NewsBeat

22 NewsBeat December 2016 MEMBER NEWS E X E C U T I V E C O M M I T T E E Richner Communications names new executive editor cott Brinton has been appointed executive editor of Richner Communications by Publishers Cliff and Stuart Richner. Brinton will lead a newsroom of over two dozen editors, reporters and photographers in producing 17 weekly editions of the Herald Community Newspapers, spanning Nassau County's South Shore. Brinton's oversight responsibilities also include the Oyster Bay Guardian, the recently acquired Gold Coast Gazette and LIHerald.com . He succeeds John O'Connell, who served as the Heralds' executive editor for 15 years and retired in September. Brinton has 23 years of experience as a reporter, photographer and editor for the Heralds, most recently as senior editor of the Bellmore and Merrick editions. He has covered several of Long Island's biggest stories, including the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and their aftermath, the crashes of flights 800 and 587, Tropical Storm Irene and Hurricane Sandy. Brinton's investigative series, "An Epic Power Struggle," published from 2001 to 2003, led elected leaders to shut down a Village of Freeport diesel power plant that failed to meet federal air-quality regulations and that local residents charged threatened their health and the environment. "Scott Brinton has become something of a Long Island institution over the years and we are fortunate to have such a capable and gifted journalist lead our staff," said Herald Publisher Cliff Richner. I've had the privilege of watching his career first hand as he honed his skills to become the outstanding writer and leader he is today." A Press Club of Long Island Hall of Fame inductee and an Outstanding Long Island Journalist honoree, Brinton has earned more than 100 national, state and regional journalism awards, including New York Press Association Writer of the Year (twice) and Sports Writer of the Year. He is also a 13-time winner of NYPA's Sharon R. Fulmer Community Leadership Award, the association's highest honor. Last spring he joined the PCLI board of directors. Outside the Herald, he has freelanced as a feature writer for Newsday and as a photographer for The New York Times, covering a wide range of subjects in Nassau and Suffolk counties. Since 2009, Brinton has been an adjunct assistant professor at Hofstra's Lawrence Herbert School of Communication, where he founded Hofstra's Community Journalism Program. Last summer, Brinton and Professor Peter Goodman co-directed the Herbert School's Summer High School Journalism Institute, in which a dozen students from Elmont, Hempstead and Island Trees high schools learned about print and broadcast journalism. Before joining the Herald, Brinton served two years in the U.S. Peace Corps in Bulgaria. After his service, Brinton settled for nine years in Long Beach with his wife, Katerina. For the past 14 years, they have made their home in Merrick with their children, Alexandra and Andrew. Brinton earned a bachelor's degree from SUNY Geneseo, a master's degree from Columbia University's Teachers College and a journalism certificate from New York University. S Richner Communications acquires Gold Coast Gazette ichner Communications (Garden City) has acquired the assets of the Gold Coast Gazette, a weekly community newspaper covering the Gold Coast communities on the North Shore of Long Island. The terms of the sale were not disclosed. Established in 1991 by the mother and son team of Patricia Horton (who passed away in April, 2009) and Kevin Horton, The Gazette covers the City of Glen Cove, the Village of Sea Cliff, Glen Head, Glenwood Landing and Locust Valley. It is the official newspaper of the City of Glen Cove and the Village of Sea Cliff. R Ailes family sells Putnam County newspapers lizabeth Ailes, the wife of former Fox News CEO Roger Ailes, has sold the Putnam County Courier and the Putnam County News & Recorder newspapers, according to the Courier's website (www.putnamcountycourier.com). The Aileses, who reside in Garrison, purchased the 150-year-old PCNR in 2008 and revived the 175-year-old Courier in 2009, months after its former owner declared bankruptcy. Elizabeth Ailes, 55, was owner and publisher of the weekly papers. Both newspapers were sold to Editor-in-chief and Associate Publisher Douglas Cunningham, who currently serves on the NYPA board of directors. E

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