It is devastating to think that the Larchmont Gazette won’t be waiting for me Friday mornings. You have given this community a great gift, and you and the Gazette will be missed. Your coverage of local Board meetings, committee meetings, sports, and other goings-on replaced what we lost when we lost our Daily Times — but better. I can’t thank you enough for these eight years, and wish you well. Now I hope you can go and enjoy yourselves, with no deadlines.
Sorry to see you close down. You will be missed. Thank you for your service and dedication over all these years.
Dear Judy and Paula,
You two have done such a wonderful job keeping us all informed about local happenings. All your hard work has set a high standard and I hope that others are willing to continue what you started and what so many of us have come to depend on.
I will miss you.
Constance Levi
Dear Judy and Paula,
Yes, the Gazette will definitely be missed. Thank you for your many years of highly professional and dedicated service to the Larchmont community.
sorry to see you go. As a person who grew up in Larchmont but moved away long ago it was fun to keep up with the village via your publication.
Best wishes,
Roger
(Chatsworth class of 1967)
I’m so sorry to read the Gazette will no longer be published.
As former residents of Larchmont (my husband grew up there, and we lived there after our marriage for 38 years), it was a wonderful way to keep up with the news of Larchmont.I hope someone will continue your great idea.
How very sad for Larchmont! You truly met a need. And how well you did it! It looked all so easy!
I was always looking forward to your emails. For me, the biggest value of the Gazette online was the fact it brought me news and information mostly from postal area 10538 that otherwise I would have to hunt for in umpty places and still be missing most of it.
Your efforts were a great service to our community! Thank you!
All the very best to you both!
Say it isn’t so Paula and Judy! The Gazette has been the link to my home town. I never tired of reading all the latest. Good luck in your next venture. No doubt whatever you do next will be a success.
Dear Judy and Paula
I will miss The Gazette. It is sort of like having an old friend move away. You are happy that they have made a good decision for themselves but will miss them as a friend and neighbor.
Good luck and best wishes for new endeavors.
MISS YOU SO MUCH!!!
Thank you for the depth and quality of your reporting. You provided a unique service to us.
The suspension of the Gazette is a real loss. Perhaps a new team will be inspired to continue the effort.
I will miss you!
Judy, As a former resident of Larchmont who now lives in Mamaroneck, I’d like to thank you for the years I have relied on the Larchmont Gazette to keep me in the know. The local newspaper just didn’t do it for me, and the other online ‘papers’ which have sprung up are just a bit too snarky, as my friend describes them, for my taste. All of your efforts since 2002 were a real contribution to the community, and the Gazette will truly be missed. (Having said this, I understand completely how exhausted you must be.) Thank you, Judy and friends! (I’d really rather not use my name, Judy—how about initials?)
This is a sad day for freedom of speech.
A job well done-thank you so much for your accurate and loving stories of Larchmont
Thanks for a job well done. You definitely filled a gaping hole left by print journalism,namely the Journal News.
We lived 9 unforgettable years in Larchmont, from 1996 to 2005. Now we are back in Spain. The Gazette was an easy and friendly way to keep in touch with Larchmont and a wonderful routine every Friday afternoon. In some way, now our hometown for so many wonderful years will be further away. Hopefully, our Gazette will come back soon. Thanks and all the best
So what did I do this Friday morning but immediately go to your website….then saw the obituary of an old Larchmont friend, Lee Reynolds. Thank you for all you have shared with Larchmont and Mamaroneck all these years.
I wish to thank both Judy and Paula for your years of service to our community. I appreciate professionalism and commitment to remain factual. The gazette provided a forum for members of the community to share their work and report on different initiatives taking place in our community. Needless to add my gratitude to the hours dedicated to editing our pieces.
I hope the door left open as to the future of the gazette is real and am sure that I join many in hoping that there is a future for the gazette.
Thank you both for your hard work and hope this is just a hiatus to recharge and return renewed!
I am very sad to hear this news. I am a resident of Northern Westchester but have come to rely on the expert reporting to the extent articles touch on the zeitgeist of our entire county and state. Many issues in Larchmont and Mamaroneck echo far beyond geographic lines. As far as I can tell, The Larchmont Gazette is the only online publication to act in such a professional and insightful manner. Thank you for all your hard work so far.
The gazette is already being missed. It filled a unique place in the community. The ability to contribute without over editing and the ability to comment in an open forum was unmatched. As a frequent contributor I was amazed at the reach of the Gazette. I’m not sure if Judy and Paula fully comprehended their reach. The sheer number of people that would privately comment to me on op-eds and post was a clear indication to me of the power of the publication. Perhaps the other hyper local sites will take a lesson here. Engage your public, inform in an unbiased way and don’t attempt to over control community comments.
The merger of the Third Estate with the First Amendment is a right and privilege we need to continue to encourage and demand. Think Globally and Act Locally were never more important than they are today. The power of democracy based on this new technology has become revolutionary. Giving everyone a voice to create dialog, encourage debate and scrutinize issues benefits us all. I hope to see the Gazette back or at least that the other Hyper Locals will embrace their philosophy to benefit us all.
Great work you two.
The Gazette will be missed - and the mud slinging debates - and don’t forget Anon E Mous and his famous quotations (sniff, sniff)
Will the Gazette go on the block to seek investors? I believe there’s real potential here. Patch.com is moving in but they are the 800 lb gorilla in the room owned by AOL. Besides, Patch may call itself hyper local but Larchmonters go hyper over their Gazette!!
Hosta la vista!
We’re open to all ideas!
While we cannot hope to replace the irreplaceable, our team will try to continue the tradition of good local journalism and interesting and provocative features at theLoop. We are local, original, trained journalists and not a chain, like Patch/AOL. We will soon celebrate our 3rd anniversary and welcome Gazette readers! Thank you Judy and Paula, Polly Kreisman and Diana Marszalek, theloopny.com
J and P
if you feel i shouldnt name Patch/AOL, pls remove. thanks
Hate to see you go, but hats off to you for forging the road for the hyper local phenomenon that has taken off around the country. While you can not be copied or replaced, local journalists like myself have learned that the community building and outreach that you mastered goes far. I hope to carry some of that with me as I reach out to your readers in my new role as managing editor of theLoop. Good luck!
“Besides, Patch may call itself hyper local but Larchmonters go hyper over their Gazette!”
Lol! You mean, they go ‘Poco Loco’ over their Gazette
Dear Judy ad Paula,
I just want to thank you for the many years you published the Gazette. Every Friday morning I would click on and receive the best local news possible. I can understand that you are tired and want to move on to other things. The “other” local publications are not the same, they don’t reach the high level you set with the Gazette. I miss it very much, and with me many others do also!!
We thank you so much for all the years of good reading material and up to date news. I wish you both and your families good luck and good health, and many thanks again,
Anne-Mieke Smeets