Schneps Communications purchased Community News Group and NYC Community Media, making Schneps one of the largest local news chains in New York State with more than 70 newspapers and websites, the company announced.
Schneps, a family run, Bayside-based business that published about two dozen periodicals — including the Long Island Press — before the sale, more than tripled in size as a result of the deal, which closed last week for an undisclosed sum. Titles it acquired include TimesLedger in Queens, The Brooklyn Paper, The Bronx Times and New York Parenting Media, among many others. The merged companies will now be called Schneps Community News Group (SCNG).
“Our brands are as grassroots as it gets and produce award-winning content that both our readers and advertisers trust,” says SCNG Publisher and President Victoria Schneps-Yunis, who founded the Queens Courier in her home in 1985 before growing the company into dozens of newspapers, websites and events. “This acquisition will allow us to reach a scale that will create unique opportunities for clients that want to target their marketing and work with proven brands.”
The merger will bring under one roof a total printed weekly circulation of more than 350,000 copies, a digital reach of over 2.5 million monthly pageviews and 40-plus events annually. As a result, Schneps will grow from about 75 employees to 170. The deal also grows the Schneps’ group into Manhattan and the Bronx, giving it a presence in all five boros, and its first move into the Westchester market.
In addition to community newspapers and niche publications such as Aspire college magazine, SCNG also runs the annual Bethpage Best of Long Island contest, which the company has replicated in Brooklyn and Queens. It also hosts events such as the World’s Fare, a massive food festival at Citi Field, plus the Kings, Power Women, Power List and Stars business events hosted throughout the New York Metro area.
“We will clearly have the largest reach of any local media company in New York City across print, digital and events,” says SCNG CEO Joshua Schneps. “We can now offer companies, large and small, seeking to reach an individual neighborhood or the entire City of New York and surrounding region, the most cost effective and efficient means of marketing.”
