BREAKING NEWS: Media Consolidation Rocks Brooklyn

Brooklyn Paper Bought By News Corp & Greenpoint Courier Marked For Death

Just when I thought it was a slow news day in Brooklyn, Rupert Murdoch comes along and turns the borough on its head.

Today, Murdoch, who already owns the Brooklyn Courier-Life chain of newspapers, the New York Post, and The Wall Street Journal, gobbled up The Brooklyn Paper too. In an article posted just over an hour ago on the The New York Observer's website, The Brooklyn Paper's editor Gersh Kuntzman declares, "We're very excited."

Good thing Gersh is happy, because Brooklynites I called for quick comment are deeply disturbed at the total media consolidation of New York City's biggest borough - especially since all the papers will now be under the control of the ultra-conversative FOX News baron. "It's likely to put a stanglehold on independent reporting and on the ability for people to find out what's going on in their community and influence it," said Carroll Gardens resident Glenn Kelly.

And it's not just the residents of Brooklyn that are reeling from the sudden bombshell. There's likely to be a dramatic shake-up in both the Courier-Life and Brooklyn Paper newsrooms as News Corp. eliminates overlap between the two papers.

According to one of the Optimist's inside sources, the ax already fell today on some of the Courier-Life's unfortunate staffers and the Greenpoint Courier has been slated for extinction within the next two weeks. The Williamsburg Courier will survive annihilation for the time being because it's a cash cow for advertising, but other local Courier versions might end up on the chopping block.

Dear readers, have the Brooklyn blogs ever been more important? We're the only source of true, independent news left in the borough.

Marty Markowitz Signed Cast For Sale on Ebay

You decide if it's goodwill or creepy self-promotion.

The Brooklyn Paper's editor-in-chief Gersh Kuntzman has put up for sale on Ebay the cast he recently had removed after breaking his ankle in January. The selling point (it's up to $22.51) is that the cast is signed by none other than the Borough President himself, Marty Markowitz, whose John Hancock is widely known to be of inestimable value.

All proceeds from the auction will go to Markowitz's Camp Brooklyn charity.

More Hopefuls Crowd DeBlasio's Council Seat

The Brooklyn Paper reports today that two more candidates have jumped into the 2009 race to replace term-limited Councilman Bill DeBlasio. Lawyer and local blogger Gary Reilly, 33, and Bob Zuckerman, 47, executive director of the Gowanus Canal Community Development Corporation, join Brad Lander, Josh Skaller, and Craig Hammerman, the three candidates who had previously announced their intentions to run for the Park Slope, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens seat.

Neither Reilly, nor Zuckerman have previously run for office, though both are involved in local activism to some degree. Zuckerman is a member of Community Board 6 (CB6) and was recently nominated to become president of the Independent Neighborhood Democrats (IND) political club. Reilly, the youngest candidate in the (currently) five-man field, is a member of the Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association. Zuckerman has not yet filed the official paperwork necessary to become a candidate and be eligible for City matching funds. Reilly reports on his blog Brooklyn Streets, Carroll Gardens that he has filed, but not yet begun raising money.

According to the Paper, of the three candidates already in the race, Brad Lander, the director of the Pratt Center for Community Development, has raised the most money to date with $63,015. Josh Skaller, president of the Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats (CBID), is second with $30,234. CB6 district manager Craig Hammerman has not yet filed with the Board of Elections.

What's Going On

Here are some of the stories The Optimist has been reading today:

A.O. Scott has a fine appraisal today of former Boerum Hill resident Heath Ledger's short, but admirable career.

The Brownstoner blog, which was highlighted in the Times' initial story about Ledger's death for coverage of the time the actor spent living in Brooklyn, has an article about Councilman David Yassky's proposed bill that would require gas companies to gradually blend biodiesel fuel into the heating oil they provide.

"Much of Downtown Brooklyn Is Going Out of Business". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle's headline tells the whole disheartening story.

The Brooklyn Paper has a striking sneak peek image of artist Olafur Eliasson's "New York City Waterfalls", "which will send water cascading from under the Brooklyn Bridge and from three free-standing scaffolds in New York Harbor".

And finally, Time Out New York's poll this week asks its readers what they think about the Pacific Standard bar in Boerum Hill's "frequent drinker program" that rewards hardcore barflies with prizes for being, uh, hardcore barflies. Since the URL listed in the magazine doesn't take to the right poll, here are the verbatim answers proposed by TONY to the question of whether the promotion is genius or "what".

a) No! It's rewarding people for alcohol abuse - this is a lawsuit waiting to happen.
b) Hells yeah! It's no worse than credit cards offering points for high-interest borrowing.
c) It's okay as long as the bar offers free car service.
d) I'm too drunk to care.

The Optimist hopes you didn't automatically leap (or stumble) at option "d".

It's a... Brooklyn!

It appears that David Beckham and Posh Spice might be making an impression on America after all. Less than a year after the soccer giant arrived in the U.S. with their 8-year-old son Brooklyn in tow, Stateside parents have embraced the name "Brooklyn" for their newborns. The Brooklyn Paper reports this week that BabyCenter.com has ranked "Brooklyn" as the 43rd most popular name in the country for tots.

Though the piece doesn't specify whether "Brooklyn" is being applied more favorably to boys or girls, The Optimist thinks it is a fine name for either sex. He hopes, however, that the Beckhams do not hold too much sway over America's appellations. One of their other sons' name is Romeo. Cheesy!

Kuntzman Keeps Racking Up Kudos

Gersh Kuntzman has been named "Editor of the Year" by the Suburban Newspapers of America (SNA) for his work helming The Brooklyn Paper. It's been a good year for Gersh and our local Paper. In August, The Brooklyn Paper was named SNA's "Newspaper of the Year" and a month later the Independent Free Papers of America awarded Kuntzman and the Paper's Senior Editor Vince DiMiceli its top prize for editorial writing.

Congratulations to the editor and his team! The Optimist hopes these awards make up for all the time Gersh had to spend in Brooklyn, Iowa during the caucus.