Johnson Newspaper Corporation, the family-owned publisher of the Watertown Daily Times and Northern New York Newspapers, is re-establishing the Ogdensburg Journal. The first edition will be published and distributed in June.
The Journal, which dates back to 1858, was last published in June 2019.
Today, and through the weekend, residents in and around Ogdensburg will receive a complimentary, one-section sample of the Journal by mail to showcase the news and sports coverage that’s planned.
Alec E. Johnson, president and chief operating officer of Johnson Newspaper Corp., said the company has been listening to the community.
“We are excited to bring The Journal back to readers who told us how the paper has been missed in the community. The Journal will be uniquely Ogdensburg, a place where we hope to share the stories and issues important to your community,” Mr. Johnson said.
The relaunched Journal will have a minimum of two eight-page sections and include local news, editorials, calendars, sports and more.
The new edition, which will be delivered by mail, will be edited by veteran newsman and longtime city resident Matt Curatolo with the help of The Journal’s perpetual Sports Editor Dave “Doc” Shea.
It’s not entirely correct to say that Mr. Shea is returning. He’s never left. Mr. Shea has been a figure on the sidelines of sporting competitions in St. Lawrence County ever since legendary Journal Publisher and Editor Charles “Chuck” Kelly hired him in 1973.
Mr. Shea retired in 2018, but it didn’t stick. Nine months later, he was back on the sidelines putting truth to the saying, “If you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life.”
When The Journal closed, Mr. Shea, without missing a beat, launched a website to continue covering sports in the city environs.
“Since The Journal closed, I have been covering high school and community sports on the oldschoolsportsnny.com web-blog site, which I started to continue the legacy of The Journal-Advance News,” Mr. Shea said. “The blog site was dedicated to the memory of The Journal’s editor emeritus, the late Chuck Kelly.”
There was no hesitation from Mr. Shea when he was asked to join the effort to bring the Journal back.
“I am very excited at The Journal returning. I guess I am a lifer and have always taken a great of pride and gotten a lot of satisfaction in covering sports and putting out newspapers,” Mr. Shea said. “To me, the Journal returning will also continue the legacy of Chuck Kelly who ran the paper for over 50 years.”
“We are extremely excited to have Dave Shea join The Journal once again to bring his unique, top-notch brand of sports reporting to its pages,” said Mr. Curatolo, who also worked with Mr. Kelly.
Mr. Curatolo grew up on Dry Hill in Watertown and graduated from South Jefferson Central School in 1995. He has a bachelor’s degree in English literature and writing from SUNY Potsdam.
He joined The Journal in March 2001 as a reporter covering everything from local and county governments to school districts, politics and breaking news.
“I learned what makes local journalism tick from Jim Reagen and the late Chuck Kelly,” Mr. Curatolo said.
In 2010, he was named city editor at The Journal before joining the city staff as its parks and recreation director in 2011.
“I am excited to bring The Journal back to the citizens of Ogdensburg. The Journal will offer people a platform to voice their concerns, promote local events and recognize achievements,” he added. “We will strive to present news fairly and accurately.”
Johnson Newspaper Corp. is based in Watertown, N.Y. It is a family-owned newspaper company in its fourth generation. The company publishes five daily newspapers, the Watertown Daily Times, Hudson Register Star, Catskill Daily Mail, Batavia Daily News and Malone Telegram. It also publishes the weekly Livingston County News, Lowville Journal & Republican, The Oswego County News, Oswego Shopper, Courier-Observer, Advance News and The Ogdensburg Journal. The company operates two printing plants, in Watertown and Massena, N.Y., and has established daily trucking routes to the Hudson Valley and Capitol region and throughout western and northern New York to service both its own papers and those printed for commercial customers.
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