Twenty years ago, when I ended my anniversary note with
“I look forward to the second 20 years,” I had no idea how fast the
second two decades would go. At that time, I had only owned the Syracuse New Times
for five years. I had no idea how much fun and excitement being the
publisher of the most popular newspaper in Central New York would
become.
Being the publisher/owner of the Syracuse New Times
is truly the best job available anywhere in Central New York, with the
possible exception of being King Arthur. The growth, the prestige, the
importance to the community of The New Times truly amazes and gratifies me every day.
As the old saying goes, “You ain’t seen nothing yet.” I feel the next 20 years will be even bigger and better for The New Times and all of Central New York. Sure, things are down right now, but those of us who have been around 40 years or more (like The New Times) have seen these down cycles several times already. We always come out of it OK and we will come out of this downturn OK.
I could easily fill four pages listing the past few years’ accomplishments, awards and positive effects The New Times has had on the community, but I won’t. I’m sure you’ve already read about most of them in these very pages.
I do wish to thank the loyal readers and the advertisers
who pay our bills and allow us to bring the paper to you FREE every
Wednesday, and the hard-working, dedicated staff that produces the
newspaper everyone loves to read, every week.
Sincerely,
Art Zimmer
As the years fly by and the success and popularity of The New Times continue to grow, I am constantly amazed at the huge positive effect the paper has had on the entire Onondaga County community.
More than 136,000 fiercely loyal readers seek out every issue of The New Times
from more than 650 outlets spread throughout Central New York. Our
biggest problem each week remains getting enough copies of the Syracuse
area’s most popular newspaper into the hands of everyone who wants it.
It is now hard to imagine that 15 years ago I purchased The New Times
out of bankruptcy. The paper was going under for the third and final
time, and the chances of success were almost zero. When you talk about
the phoenix rising from the ashes of disaster to soar to phenomenal
heights of success, that is The New Times story.
So what do the next few years hold for The New Times?
I’m confident that our talented and dedicated staff will find ways to
match and exceed our past successes, including winning awards of
excellence on the national, state and local levels.
Readers will continue to flock to our pages in even
greater numbers, using our advertisements to guide their life’s
activities and thus continuing to make The New Times the best advertising buy for all the businesses in Central New York.
On a personal note, I am putting my money where my mouth
is. I keep preaching that Central New York is a wonderful place to
live. I’m not taking my success and fleeing south. Instead, I am
building a new home at the edge of the city and plan to remain here and
do what I can to help make the greater Syracuse area an even better
place to live.
In closing, I say thank you to everyone for everything
and ask, “Do you want to buy a Zimmer Golden Spirit automobile from
me?” And yes, the car company is going well.
Art Zimmer
Publisher
When I purchased the Syracuse New Times 10 years
ago, I was very optimistic about its possibilities for growth and
success. I must admit, however, that I was not prepared for what
happened. The phenomenal growth and success that the Syracuse New Times have achieved in the past several years has exceeded my most optimistic dreams. I can only say it has been exciting and fun.
The New Times’ success has come about primarily
because of three groups of people, and I sincerely wish to thank each
and every one of them. In one group are the business owners and
managers of Central New York. Their loyalty in providing consistent
paid advertising to the Syracuse New Times has made the paper a profitable and stable business.
In another group are the hard-working, dedicated and
professional staff that produces the most popular newspaper in Central
New York every week. This small group of highly motivated people does a
great job of serving the needs of both the reader and advertiser
throughout Onondaga County and surrounding areas.
In the last group are you, the readers, the public of
the greater Syracuse area. Your loyalty and dedication to finding a
copy of the Syracuse New Times every week and using it as your
personal source for news, entertainment, dining, shopping and
recreation is deeply appreciated. You have truly made the Syracuse New Times everyone’s favorite newspaper.
If you, the readers, keep responding to New Times
advertising in the future as you have in the past, it will ensure that
our staff can continue to bring you a FREE high-quality newspaper every
week.
Thank you, one and all, who have contributed to 25 years of publishing excellence.
Sincerely,
Art Zimmer
Many people in Central New York think it’s a miracle that the Syracuse New Times has survived for 20 years. Many of those same people think it’s a bigger miracle that in the past five years The New Times has flourished.
I am proud and happy to have been associated with the truly great staff at The New Times
during that time. It has been exciting to watch the newspaper grow and
develop into a respected and sought after Central New York news medium.
The acceptance of The New Times by its readership and the business community has been gratifying.
The many community service awards and press association
honors that have been bestowed upon the newspaper give me a positive
feeling. The New Times is not just a business venture, but an important community service organization that benefits many people in many ways.
With steady growth in revenues and increased community service the future of The New Times
appears to be bright. I sincerely hope the citizens of Central New York
are also proud of the newspaper and happy to have it in their community
and in their homes very week.
I look forward to the second 20 years.
Art Zimmer
Publisher
