Hello neighbors. In the last issue of River Journal, founder and long-time Publisher Robert Bonvento, announced that after 21 years he planned to move on from the publication and return to writing and performing. As Robert said, “River Journal will either continue under new ownership . . . or River Journal can move on as well.” Well as you can see from the issue you are reading, River Journal is here to stay. I purchased the publication from Robert and will continue to publish in print and online. In fact, I plan to expand the publication to deliver even more local content for our loyal readers and an engaging environment for the businesses that have supported the River Journal all these years.
A little about me and why I feel continuing River Journal is so important. My name is Alain (pronounced Alan but with an added “i” thanks to my French mother!) Begun, and I’ve been a resident of Westchester and the River Towns for over 20 years, the past four in Briarcliff Manor. I’ve also spent 25 years in the media business working at familiar brands like Reader’s Digest, People, Better Homes and Gardens and Fortune. In the last few years I’ve been in the local newspaper business albeit at a large company with hundreds of publications. In that time I learned first-hand the value a local paper can have for the communities it serves. Another newspaper owner, Warren Buffet, said it best:
I agree wholeheartedly with Mr. Buffett and plan to continue to deliver the local news residents of our communities need and want to know. And I pledge to continue supporting the local businesses – who have made it possible to deliver this paper free of charge to every household – by providing even more value for their advertising dollar. I hope you’ll continue to support the River Journal and the businesses we partner with.
What can you expect to see in 2019? Even more about our schools (including our students and teachers), local government, events, and the issues and resources that make this area such a wonderful place to live, work and play. We’ll also feature stories that impact all of us in the River Towns, like the one in this issue about the danger of the spread of edible cannabis-laced candies and other illicit products clearly produced to target our children. Finally, in the coming months we’ll unveil a redesign of both the newspaper and website.
I’d also like to offer my gratitude to Robert and the River Journal team for all they’ve done for our communities over the past two decades.
Robert will be helping advertisers transition to our new team through December 31.
I look forward to serving our communities and hearing from you about ways we can improve the River Journal.
Please reach out to me at publisher@RiverTownsMedia.com with any questions, comments or suggestions.
Here’s to another 20 years of local news and informed views.
Alain Begun,
Owner/Publisher,
River Journal
