The Bronx Times

The Bronx Times
Name	The Bronx Times
Type	Weekly newspaper
Format	Tabloid
Owners	Schneps Media
Founder	Gerry Goldstein
Publisher	Schneps Media
Editor	Robert Pozarycki
Language	English
Headquarters	Bronx, New York City

The Bronx Times is a community weekly newspaper serving the Bronx borough of New York City. Founded in the early 2000s, it covers local neighborhoods, politics, education, business, and culture with hyperlocal reporting and advertising aimed at Bronx residents. The paper operates within the New York City media ecosystem alongside outlets that cover Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island.

History

The newspaper emerged during a period of consolidation in New York City media alongside outlets such as New York Daily News, New York Post, The New York Times, New York Magazine, and The Village Voice. Its founding coincided with neighborhood revitalization efforts tied to initiatives by figures like Rudy Giuliani, Michael Bloomberg, and municipal agencies including the New York City Economic Development Corporation, influencing local reporting needs. Coverage intersected with major Bronx stories involving institutions such as Yankee Stadium, Bronx Zoo, New York Botanical Garden, Fordham University, and Bronx Community College. The paper documented development debates similar to those reported by The Wall Street Journal and Crain's New York Business, and its timeline overlaps with citywide events like post-9/11 recovery, Hurricane Sandy (2012), and mayoral administrations including Bill de Blasio and Eric Adams.

Organization and Ownership

Originally founded by local media entrepreneurs, the paper later became part of a regional portfolio owned by Schneps Media, which also owns publications like amNewYork Metro and Metro New York. Schneps Media's ownership places the paper in the same corporate family as titles covering Queens, Brooklyn, and Long Island, and connects it to parent company operations that work with advertising partners such as Google-advertising networks and classified services similar to those used by Gannett and Advance Publications. Leadership teams have included editors and publishers with experience at organizations like New York Daily News, Newsday, and alternative weeklies such as The Village Voice.

Editions and Distribution

The paper produces neighborhood-focused editions that serve districts including Riverdale, Kingsbridge, Morris Park, Co-op City, Pelham Bay, Throggs Neck, City Island, Hunts Point, and Fordham. Distribution methods echo practices used by community papers such as Courier Life and TimesLedger Newspapers, with street-box drops, newsstand sales, and targeted mailings to residential ZIP codes like those in Bronx County, New York. The paper markets to local advertisers including small businesses, real estate brokers involved with properties near Van Cortlandt Park and Pelham Bay Park, healthcare providers with affiliations to Montefiore Medical Center and BronxCare Health System, and local schools such as Bronx High School of Science and DeWitt Clinton High School.

Editorial Content and Sections

Coverage spans local politics with attention to elected officials like Ruben Diaz Jr., Adriano Espaillat, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and city council members representing Bronx neighborhoods; public institutions including the New York City Police Department precincts, FDNY units, and NYC Department of Education schools; and civic matters involving entities like the Bronx Chamber of Commerce and Local 32BJ SEIU. Cultural and lifestyle coverage highlights venues and events at places such as Pregones Theater, Bronx Museum of the Arts, St. Ann's Church, and street festivals around Arthur Avenue. Sports reporting has included stories related to New York Yankees spring training impacts, amateur leagues at Van Cortlandt Park Cross Country Course, and coverage of collegiate teams at Fordham Rams. Regular sections mirror community-weekly norms: neighborhood news, business, real estate, education, obituaries, opinions, and classifieds.

Community Involvement and Impact

The newspaper engages with neighborhood organizations including the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation, civic associations, tenant groups, and advocacy groups such as South Bronx Unite and community boards across Bronx Community Board districts. It has covered redevelopment projects affecting landmarks like Kingsbridge Armory and public housing issues involving the New York City Housing Authority. Its reporting has influenced local civic campaigns, ballot measures, hearings at New York City Council committees, and public meetings at borough offices of the Office of the Bronx Borough President. The paper collaborates with community nonprofits, libraries like the New York Public Library branches in the Bronx, and institutions hosting voter registration and public health drives with partners including Montefiore Medical Center and BronxCare Health System.

Awards and Recognition

Reporters and editors have been acknowledged in local journalism circles alongside peers from The New York Times, ProPublica, Gothamist, and nonprofit outlets such as City Limits (magazine). Coverage of neighborhood recovery efforts, educational reporting, and investigative pieces have drawn attention at events and organizations including the New York Press Association, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism forums, and municipal journalism awards that recognize reporting on housing, public safety, and community development. Individual journalists affiliated with the paper have also been finalists or recipients of local reporting honors comparable to awards given by institutions like Society of Professional Journalists and regional journalism groups.

Controversies and Criticism

As with many local media outlets, the paper has faced criticism over perceived editorial decisions, advertising relationships, and coverage choices that intersect with elected officials such as Ruben Diaz Jr. or development interests involved with projects near Yankee Stadium and Kingsbridge Armory. Critics—including rival outlets like Gothamist and opinion writers from The New York Times metro columnists—have debated its balance between community boosterism and watchdog journalism. Debates have surfaced around reporting on NYCHA developments, policing matters involving the NYPD, and interactions with local business interests and trade groups such as the Bronx Chamber of Commerce.

Category:Newspapers in New York City