A Fond Farewell To Wayne Today/Suburban Trends Readers

 

It is with great disappointment, but without surprise that I announce that my longstanding freelance association with North Jersey Media has been terminated. I began freelancing for the Wayne Today and the Suburban Trends, two North Jersey Media publications, in 1988 while in college. Breaking in under the legendary Howard Ball, I would cover Thanksgiving Day Football games, basketball games over winter break and post season baseball at the beginning of my summer break.

 It became a labor of love. Writing about and publicizing high school student athletes who were simply playing for school pride or local pride, as opposed to millionaire professional athletes or big business college athletics, had great appeal.  As time progressed it turned into an activity with my own two kids - first bringing them to games and then eventually reporting on the games they were playing. 

 Anyway, I am not surprised about this termination in the sense that I have been well-aware that newspapers around the country have making drastic newsroom cutbacks. I am also aware that most of these cutbacks have come in the form of layoffs to full-timers and freelancers alike, and also in the form of massive reductions to printed publication.

 Gannett Incorporated, the largest newspaper company in the country, bought North Jersey Media in 2016. At the time, I assumed that my freelance association with North Jersey Media would end in short order. Gannett's previous newsroom cutbacks all over the country were well known. I am glad, not to mention surprised, that I lasted with the North Jersey Media for 8 more years. Sadly, I am not alone. I know of several other North Jersey Media freelancers who were let go, and I have been led to believe that Gannett’s termination of freelancers was widespread.

 I am still going to Tweet scores and updates, but unfortunately, my full-length Wayne Today/Suburban Trends features and Wayne Today/Suburban Trends season previews are now a thing of the past.

 I would like to thank the numerous student athletes whom I wrote about in the last 36 years. I would also like to thank many of their parents and other readers, who would give me positive feedback and article ideas. Thank you as well to the many coaches I covered and interviewed over the years. They were cooperative and insightful in victory and even in rare defeat. A special thanks goes to the coaches that I reported on the most: Roger Kotlarz, Joe Leicht, Jeff Hoover and Brian O’Connor. 

 It was a good almost 40-year run. I look forward to continuing to Tweeting about games and to continuing follow the teams.

Thank you!

Skiffo/Doug