Bronx Times Reporter:
CELEBRATING 40 YEARS
(L-r) Michael Benedetto and John Collazzi, co-founders of the Bronx Times Reporter, discuss the week’s stories
from their newsroom at 3711 East Tremont Avenue in a photo dated around 1986.
CURRENT STAFF
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,BTR AUG. 20-26, 2021 29
“Timing is everything in
life”, states a wise adage. And
so it was in 1980 when two
neighborhood guys, one 29 and
the other 33, who were actively
engaged in local civic work
and Democratic party politics,
tossed around ideas to make
their political club, the Thomas
Paine Independent Democratic
Club, more essential to the
Throggs Neck/Pelham Bay
area, and came up with a-oncein
a-lifetime opportunity.
On that brisk October evening
over a couple of drinks at
their favorite restaurant, Dominick’s,
on Westchester Avenue
(now the site of the Social Security
Offi ce), Michael Benedetto
and John Collazzi decided that
the best approach to achieve
their goal was to start a nonpartisan
community newspaper
that residents from “both
sides of the aisle” would enjoy.
However, there were several
problems with the plan. First,
neither Michael, a city teacher,
nor John, a researcher in Manhattan,
had any newspaper experience.
And, secondly, there
were already two formidable
publications serving the area
of the borough that they had set
their eyes on covering.
The Bronx Press-Review
commanded a strong following
during its four decades and
the more recent upstart, Bronx
News, was known for its brutal
political coverage. Both
publications, which Bronxites
turned for the local news, were
owned by millionaires.
The big question, could another
newspaper compete successfully,
and if so, how would
it be different than the others?
“I had run for political offi
ce three consecutive times,
in 1976, 1978 and 1980. The fi rst
time for the NYS Assembly and
twice for the State Senate. After
the third loss I searched for
other ways to serve my community
and hence, the newspaper
idea was born.” Benedetto recalls.
The business plan was simple,
Mike would head up advertising
and John was to generate
the articles. The content would
be hyper-local and thorough.
“By December we were
ready to go. The project fi nally
had a name, Bronx Times
Reporter. It would be a free
monthly, distributed to the
communities of Throggs Neck,
Locust Point, Silver Beach,
Edgewater Park, Waterbury
LaSalle, Pelham Bay, Country
Club and Spencer Estate,” Collazzi
said.
June 1981 was selected for
the premiere issue. The front
page trumpeted a letter from
then-Mayor Ed Koch, wishing
the paper much success. The
two main stories focused on
the desperate plea of Country
Club residents for a new sewer
system and the deplorable condition
of Pelham Bay Park as
well as upcoming events, little
league scores, a few columns
and the “Mystery Photo” contest
which earned one lucky
reader dinner-for-two at a local
restaurant.
Every month Michael and
John organized several 4-person
crews of young teens to deliver
the paper to each home.
The fi rst printing was 15,000
copies, later adjusted to 17,000
and fi nally the circulation
reached 21,000.
Slowly the paper caught on
and because the Bronx Times
Reporter was the only paper
with spot-color, the paper was
often referred to as the Green
Paper.
In 1983, the Morris Park Edition,
the Blue Paper, was added
and both papers were now issued
bi-weekly. Two years later
the Bronx Times Reporter converted
to a paid circulation that
was available for purchase at a
hundred locations, including
every newsstand or by paid subscription.
The call to return to politics
was strong and Michael
left the fl edgling newspaper in
1987 to run for District Leader
of the 82nd Assembly District,
an unpaid position he held for
16 years.
During the late 1980s the
Bronx Times Reporter went
weekly and in 1996 four more
editions were added called
Bronx Times, which covered
the remaining parts of the
Bronx.
By this time the paper’s two
competitors were being abandoned
by most Bronx readers
as they turned to the everincreasingly
popular Bronx
Times/Bronx Times Reporter,
which was providing crisp,
positive news coverage of the
Bronx.
After 26 years, and reaching
an annual income eclipsing
$3,000,000, the 6-edition Bronx
Times/Bronx Times Reporter
was sold to News Corporation,
which was aggressively purchasing
NYC local newspapers.
John stayed on as publisher
until he retired in 2011. Laura
Guerriero, an employee of the
paper since 1987 and associate
publisher from 2004, took over
as publisher.
Schneps Media Inc., owned
by Victoria Schneps-Yunis and
Joshua Schneps, purchased the
Bronx Times/Bronx Times Reporter
in 2018 from Community
News Group, led by Jennifer
and Les Goodstein.
In 2005, Michael Benedetto,
retired from teaching, fulfi
lled his lifelong dream. He
was overwhelmingly elected
to serve the people of the 82nd
Assembly District and is now
in completing his ninth term
in Albany. He was named the
chair of the very important Assembly
Education Committee
2019. John Collazzi has been
his Chief of Staff since 2015.
“From a germ of an idea,
and the best of timing, the
Bronx Times/Bronx Times Reporter
grew in 40 years to be
the commanding newspaper
of the Bronx. We’re so proud to
have been part of the paper’s
journey,” said the founders.
Here’s to another 40!
Michael Benedetto
Co-Founder
Les Goodstein
Former Owner
Jennifer Goodstein
Former Owner
President and Publisher
Victoria Schneps-Yunis
CEO and Co-Publisher
Joshua Schneps
PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER
CEO AND CO-PUBLISHER
BRONX TIMES PUBLISHER
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
REPORTER
REPORTER
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES
PRODUCTION
Victoria Schneps-Yunis
Joshua Schneps
Laura Guerriero
Christian Falcone
Jason Cohen
Robbie Sequeira
Leonard Vigliotti, Donna Marzi
Mauro DeLuca