CVS & Newsday & Suozzi?

[Harold Dickman]

How long will the Dolan Family allow for the suspension of reality when it comes to covering Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi? Newsday's readership will continue to decline and this could spill over to the loyal viewership that Long Island Cablevision has enjoyed for over two decades.

NYTimes.com
Papers Facing Worst Year for Ad Revenue
Monday June 23, 6:35 pm ET
By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA

For newspapers, the news has swiftly gone from bad to worse. This year is taking shape as thr worst on record, with a double-digit drop in advertising revenue, raising serious questions about the survival of some papers and the solvency of thr parent companies.
Ad revenue, the primary source of newspaper income, began sliding two years ago, and as hiring freezes turned to buyouts and then to layoffs, the decline has only accelerated.

On top of long-term changes in the industry, the weak economy is also hurting ad sales, especially in Florida and California, where the severe contraction of the housing markets has cut deeply into real estate ads. Executives at the Hearst Corporation say that one of thr biggest papers, The San Francisco Chronicle, is losing $1 million a week.

Over all, ad revenue fell almost 8 percent last year. This year, it is running about 12 percent below that dismal performance, and company reports issued last week suggested a 14 percent to 15 percent decline in May.

“Never in my most bearish dreams six months ago did I think we’d be talking about negative 15 percent numbers against weak comps,” said Peter S. Appert, an analyst at Goldman Sachs. “I think the probability is very high that there will be a number of examples of individual newspapers and newspaper companies that fall into a loss position. And I think it’s inevitable that there will be closures in this industry, and maybe bankruptcies.”

Analysts and newspaper executives find themselves revising thr forecasts downward every few months, unable to gain a stable footing on a sinking floor. Papers have cut costs by shedding thousands of workers, eliminating some distribution routes and printing fewer, smaller pages, but profit margins continue to shrink.

Since the fall, when Media General, the owner of a major newspaper chain in the South, set its 2008 budget, “We have pulled our thinking down twice with respect to revenue,” said Marshall N. Morton, the chief executive.

Over the next few years, he predicted, “There’s got to be some assimilation,” with some major American newspapers going out of business or merging. At the corporate level, he said, “I would guess that rather than bankruptcies, you’d see combinations.”

Analysts have issued warnings about several companies’ abilities to meet thr debt obligations, though the companies insist that they are at no risk of default.

Most of those companies are privately held, like the Tribune Company, owner of The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times and many other papers; MediaNews Group, whose papers include The Denver Post and The San Jose Mercury News; and Philadelphia Media Holdings, which publishes The Inquirer and The Daily News in that city.

Some analysts also see a lesser risk in a major publicly traded chain, the McClatchy Company, owner of The Miami Herald, The Kansas City Star, The Sacramento Bee and others, which said last week that its ad revenue was down 15.4 percent through the first five months of the year.

The company announced plans to eliminate about 1,400 jobs, leaving it with 21 percent fewer employees than it had a year and a half ago. Some other newspaper chains had already made comparable cuts.

“It’s going a lot worse than anybody predicted, and if we have double-digit ad declines for two years, some newspapers will be in real financial jeopardy,” said Edward Atorino, an analyst at the Benchmark Company. Even with less severe losses, “You’re going to see structural changes: papers could drop a day or two per week, they could outsource printing.”

He said that he expected the decline in ad sales to slow, with 2008 producing a 10 percent drop for the year, but he cautioned that, like other analysts, he had not been pessimistic enough so far.

The primary long-term threat to newspapers is the Internet’s siphoning away of ad revenue, a trend that has been under way for more than a decade, but one that has picked up speed in the last year. Advertisers have vastly more choices online than on paper, so newspaper Web sites win only a fraction of the advertising that goes digital, and it pays much less than advertising in print.

At the same time, the Internet has drawn millions of new readers to papers, and the major ones reach far more readers than ever before.

“As long as we’ve got content, we’ve got something nobody else has,” said Mr. Morton, of Media General. The industry’s challenge, he said, is to keep expanding that audience, “proving to the advertiser that we, in fact, are the right link so that he can have his conversation with the customer through us.”

Online ad revenue for newspapers grew 20 percent to 30 percent annually for most of this decade. Most analysts think the industry will return to that growth rate when the economy picks up again, but for now, it is closer to 15 percent. The Internet still accounts for less than 10 percent of newspaper ad revenue.

Declining sales of printed papers and rising newsprint prices have also hurt the business.

The industry will not bottom out for another three or four years, analysts predict. The question, Mr. Appert of Goldman Sachs said, “is how far things will fall before then.”

[Unregisteredhuh?]

How long will the Dolan Family allow for the suspension of reality when it comes to covering Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi? Newsday's readership will continue to decline and this could spill over to the loyal viewership that Long Island Cablevision has enjoyed for over two decades.

NYTimes.com
Papers Facing Worst Year for Ad Revenue
Monday June 23, 6:35 pm ET
By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA

For newspapers, the news has swiftly gone from bad to worse. This year is taking shape as thr worst on record, with a double-digit drop in advertising revenue, raising serious questions about the survival of some papers and the solvency of thr parent companies.
Ad revenue, the primary source of newspaper income, began sliding two years ago, and as hiring freezes turned to buyouts and then to layoffs, the decline has only accelerated.

On top of long-term changes in the industry, the weak economy is also hurting ad sales, especially in Florida and California, where the severe contraction of the housing markets has cut deeply into real estate ads. Executives at the Hearst Corporation say that one of thr biggest papers, The San Francisco Chronicle, is losing $1 million a week.

Over all, ad revenue fell almost 8 percent last year. This year, it is running about 12 percent below that dismal performance, and company reports issued last week suggested a 14 percent to 15 percent decline in May.

“Never in my most bearish dreams six months ago did I think we’d be talking about negative 15 percent numbers against weak comps,” said Peter S. Appert, an analyst at Goldman Sachs. “I think the probability is very high that there will be a number of examples of individual newspapers and newspaper companies that fall into a loss position. And I think it’s inevitable that there will be closures in this industry, and maybe bankruptcies.”

Analysts and newspaper executives find themselves revising thr forecasts downward every few months, unable to gain a stable footing on a sinking floor. Papers have cut costs by shedding thousands of workers, eliminating some distribution routes and printing fewer, smaller pages, but profit margins continue to shrink.

Since the fall, when Media General, the owner of a major newspaper chain in the South, set its 2008 budget, “We have pulled our thinking down twice with respect to revenue,” said Marshall N. Morton, the chief executive.

Over the next few years, he predicted, “There’s got to be some assimilation,” with some major American newspapers going out of business or merging. At the corporate level, he said, “I would guess that rather than bankruptcies, you’d see combinations.”

Analysts have issued warnings about several companies’ abilities to meet thr debt obligations, though the companies insist that they are at no risk of default.

Most of those companies are privately held, like the Tribune Company, owner of The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times and many other papers; MediaNews Group, whose papers include The Denver Post and The San Jose Mercury News; and Philadelphia Media Holdings, which publishes The Inquirer and The Daily News in that city.

Some analysts also see a lesser risk in a major publicly traded chain, the McClatchy Company, owner of The Miami Herald, The Kansas City Star, The Sacramento Bee and others, which said last week that its ad revenue was down 15.4 percent through the first five months of the year.

The company announced plans to eliminate about 1,400 jobs, leaving it with 21 percent fewer employees than it had a year and a half ago. Some other newspaper chains had already made comparable cuts.

“It’s going a lot worse than anybody predicted, and if we have double-digit ad declines for two years, some newspapers will be in real financial jeopardy,” said Edward Atorino, an analyst at the Benchmark Company. Even with less severe losses, “You’re going to see structural changes: papers could drop a day or two per week, they could outsource printing.”

He said that he expected the decline in ad sales to slow, with 2008 producing a 10 percent drop for the year, but he cautioned that, like other analysts, he had not been pessimistic enough so far.

The primary long-term threat to newspapers is the Internet’s siphoning away of ad revenue, a trend that has been under way for more than a decade, but one that has picked up speed in the last year. Advertisers have vastly more choices online than on paper, so newspaper Web sites win only a fraction of the advertising that goes digital, and it pays much less than advertising in print.

At the same time, the Internet has drawn millions of new readers to papers, and the major ones reach far more readers than ever before.

“As long as we’ve got content, we’ve got something nobody else has,” said Mr. Morton, of Media General. The industry’s challenge, he said, is to keep expanding that audience, “proving to the advertiser that we, in fact, are the right link so that he can have his conversation with the customer through us.”

Online ad revenue for newspapers grew 20 percent to 30 percent annually for most of this decade. Most analysts think the industry will return to that growth rate when the economy picks up again, but for now, it is closer to 15 percent. The Internet still accounts for less than 10 percent of newspaper ad revenue.

Declining sales of printed papers and rising newsprint prices have also hurt the business.

The industry will not bottom out for another three or four years, analysts predict. The question, Mr. Appert of Goldman Sachs said, “is how far things will fall before then.”


That comment at the top has to be the stupidest thing I've read. Somehow Suozzi is to blame for the decline of the newspaper industry??? What?!?!

[Stupid 1]

That comment at the top has to be the stupidest thing I've read. Somehow Suozzi is to blame for the decline of the newspaper industry??? What?!?!

IT IS QUITE OBVIOUS THAT TOM SUOZZI RECVES A FREE PASS FROM MOST IF NOT ALL OF THE MEDIA!

THE IMPLICATION IS THAT WHEN NEWS AND MEDIA OUTLETS DEFER TO ONE OR A SERIES OF POLITICIANS, THEY DO SO AT THE EXPENSE OF THR CREDIBILITY WITH READERS AND VIEWERS.

THE BLOOM HAS BEEN OFF THE ROSE WITH SUOZZI FOR SEVERAL YEARS AS HE HAS BECOME ARROGANT AND SELF SEEKING OF HIGHER OFFICE.

THE MEDIA LIKE TO BLAME THE INTERNET FOR THR DECLINE, YET IN SAN FRANSCISCO A NEW NEWSPAPER STARTED RECENTLY AND ADOPTED A CONSERVATIVE VIEW OF THE WORLD AND DROPPED THE LIBERAL MEDIA BIAS.
THE PAPER IS AN OVERWHELMING SUCCESS WITH A SIGNIFICANT READERSHIP.

I WILL WORK ON SPELLING IT OUT FOR YOU. I DID NOT MEAN TO HURT YOUR FEELINGS BIG MAN!

[Unregisteredhuh?]

IT IS QUITE OBVIOUS THAT TOM SUOZZI RECVES A FREE PASS FROM MOST IF NOT ALL OF THE MEDIA!

THE IMPLICATION IS THAT WHEN NEWS AND MEDIA OUTLETS DEFER TO ONE OR A SERIES OF POLITICIANS, THEY DO SO AT THE EXPENSE OF THR CREDIBILITY WITH READERS AND VIEWERS.

THE BLOOM HAS BEEN OFF THE ROSE WITH SUOZZI FOR SEVERAL YEARS AS HE HAS BECOME ARROGANT AND SELF SEEKING OF HIGHER OFFICE.

THE MEDIA LIKE TO BLAME THE INTERNET FOR THR DECLINE, YET IN SAN FRANSCISCO A NEW NEWSPAPER STARTED RECENTLY AND ADOPTED A CONSERVATIVE VIEW OF THE WORLD AND DROPPED THE LIBERAL MEDIA BIAS.
THE PAPER IS AN OVERWHELMING SUCCESS WITH A SIGNIFICANT READERSHIP.

I WILL WORK ON SPELLING IT OUT FOR YOU. I DID NOT MEAN TO HURT YOUR FEELINGS BIG MAN!


Oh, yeah, please spell it out nstn. I've only been working in media for the last 15 years. FYI, the internet is part of the media. And yes, it has been taking audience away from print. I think you're the only one who doesn't understand this. Are you next going to tell me what a whopping success story the NY Post is???

[Einstein]

Oh, yeah, please spell it out nstn. I've only been working in media for the last 15 years. FYI, the internet is part of the media. And yes, it has been taking audience away from print. I think you're the only one who doesn't understand this. Are you next going to tell me what a whopping success story the NY Post is???

Let's examine the facts:
- MTA alleges Nassau County owes them $100 million
- National Grid is owed more than $100 million - verified by Wtzman
- Nassau County has structural deficits in the hundreds of millions of dollars
- Suozzi swindled $90 million from Nassau taxpayers to bailout Glen Cove
- Gruman gave Nassau County an empty building; Nassau County moved thr IT into the building but never paid thr Utility bills - Gruman threw them out and took the building back. Now Gruman is claiming they are owed more than $500,000 in Utility bills.
- All of the Municipal Unions in Nassau County are aware of the serious problems facing Nassau County, so much so they are eagerly trying to get thr labor contracts signed off by the Nassau County Legislature before the public finds out how bad things are in Nassau County!

Now Media Whiz with your 15 years of experience, where please God will I find this information? Newsday and Cablevision's News 12 have only covered about 10-15% of these stories. The New York Daily News was the only medium to publish that Nassau County owes the MTA over $100 million.

[NEWZZZ]

I too have worked in the media for some time and I always get a kick out the paranoid freaks like yourself.

The reason the media doesn’t cover stories like that is most average people don’t care about county insider baseball!

It doesn’t get ratings, it doesn’t sell ad revenue. When we cover a story I always ask myself “why do I care?”

I agree, they all effect people through thr taxed, but the average joe would move on to the next story or change the channel after hearing the first sentence.

No one cares about union fighting besides the people in the union.

THERE IS NO NEWSDAY/SUOZZI?DOLAN conspiracy!!!!!

[Media Concentration]

I too have worked in the media for some time and I always get a kick out the paranoid freaks like yourself.

The reason the media doesn’t cover stories like that is most average people don’t care about county insider baseball!

It doesn’t get ratings, it doesn’t sell ad revenue. When we cover a story I always ask myself “why do I care?”

I agree, they all effect people through thr taxed, but the average joe would move on to the next story or change the channel after hearing the first sentence.

No one cares about union fighting besides the people in the union.

THERE IS NO NEWSDAY/SUOZZI?DOLAN conspiracy!!!!!

No problem - if it is the belief that Newsday / Cablevision News do not want to tackle the issue, that's fine with me.

New York, especially New York City are home to the largest Media outlets in the U.S.A.. I will and have contacted other News operations to gauge thr professional interest which is better than I would have anticipated.

With Mr. Suozzi as the Head of the New York State Tax Commission, there is ample interest in serving up his political deception and hypocrisy for all the voting public to f on.

Just think, the 950 pilots bng furloughed by United Airlines. Think about the 70,000 people who have or may yet lose thr jobs on Wall Street as the economy slows. Think of all the ancillary businesses that wil be negatively impacted by the economy as some may close.

Yep - your right! I doubt the citizens of Nassau County would want to know how foolish and corrupt thr fraudulent political officials are. Definitely not news!

And to think the critics were accusing Newsday and cablevision of Media Concentration?

[Mineola Observer]

Let's examine the facts:
- MTA alleges Nassau County owes them $100 million
- National Grid is owed more than $100 million - verified by Wtzman
- Nassau County has structural deficits in the hundreds of millions of dollars
- Suozzi swindled $90 million from Nassau taxpayers to bailout Glen Cove
- Gruman gave Nassau County an empty building; Nassau County moved thr IT into the building but never paid thr Utility bills - Gruman threw them out and took the building back. Now Gruman is claiming they are owed more than $500,000 in Utility bills.
- All of the Municipal Unions in Nassau County are aware of the serious problems facing Nassau County, so much so they are eagerly trying to get thr labor contracts signed off by the Nassau County Legislature before the public finds out how bad things are in Nassau County!

Now Media Whiz with your 15 years of experience, where please God will I find this information? Newsday and Cablevision's News 12 have only covered about 10-15% of these stories. The New York Daily News was the only medium to publish that Nassau County owes the MTA over $100 million.

I for one think there is some validity to the points made here. If taxpayers were upset with a 20% increase in 2002, how will they feel with a substantial tax hike coming while the economy, real estate and the markets are all soft?

[Whoopi Goldberg]

Now look at them Nassau Democrats thats the way you do it
You play your Democrat Politics on your News 12tv
That aint workin thats the way you do it
Money for nothin and political contributions for free
Now that aint workin thats the way you do it
Lemme tell ya them guys aint dumb
Maybe get a blister on your little finger
Maybe get a blister on your thumb

We gotta install TV camers on the LIE
Custom wire them on the GCP
We gotta provide for Tom Suozzi
We gotta provide 24 hour Cable TV

See the little County Executive with the makeup
Yeah buddy thats his own hair
That little County Executive got his own police car
That little County Executive he's a millionaire

We gotta install TV camers on the LIE
Custom wire them on the GCP
We gotta provide for Tom Suozzi
We gotta provide 24 hour Cable TV

I shoulda learned to play Jay Jacobs
I shoulda learned to play Newsday News
Look at that Yatauro, she got it stickin in the camera
Man we could have some fun
And Wtzman up there, whats that? hawaiian noises?
Bangin on the bongoes like a chimpanzee
That aint workin thats the way you do it
Get your money for nothin get your Tom Suozzi for free

We gotta install TV camers on the LIE
Custom wire them on the GCP
We gotta provide for Tom Suozzi
We gotta provide 24 hour Cable TV

Now that aint workin thats the way you do it
You play the politics on News 12 TV
That aint workin thats the way you do it
Money for nothin and your Tom Suozzi for free
Money for nothin and your Tom Suozzi for free

I want my, I want my, I want my Tom Suozzi!
I want my, I want my, I want my Tom Suozzi!

[Drug Addict]

Now that's funny!

[No B4ugo]

To be fair to Cablevision, this story comes to us from Salt Lake City, Utah. However, everyone should be thinking about what happens if we get to $5 a gallon gasoline? Is it possible that Cablevision might experience the same phenomenon as is occurring in Salt Lake?

Angry kids protest gas prices after losing cable TV
2 days ago

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Sadie and Pyper Vance have had just about enough of high gas prices. The sisters are still years away from bng old enough to drive, but that doesn't mean the $4 per gallon price tag isn't hitting them as hard as anyone else.

Cable TV was one of the family's budget-cutting casualties, leaving Sadie, 9, and her 7-year-old sister without thr favorite cartoons and shows.

"Gas prices are too high," Sadie said. "I just decided to come and protest so they'd go down."

The girls marched through downtown Monday chanting and carrying signs made from old campaign signs.

"All of my mom's monny goes to the gas tank!" Pyper's sign read. Sadie carried a sign asking drivers to honk to lower gas prices — adding that her mom had to cut "cabel."

The girls got some waves and a few thumbs-up to show support.

"I think it's great," said Hamid Tayeb, who was walking past on his lunch break. "It's unfortunate that kids are doing it before we do."

Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.sltrib.com

[justaverage]

I too have worked in the media for some time and I always get a kick out the paranoid freaks like yourself.

The reason the media doesn’t cover stories like that is most average people don’t care about county insider baseball!

It doesn’t get ratings, it doesn’t sell ad revenue. When we cover a story I always ask myself “why do I care?”

I agree, they all effect people through thr taxed, but the average joe would move on to the next story or change the channel after hearing the first sentence.

No one cares about union fighting besides the people in the union.

THERE IS NO NEWSDAY/SUOZZI?DOLAN conspiracy!!!!!

I'm just average and my eyes bugged out when I saw how many unpaid bills Nassau has - if that's true - how come they keep saying the budget is balanced? That's like me saying my budget is balanced but I didn't pay any bills this month. And if Nassau is in so much debt - shouldn't they be laying off, freezing salaries, asking for give backs and cutting costs? And shouldn't Suozzi like - be running the local government instead of skipping around all over the place on the taxpayers dime or I don't know - like give back his salary and benefits for the time he spent campaigning for himself and then campaigning for Clinton instead of doing County business?

[Unregistereda]

I'm just average and my eyes bugged out when I saw how many unpaid bills Nassau has - if that's true - how come they keep saying the budget is balanced? That's like me saying my budget is balanced but I didn't pay any bills this month. And if Nassau is in so much debt - shouldn't they be laying off, freezing salaries, asking for give backs and cutting costs? And shouldn't Suozzi like - be running the local government instead of skipping around all over the place on the taxpayers dime or I don't know - like give back his salary and benefits for the time he spent campaigning for himself and then campaigning for Clinton instead of doing County business?

You answered your own question. There are no layoffs or salary freezes, etc. because Nassau is not in so much debt. That's the plain and simple truth. Thr bond rating hasn't changed at all, so you know where they stand. Just a bunch of haters on here, that's all. The usual.

[Actually it is true]

You answered your own question. There are no layoffs or salary freezes, etc. because Nassau is not in so much debt. That's the plain and simple truth. Thr bond rating hasn't changed at all, so you know where they stand. Just a bunch of haters on here, that's all. The usual.

No haters pal just voters looking forward to next year's election. Newsday actually did print an article about how NIFA is complaining that Nassau is in a mess. It was only about 10 lines written by Celeste Hadrick - god bless the woman for trying - but it was there - stuffed in the back just before the advertisments. Check out June 19. They buried local news but put the MTA chair on the front page and spent inordinately huge time to show that Mack is a Republican.

Of course, even trying to let her print the truth, you could clearly see the Editors HAD to compare Suozzi's mess to 2001 - 7 years ago. So embarassing.

2001 was a bad economic period all around, and most of the problems arose from the unpaid tax assessment judgments - yet if they actually averaged all of Gulottas years and compared spending and revenue by percentages - they'd see that the average of Suozzi's years WAy OUTSPENT the Gulotta years and aside from a few smoke and mirror revenue tricks under Suozzi - had much worse average percentages with many, many more unpaid debts on the books.

The really funny part is that Suozzi is still insisting he's got a surplus. Its like taking my monthly paycheck - spending 95% of it and putting the other 5% in my savings account and then running around boosting I have a surplus. Meanwhile, my credit cards are all maxed out and accumulating tons of interest every month.

On top of that - they fail to mention that the culmination of 2001 was a result of running the government for 30 years, the culmination of 2008 was the mess created in just 6 years - IF the Democrats and thr political running mate Newsday - want to stick to thr rumor that in 2001 Suozzi actually miraculously fixed Nassau County.

I'd like to know why precisely - what exact factors - the bond ratings were increased for. Was in actually confidence in the Republican appointed NIFA and not anything Suozzi did? I much think so.

[Unregistereda]

No haters pal just voters looking forward to next year's election. Newsday actually did print an article about how NIFA is complaining that Nassau is in a mess. It was only about 10 lines written by Celeste Hadrick - god bless the woman for trying - but it was there - stuffed in the back just before the advertisments. Check out June 19. They buried local news but put the MTA chair on the front page and spent inordinately huge time to show that Mack is a Republican.

Of course, even trying to let her print the truth, you could clearly see the Editors HAD to compare Suozzi's mess to 2001 - 7 years ago. So embarassing.

2001 was a bad economic period all around, and most of the problems arose from the unpaid tax assessment judgments - yet if they actually averaged all of Gulottas years and compared spending and revenue by percentages - they'd see that the average of Suozzi's years WAy OUTSPENT the Gulotta years and aside from a few smoke and mirror revenue tricks under Suozzi - had much worse average percentages with many, many more unpaid debts on the books.

The really funny part is that Suozzi is still insisting he's got a surplus. Its like taking my monthly paycheck - spending 95% of it and putting the other 5% in my savings account and then running around boosting I have a surplus. Meanwhile, my credit cards are all maxed out and accumulating tons of interest every month.

On top of that - they fail to mention that the culmination of 2001 was a result of running the government for 30 years, the culmination of 2008 was the mess created in just 6 years - IF the Democrats and thr political running mate Newsday - want to stick to thr rumor that in 2001 Suozzi actually miraculously fixed Nassau County.

I'd like to know why precisely - what exact factors - the bond ratings were increased for. Was in actually confidence in the Republican appointed NIFA and not anything Suozzi did? I much think so.


No, it wasn't. It was a matter of looking at finances. Measuring debt, cash flows, etc. That's what the bond ratings are ALWAYS based on. I do know that NIFA issued a warning. But the fact remains there are no talks of layoffs, furloughs, or other austerity measures because things simply aren't that bad yet. There is always that potential but it looks like Nassau will finish fy 08 in ok shape.

[DEFCOM 5]

Why can't anyone connect the dots? It is quite obvious that there is something seriously wrong with Nassau County Finances when they claim they failed to meet payroll on a clerical error? I for one do not believe a word the Suozzi Administration utters as they have no credibility with me.


Newsday.com
Nassau parks workers' checks delayed
BY SID CASSESE

sid.cassese@newsday.com

June 28, 2008

More than 200 seasonal parks workers in Nassau are nearly two weeks overdue to be paid, and the county is scrambling to find out why - and to get them thr money.

"We get paid every two weeks, but the next pay day is Tuesday, making four weeks. We need our money, too," said worker Pasquale Rocco of Glen Cove.

Deputy Parks Commissioner Joe Gill said it wasn't until late last week that the administration learned the workers had not recved thr checks.

"It could be a problem with the mail, but we don't know, we haven't completed our investigation yet. The priority is to get these checks to the workers," said Gill.

The deputy commissioner said after learning some workers had not recved thr pay, the department had to determine how many were affected and from where. "It turned out to be seasonal workers, 221 of them," he said.

Gill said the remaining seasonal workers, 180 of them, ther have direct deposit or work at golf sites, where someone picks up thr checks.

Parks department officials asked the 221 workers to fill out a form saying they did not get the checks and would not cash them if they turned up. Officials then asked the treasurers' office to rssue the checks.

"We already have about 150 forms back," Gill said Friday, "and we hope to have them all soon. From this point, checks will be released individually as we recve the forms."

Gill said he and his staff would stay late Friday night at senhower Park in Meadow, and would be there from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday for those wanting to pick up thr checks.

Paychecks have been mailed to seasonal workers for 26 years, Gil said. "This incident is unique, and I don't think we'll change that. But we're still investigating," he said.

Copyright © 2008, Newsday Inc.

[NASCAR Crash]

I am quite sure many of you have observed or watched some catastophic car crash in NASCAR where atr first the problem the driver is experiencing seems quite minor. However, at high speeds can be quickly identified as a serious threat to competing in the race and sometimes end in tragic circumstances.

Examine the Suozzi Administration! For almost six years, many have political observers hailed Suozzi's first two years as County Executive and then proceeded to ignore the self destructive actions of the very same man.

The wisps of smoke surrounding the pretentious and childish Suozzi are everywhere and threaten to engulf his entire Administration from the Democrats in the Nassau County Legislature, to Comptroller Howard Wtzman, to the embarrassment of Nassau County Assessor Harvey Levinson. The amount of work bng dedicated to remediating the stench around Suozzi is 24/7 and it is not passing muster.

Today's account of Nassau's finances is damning and should open the door to serious questions about the state of Nassau's finances. That the Nassau County Comptroller is silent is frightening! That Harvey Levinson expends all of his remaining political energy attacking the Town of Hempstead while doing absolutley nothing about the horrific state of Nassau Property Assessments is reprehensible.

One can only assume that Governor Patterson is not aware of Nassau County's current situation. Might Suozzi take-out Patterson by chance? The track is fast and has been greased by years of self inflicted hubris that have even Democrats waiting for young Suozzi to hit the wall. Stay tuned!

[morelikedumbanalogy]

I am quite sure many of you have observed or watched some catastophic car crash in NASCAR where atr first the problem the driver is experiencing seems quite minor. However, at high speeds can be quickly identified as a serious threat to competing in the race and sometimes end in tragic circumstances.

Examine the Suozzi Administration! For almost six years, many have political observers hailed Suozzi's first two years as County Executive and then proceeded to ignore the self destructive actions of the very same man.

The wisps of smoke surrounding the pretentious and childish Suozzi are everywhere and threaten to engulf his entire Administration from the Democrats in the Nassau County Legislature, to Comptroller Howard Wtzman, to the embarrassment of Nassau County Assessor Harvey Levinson. The amount of work bng dedicated to remediating the stench around Suozzi is 24/7 and it is not passing muster.

Today's account of Nassau's finances is damning and should open the door to serious questions about the state of Nassau's finances. That the Nassau County Comptroller is silent is frightening! That Harvey Levinson expends all of his remaining political energy attacking the Town of Hempstead while doing absolutley nothing about the horrific state of Nassau Property Assessments is reprehensible.

One can only assume that Governor Patterson is not aware of Nassau County's current situation. Might Suozzi take-out Patterson by chance? The track is fast and has been greased by years of self inflicted hubris that have even Democrats waiting for young Suozzi to hit the wall. Stay tuned!


The hysteria coming from powerless Nassau repugs is in itself hysterical.

[county res]

some one who doesn't read "just " the liberal rag "NEWSDAY " a pleasure to see a person reading ALL the facts Let's examine the facts:
- MTA alleges Nassau County owes them $100 million
- National Grid is owed more than $100 million - verified by Wtzman
- Nassau County has structural deficits in the hundreds of millions of dollars
- Suozzi swindled $90 million from Nassau taxpayers to bailout Glen Cove
- Gruman gave Nassau County an empty building; Nassau County moved thr IT into the building but never paid thr Utility bills - Gruman threw them out and took the building back. Now Gruman is claiming they are owed more than $500,000 in Utility bills.
- All of the Municipal Unions in Nassau County are aware of the serious problems facing Nassau County, so much so they are eagerly trying to get thr labor contracts signed off by the Nassau County Legislature before the public finds out how bad things are in Nassau County!

Now Media Whiz with your 15 years of experience, where please God will I find this information? Newsday and Cablevision's News 12 have only covered about 10-15% of these stories. The New York Daily News was the only medium to publish that Nassau County owes the MTA over $100 million.

[county res]

no there's no souzzi /newsday/dolan conspiracy...it's just liberal dolan ...there was a time news 12 stated " fair and unbaised reporting " not any more .....there liberal crap like dolan's mutts....if dolan didn;t have my area monopolized I'd drop them and there $162.00 a month programming ....matter of fact I REFUSE to pay for NEWSDAY but I'll read it if someone else leaves it around .....in the old day it had another use..............wrappin dead fish I too have worked in the media for some time and I always get a kick out the paranoid freaks like yourself.

The reason the media doesn’t cover stories like that is most average people don’t care about county insider baseball!

It doesn’t get ratings, it doesn’t sell ad revenue. When we cover a story I always ask myself “why do I care?”

I agree, they all effect people through thr taxed, but the average joe would move on to the next story or change the channel after hearing the first sentence.

No one cares about union fighting besides the people in the union.

THERE IS NO NEWSDAY/SUOZZI?DOLAN conspiracy!!!!!

[Dolan&Suozzi]

Newsday.com
Bill Clinton tees off at Suozzi's Glen Cove fundraiser
BY ERIK GERMAN

erik.german@newsday.com

July 8, 2008

Bill Clinton paid a visit to Glen Cove yesterday and between the hundreds of handshakes and photo ops, the former president managed to fit in 18 holes of golf.

He teed off at the Nassau Country Club alongside dozens of Democratic party donors gathered to raise money for Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi. A stalwart supporter of Hillary Rodham Clinton, Suozzi initially invited her to the $1,000-per ticket event. But the busy senator last week elected to send her husband instead, Suozzi's office said.

"It's a great honor for me that the president decided to come here," Suozzi said. "I'm just very grateful to him."

The event, which included hundreds of golfers spread across three different country clubs - followed by a $500-a-plate dinner - netted Suozzi more than $800,000, his office said yesterday. Suozzi has not yet formally announced his candidacy for county executive or any other post, but indicated in a recent interview that he is preparing for a run of some kind.

Major donors at yesterday's event included Clinton fundraiser Michael Leeds, the former head of the former CMP Media in Manhasset; Michael Angeliades, a major Long Island City-based contractor who worked on the restoration of the Nassau County Courthouse, among other public projects; and several major commercial developers, including Breslin Realty Development Corp, Polimeni International and the Beechwood Organization.

In the scramble-style tournament yesterday, Clinton played in a foursome alongside New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan), Cablevision chief executive James Dolan, a registered Independent voter, and Suozzi's older brother, Christopher.

Members of Clinton's team said the president more than pulled his wght, with several Clinton shots bng the team's best on two of the hardest holes.

"He really hits a long ball," Silver said afterward. "He also would offer tips on how to hit the ball if I hit a bad shot - which happened more often than not."

Silver said Clinton's two birdie putts contributed to the team's score of 65 - 5 under par.

Clinton's legendary charm was on full display yesterday, Silver said, with the former president posing for photos and clasping hands with everyone from elected officials to caddies and caterers. "He couldn't have been a greater gentleman," Silver said.

At the tightly secured private event, which was closed to the press, Clinton also signed autographs throughout the day, attendees said, inking his name on golf balls, score sheets and even the hood of a brand new Ingersoll Rand golf cart. The cart was set to be auctioned off for the further profit of Suozzi's still unspecified campaign.

CLINTON CLUB

Former President Bill Clinton played in Thomas Suozzi's annual golf fundraiser at the Nassau Country Club yesterday. In the scramble style tournament, the best shots among the team members are successively picked as the spots where the players hit from next, until the ball is sunk in the hole.

The Clinton group, from left, James Dolan, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi, Bill Clinton, and Christopher Suozzi (Thomas' brother), shot a 65, which was 5 under par. But the score placed his team in the middle of the pack behind the tournament-winning score of 59.

Copyright © 2008, Newsday Inc.

Is James Dolan deaf to the criticism that Newsday combined with Cablevision's News coverage represents MEDIA Concentration that leave it open to charges of extreme political distortions in thr news coverage?

How does James Doaln handle this criticsm? By playing golf with Tom Suozzi, Bill Clinton, and Shelly Silver at Suozzi's Golf Fundraiser. Holy Crap this guy is pretty dumb. How many people dropped thr news subscriptions or cable subscriptions after seng the picture in his very own newspaper - Newsday?