The prizes recognized news coverage, front page design…
By Chris Fuchs
The TimesLedger Newspapers, a chain of 13 weekly papers in Queens, won 17 awards, including seven for first place, at the New York Press Association’s annual spring convention last weekend in Albany.
The prizes recognized news coverage, front page design and advertising. “The awards demonstrate that we stand head and shoulders over the other newspapers in Queens,” said TimesLedger Publisher Steven Blank, president-elect of the New York Press Association and chairman of the spring convention committee.
This year there were 3,211 entries submitted by a total of 174 newspapers, a record since the association has held the Better Newspaper Contest Awards, Blank said. The entries, submitted in 62 categories, were judged by the Illinois Press Association.
The TimesLedger placed fifth among seven of the highest-scoring newspaper chains for overall awards. The scores were based on the number of first, second, and third-place awards and honorable mentions given to a newspaper.
The Bayside Times, the chain’s flagship newspaper, took sixth place among the top 10 newspapers for awards won in advertising. “This is the first year ever that the TimesLedger has placed in the rankings for advertisement in the company’s history,” said Valerie Pantaleo-Tyner, director of sales for the newspaper since 1994.
In editorial coverage, the Bayside Times won first place in Spot News for its reporting of the Wendy’s murders, in which five workers were killed and two others wounded at the Flushing restaurant last spring.
Soon after the police arrived at the restaurant, members of the staff came to work and filed six stories on the Internet. Every member of the newsroom staff took part in writing and reporting the nine stories that were published in the June 1 issue.
“I think the awards reflect a great team effort on the part of the entire newsroom on the story of the Wendy’s massacre,” said Roz Liston, managing editor of the TimesLedger.
The Ridgewood Ledger won a first-place award for In-depth Reporting on school overcrowding, in a borough that began the 2000-2001 school year short 35,000 seats. In the same category, Adam Kramer won first place for the Fresh Meadows Times for a series on the controversy surrounding a ballfield built at St. John’s University for the New York Mets farm team.
The Jamaica Times was awarded second place for its editorials, and the Bayside Times won second-place for best front page. The Bayside Times also was awarded third place for its coverage of education, which involved a number of reporters. And Michelle Han received third-place recognition for News Story for a story about a trial that appeared in the Richmond Hill Times.
The Bayside Times won first-place awards for Circulation, Best Color Ad, Best Special Section and Best Special Section Cover.
It also received a third-place award for Special Sections, and honorable mentions for Best Large Space Ad, Overall Design Excellence, Special Holiday Edition and Best Large Space Ad.
The Little Neck Ledger also won third-place for Best Large Space Ad, and the Whitestone Times received an honorable mention in the same category.
Reach reporter Chris Fuchs by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 156.
