Investing in our newsroom—and our digital future

Brett Freeman

One of the great privileges of running a local media company is getting to watch people grow into roles that feel almost inevitable in hindsight.

I’m thrilled to share that Miranda Ferrante has been promoted to Editor of Yorktown News. Miranda has spent the past 1-1/2 years concentrating her reporting on Yorktown—learning the rhythms of the community, earning trust, and consistently delivering high quality, thoughtful, accurate coverage. This promotion is a natural next step, and a well-deserved one.

But what excites me most is that Miranda is also stepping into the role of Halston Media Web Editor.

For the first time in our company’s history, we now have someone whose role is explicitly focused on our digital presence. To be clear, our entire editorial team contributes to the website—and that will continue. But this move gives us a single point person responsible for bringing greater consistency across our pages and helping us think more strategically about how we grow and improve our online metrics.

That may not sound revolutionary at first glance, but for a small business with a lean staff, it’s a big deal. Our mantra has always been “all hands on deck.” Everyone pitches in. Everyone wears multiple hats. That won’t change. What is changing is how intentionally we’re approaching our digital future.

Last July, we completed a major overhaul of our website, working with a new vendor that specializes in newspaper design. The goal was simple: pair strong design with strong journalism. The results have been encouraging. Since the relaunch, we’ve nearly doubled our page views and are now approaching 120,000 per month—across six hyperlocal communities in Northern Westchester and Putnam counties.

Not bad for local news.

Each of our newspapers has its own entry point and distinct identity online, but they’re united under a single umbrella site that allows stories to travel. A zoning issue in one town may interest residents in another. A crime story, a school debate, a fascinating local person—good stories don’t stop at town borders.

We’ve also renewed our push to build a truly useful regional calendar of events, because community isn’t just about news; it’s about participation.

Our editorial team has already shown it can make the site viral when it counts. Through social media and our email newsletters, we’re able to bring in thousands of readers on any given day when a big story breaks.

The next challenge is harder, and more interesting.

How do we make our website sticky?

How do we encourage readers not just to click, but to stay? To explore. To return tomorrow? We’re competing for attention with Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok—and everything else vying for a few seconds of your time. Our goal is to create daily habits and to claim our own corner of the internet as a trusted local destination.

That’s an uphill battle. But it’s one we’re fully committed to.

This promotion is also part of a broader realignment in our newsroom. Emile Menasché remains Editor of Mahopac News and has taken on the editorship of The Mt. Kisco-Bedford Times. In addition, Emile will serve as Editor-at-Large across all six of our news publications—so Yorktown readers can rest assured he’s not going far. He’ll still have a toe in the water.

I also want to offer high praise to Emile Menasché for his stewardship and leadership of Yorktown News over the past couple of years. Emile has been the yin to my yang—the ideal deputy because he’s not a yes-man. He tells me exactly what he thinks, which means I know I’m getting his best advice. He brought that same level of intention and thoughtfulness to his role as editor of Yorktown News, and I’m excited to see what he’ll bring to The Mt. Kisco-Bedford Times.

I also want to give special credit to Tom Walogorsky and Carol Reif, who were instrumental in the editorial launch of The Mt. Kisco-Bedford Times, a success I directly attribute to their leadership and reporting. Carol will continue in her role as a reporter and Tom remains at the helm of North Salem News, The Katonah-Lewisboro Times, and The Somers Record, which is no small task.

When I step back and look at our editorial department—Tom, Emile, Miranda and Carol, as well as Bob Dumas, our editor-at-large, Vim Wilkinson, who runs Hudson Valley Living, and our Chief Photographer and Creative Director Tabitha Pearson Marshall—I genuinely believe we have a dream team. We’re also supported by freelance reporters and photographers, including dedicated sports contributors, who bring the same care and standards to their work week in and week out.

I’m equally grateful for our entire staff. Our sales team genuinely cares about client success and long-term relationships. Our designers consistently make our papers look sharp, polished, and professional. And our Director of Finance, Lauren Freeman—who also happens to be my wife—works tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the business runs smoothly and the lights stay on.

That’s the foundation we’re building on—both in print and online.

It’s been 16 years—but it still feels like we’re just getting started.