Looking back over the past year gives us all a sense of perspective. It’s a chance to frame events outside the moment and contemplate as we bravely forge into the coming year. However, for Fire Island and Great South Bay News, that lens is seen through a very transitional year for our publication. Here are a few of those milestones:
January 2024: In the final days of the preceding year, Schneps Media purchased Fire Island News, which was founded in 1957. Only four former proprietors preceded them in the chain of ownership. We hit the ground running in our news coverage, with historic floods plaguing Fire Island and South Shore Long Island beaches in late December and early January. Floods that served as a wake-up call to federal agencies, thanks to a groundswell of community activism. Other winter stories included Fire Island Ferries, Inc. and the Incorporated Village of Ocean Beach reaching a 10-year contract deal with strikes or drama. We also looked at the Pickleball craze sweeping South Shore Long Island., and spoke with Islip Arts Council’s Lynda Moran.
March 2024: As spring approached, Fire Island News changed. In March, our website masthead officially changed to “Fire Island & Great South Bay News.” However, the change went much further than a name. With Schneps Media’s resources in the background, fireislandnews.com became a much more robust website. For instance, readers may now enter community events in our online community calendar, which has been a game-changer in the speed and accuracy of events going live for promotional purposes. Energized with this new potential coverage of our place in broader events, like viewing the solar eclipse or the sentencing of convicted embezzler David Ostrove reached a wider audience than ever before.
May 2024: Our first print edition of Fire Island & Great South Bay News rolled off the presses on Friday, May 24, to kick off Memorial Day Weekend. It had a different shape and look than readers were accustomed to. Through June, July, and August, we found our stride and touched on events that defined the summer of 2024. Joyous moments like Sugar B. Real making history at the Arts Project of Cherry Grove’s Homecoming Pageant and the Great South Bay Music Festival rocking Long Island. We also took up-close views at stories that hit home as the Ho-Hum Beach access controversy started brewing in Bellport and a transgender controversy disrupting a beloved annual volleyball tournament on Fire Island. Our pertinence as a local news source did not waiver.
October 2024: The inaugural edition of Great South Bay News was published on October 11. This monthly publication takes a different approach compared to its summertime counterpart. This high-gloss tabloid features in-depth articles and interviews that capture the essence of life along the Great South Bay. It also includes a comprehensive Real Estate section called Between the Canals, which is becoming increasingly popular in the South Shore Long Island real estate community. While Great South Bay News is still in its early stages, it embodies a vision nearly a decade in the making, acknowledged for its potential by Schneps Media.
We would like to express our gratitude to the key individuals who contributed to making 2024 a successful year, even though their names do not appear on our newspaper mastheads. These individuals include Art Director Nirmal Singh, Graphic
Designers Leah Mitch and Luis Matos, IT Specialist Timothy Joyce, Layout Artist Volodymyr Lotysh, Production Manager Deborah Cusick, and Revenue Officer Ralph D’Onofrio. Here’s to more exciting adventures in 2025!
