Staten Island Advance: A Shore Thing

From The Peopling of New York City

Introduction: Staten Island's Local Newspaper is A "Shore" Thing

• On April 27, 2008, the Staten Island Advance announced the start of ‘a shore thing’. On the front page, the article “A new view of Staten Island” spoke to me:

“On Thursday, you’ll find a very different Staten Island Advance on your doorstep. A better Staten Island Advance, even more meaningful and useful for you and your family. This Thursday, and every Thursday, the Advance will concentrate an entire section to the shore where you live."¹

• For almost two years now, the North, South, East, and West Shore editions are only one of the ways that our local everyday newspaper further serves as a tool in enriching the connections throughout the Island communities. Read by eight out of ten people on weekdays and nine out of ten on Sundays, “the Advance—or AD-vance, as the natives call it”—is one of the five boroughs’ few local papers with a continuously dedicated audience.² Few could even imagine the profound influence of this newspaper back when it was established, so let's start from the beginning.

Staten Island Advance Brief History:

• Founded in 1886, the Staten Island Advance’s clear-cut goal was as the current editor, Brian Laline, stated in an interview, “Then, as now, the newspaper’s mission has always been the same: Report local news.”³ When it was established, the paper was originally known as the Richmond County Advance printed weekly. Not until 1965 was the paper daily circulated.²

In 1922, it was purchased by Samuel Newhouse who implemented home-delivery, drastically increasing circulation. The Advance afterward became a part of the Advance/Newhouse Group and a major printer of other publications. Later changing its name to the Daily Advance and then to the current title, the company moved from its original location in West Brighton to its current home in Grasmere in 1960. Next March, the Staten Island Advance will be celebrating 125 years of reporting local news, which the paper continues to accomplish by maintaining community aspects.

Overview of the Newspaper's Coverage:

Opening up the Advance, you can find assorted articles focused on local school activities, youth sports, nearby recreational activities, neighborhood store deals, crime and burglary, and community board meeting notices. Politicians have praised the Advance for providing Staten Islanders with a political knowledge of their assemblymen and councilmen that just isn’t found in other boroughs.²

Community Outreach

• As the editor, Mr. Laline, said, the Staten Island Advance is “an important vehicle for the cultural and non-profit communities” with announcements of “groups having fund-raisers and entertainment events at local cultural institutions.”³ In an interview with a past community board president (who wished to remain anonymous), the Islander expressed her deep appreciation towards the Advance for its support over the years and “excellent coverage [write-ups the next day]” on civic meetings. The Advance is definitely a means of calling communities to action as well. For example, I myself appreciate (and get a kick out of) the garden gnome, Pothole Phil, who is photographed drowning in potholes—drawing attention for a much-needed renovation to many of the Island’s worn-out infrastructure.

Addressing Issues:

• In the following video, the Advance's Pothole Phil calls attention to many of the potholes on the island's four shores as well as their eventual rebuilding. Featuring Mayor Bloomberg. (Video courtesy of SILive.com.)

  Pothole Phil is on the D.O.T.'s case

Advance All-Star Awards

• At the end of the season, high school athletes with the most outstanding accomplishments are selected to be an Advance All Star. Upon being awarded, each winner’s picture is posted in the paper, and the athletes are invited to a special dinner to honor their success.

Teen & Entertainment Sections

On Sundays, there is a section of the paper, FL!P, targeted toward the teenage demographic,providing teens with things to do, such as movies to attend, sales to take advantage of, and events in the rest of New York City. The section is written by teens—for teens—and publishes articles dealing with the feelings of students in the Island’s high schools. The AWE section, which is printed every Thursday, has interviews with local bands, and reviews of local eateries and theatrical performances.

The Shore Edition Papers:

• The shore papers are designed individually, with each of the four shores’ front page having a picture of a ‘shore’ in that particular area. With the announcement of the new shore editions, it was humorously commented
  

  

  Shore edition covers. (Photo taken by Nicole Boffa.)
  by a writer that “[the cover is] so pretty, you might even want to frame it”. For instance, the East Shore paper features a picturesque sunset view of the fishing pier in Midland Beach (Pictured in the clip to the right). For those who don’t know, “Midland Beach is on the East Shore, and Tottenville on the South. Bloomfield’s on the West, and St. George, the North”, so residents in those areas receive their special neighborhood issue along with the rest of the regular newspaper.¹

Staten Island's Shore Zones

View Staten Island Shore Zones in a larger map

• Expanding on the Staten Island Advance’s earliest mission, the shore papers “bring you hyper-local news…[with] events and news stories important to just your community."¹ Bringing local news to a new level, residents are given articles of particular interest to their own community. A College of Staten Island student wisely added that although we are separated into the Island’s four distinct shores, we are all a part of the larger identity of Staten Island; however, there are smaller unique identities throughout the Island reflected by the shore papers.

Shore Editions Examples from March 25, 2010

• Upon analyzing the Advance’s shore papers on Thursday, March 25, 2010, I found that each of the four shores reflected specific community concerns, accomplishments, and events pertaining to that particular region. All of the papers had suggestions for “shore family fun” activities to do over spring break in that area. In the East Shore edition, the “Outside Your Window” section showed detailed maps of proposed bus service cuts from the MTA. From praises of a local veterinarian’s devotion to preventing the cruel treatment of animals to recognizing scholarships awarded to eighth-grade basketball players, the East Shore paper also featured articles with PS 46 students learning about the Coast Guard and announced art classes at St. Charles Mission Center.

• The East Shore “Weekly Watch” brought attention to a concert in a local church and a film festival in Fort Wadsworth. Meanwhile, the West Shore “Weekly Watch” announced a “Sunset-Moon Rise Walk at Mt. Moses in High Rock Park” as well as a nearby Barnes and Noble Toddler Storytime hour. This shore also commemorated Markham Intermediate School’s 50th Anniversary, honored a local surgeon who “delivers high-tech skills, but relishes [a] low-tech approach to people”, and broadcasted a weekend Norwegian food festival at Nansen Lodge. Similarly, the West Shore paper brought attention to the Staten Island Children’s Museum’s annual Spring Egg-Stravaganza and a children’s art show at the Art Lab in Snug Harbor.

• The Staten Island Advance’s South Shore paper, in the same ways, mentioned a Tottenville Library craft project and events of the current YMCA Splash Week. Other articles featured the temporary close of Great Kills Park, an Our Lady Star of the Sea grammar school fashion show, and a former Advance All Star making it big in tennis in college.

 

Shore Nice to Sea You!

The Mission:

As Mr. Laline (the editor) noted, many newspapers are beginning to report more local news “as they see readership declining” since readers are overwhelmed by national and world news from TV, the radio, and the Internet.³ Local news is made more available through local newspaper websites. The Advance has been able to expand its outreach via its online home, SILive.com.

"A Bridge Between Staten Island's Citizens"

• Reflected from the Advance overall, a past community board president (who wished to remain nameless) revealed her position on the identity of Staten Island:

Family and communities. That’s what Staten Island is...We want to know what is going on. When something happens on the Island, communities support each other from the people to its community boards banding together. In time of need, Staten Island residents and communities are there for each other.

Furthermore, the editor reflected a similar response:

To put it simply, we see ourselves not just as a vehicle for providing information and news, but also as a bridge between Staten Island’s citizens, their neighbors and their government officials. Our goal is to be part of your family and everyday life—to inform, to entertain, to introduce neighbors to each other and to try to make life better for everyone who lives here.³

• In 2010, our daily newspaper mirrors Staten Island’s characteristics and will continue to do so in years to come. With its community aspects along with the shore editions, the Staten Island Advance truly has become A Shore Thing.

 

Sources

• "Advance Publications Inc." Connecting Angel Investors and Entrepreneurs. Funding Universe.

18 Mar. 2010 <http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Advance-Publications-Inc-Company-History.html>.

• "CSI Student Interview." Personal interview. 2 Apr. 2010.

• "Long-time Resident/Former Community Board President Interview." Personal interview. 28 Mar. 2010.

• ²Carmody, Deirdre. "The Advance Marks 100 Years of Covering Life on S.I." NY Times. 27 Mar. 1986: 9. LexisNexis.

College of Staten Island Library. 18 Mar. 2010 <http://lexisnexis.com>.

• ¹Donnelly, Maureen. "A new view of Staten Island." Staten Island Advance. 27 Apr. 2008.

SILive.com. 15 Mar. 2010 <http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/04/a_new_view_of_staten_island_1.html>.

• Hack, Marjorie, ed. Staten Island Advance: East Shore. 25 Mar. 2010.

• Hack, Marjorie, ed. Staten Island Advance: North Shore. 25 Mar. 2010.

• Hack, Marjorie, ed. Staten Island Advance: South Shore. 25 Mar. 2010.

• Hack, Marjorie, ed. Staten Island Advance: West Shore. 25 Mar. 2010.

• ³Laline, Brian. "Advance Editor/Expert Interview." E-mail interview. 16 Apr. 2010.

• "Staten Island Advance." Staten Island Chat - The Buzz of New York.

22 Mar. 2010 <http://www.sichat.com/statenislandadvance.asp>.