Anton Media Group earned 12 awards in New York Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest. Back row, from left: President Frank Virga, Publisher Angela Susan Anton, Dave Gil de Rubio, Jennifer Fauci, Alex Nuñez; front row: Elizabeth Johnson, Kimberly Dijkstra, Christina Claus, Barbara Barnett, Anthony Murray

The New York Press Association (NYPA) held its annual spring conference in Albany this past weekend and presented 546 prestigious awards to members of the journalism community. Competing with other community newspapers across the state, Anton Media Group earned 12 awards for editorial, design and advertising excellence.

“I’m exceptionally proud that my talented staff received much deserved recognition at NYPA this year,” Publisher Angela Susan Anton said. “We strive to produce the highest quality community journalism and luxury content for our Gold Coast readers.”

Music aficionado Dave Gil de Rubio is a regular contributor to Anton’s arts and entertainment publication Long Island Weekly in addition to being editor of Garden City Lifeand Syosset-Jericho Tribune. For his pieces titled “Walking Down Memory Lane With Judd Apatow,” “Dare To Be Different,” “The Jazz Loft: A Long Island Music Mecca,” “Photographer Blows Hot And Cold,” and “Elliot Murphy: Suburban Bard Comes Home,” judges awarded him third place for Coverage of the Arts in Division 1 and said, “Excellent writing and layout. Diverse coverage, consistent quality.”

Former managing editor Betsy Abraham took third place for Best News Story in Division 1 for her Westbury Times article “Pets4Luv Hunts For New Home.” Judges said, “Pets4Luv story is very well written and certainly makes us feel the pressures that the shelter, volunteers and critters, had to go through.”

Editor Anthony Murray and ace reporter Kimberly Donahue investigated the issue of aggressive panhandling at the Mineola train station and published a three-part series last June in Mineola American—“Homelessness In Mineola,” “Enforcement At The Train Station,” and “Finding The Solution.” The judges offered these positive and constructive remarks for the third place winner of Best Feature Story, Division 1: “Three-part series on homelessness, including panhandling at train station; the village board’s proposal to curb the problem; and options in the community to help the homeless. The writers present the problem well and get voices of government and social service networks into the conversation, but would have been a stronger entry by including the voice of a homeless person.”

In the category of Best Editorials, Division 1, web editor Kimberly Dijkstra earned first place for her editorials titled “Arms for Teachers,” “Kenneling Children Is Un-American” and “Suppression Depression.” The judges said, “Incredibly strong starts that kept me going throughout. Hit me in the face with the strong argument right away.”

Judges from the Wisconsin Press Association offered many kind comments about the entries. Judges said, “Very well-done series on an unusual instance of NIMBY. Makes me want to know what happened next,” about Elizabeth Johnson’s medical marijuana dispensary series under the management of former editor-in-chief Steve Mosco. The Manhasset Press articles—“Medical Marijuana Company Seeks Manhasset Storefront,” “Demonstration Set Against Medical Marijuana Dispensary,” “Town Sets Hearing Date For Zoning Legislation,” “No Toking Over the Town Line” by Frank Rizzo, and “In North Hempstead, A No-Pot Zone” by Frank Rizzo—took first place for Coverage of Local Government, Division 1.

Following a recent win at Fair Media Council’s FOLIO awards, Port Washington News Magazine earned second place at NYPA. Judges had this to say about the company-wide collaborative effort helmed by executive editor Jennifer Fauci and art director Alex Nuñez: “You never get a second chance to make a first impression. You impressed with your gate fold cover and consistency throughout your entry. A lot of attention to detail and effort. Congratulations.”

Nuñez contributed his own original artwork to the magazine’s feature on Bay Walk Park. The watercolor earned first place in for Best Graphic Illustration, Division 1, and these remarks from the judges: “I like the original art rendering of the venue used in this capacity because it gives a real life representation of the location, so you get an overview of where you are and what the area has to offer. Plus it’s great artwork.”

Nuñez also created a house ad for Massapequa Observer that won third place in Division 1 for Best House Ad. Judges said, “Fun photo and bright, inviting colors. Good promotion.”

Long Island Weekly lead designer Barbara Barnett took second place in the Division 2 Graphic Illustration category for her eye-catching “Diner Drinks Decoded.” The judges said, “I love the clean and colorful magazine style use of the art in this section. Combined with the content it creates an easy to read article.”

Finally, senior artist Caren Donatelli took home three awards. Donatelli earned first place for Large Space Ad, Division 1, for an Umanoff Boyer Agency ad. Judges said, “Nice layout and use of space. Clever use of imagery.” She earned an honorable mention in the same category for a Cat Diggity Dog ad, with these comments: “Adorable! Attractive, easy to read and attention grabbing! Great use of the entire space.” And she was awarded third place for Best Advertising Campaign, Division 1, for a series of ads for Guttermans, prompting the judges to say, “The text is positioned well within the images and the overall ad campaign is clean, clear and cohesive.”

Welcome to the family!

Anton Media Group is proud to announce the addition of two new newspapers to our roster of community newspapers. Levittown Weekly and Massapequa Weekly debut on April 18. These new weeklies will be delivered to paid Newsday home subscribers in select communities—an extension of our successful partnership with the media company delivering our arts and entertainment publication, Long Island Weekly, to area residents.

Levittown Weekly and Massapequa Weekly will include all of the community-oriented news you’ve come to rely on from Anton’s publications, with a brand new look and a wider audience. From excellent school districts and a bevy of local businesses to charitable organizations and supportive neighbors, these towns embody what a community is and should be.

Angela Susan Anton (Photo by Tab Hauser)

“I am very proud of our team here, as we launch these new titles,” said Publisher Angela Susan Anton. “With Newsday as our distribution partner, we have strengthened Anton’s position and give even more to our readers and our advertisers.”

On April 18, Long Island Weekly will also be distributed to new areas including Wantagh, Seaford, Bellmore, Merrick and East Meadow.

“I join in the publisher’s excitement,” said Frank Virga, president of Anton. “Offering our loyal advertisers this type of added-circulation will most certainly have a positive impact.”

We at Anton are excited to expand our presence here on Long Island and would like to extend a warm welcome to our new readers.

“As we continue to grow our portfolio, we always keep the reader in mind,” said Angela Anton. “I hope you will share in my excitement and welcome these new additions into your home.”

Anton invests in a significant presence across Nassau on high-traffic newsstands, in diners, urgent care facilities, Northwell, Winthrop and North Shore hospitals, high-end auto dealer service waiting areas and hotels. With these two new community publications, Anton is now Nassau County’s largest newspaper group, delivering an average distribution of more than 76,000 across 19 weekly community newspapers.

To advertise, call 516-747-8282 or email advertising@antonmediagroup.com.

Your paper, your way.

Anton Media Group is ready to make some changes and we are interested in your opinion! What would you like to see more of in the paper? Less of?

Take our online survey so we can tailor our publication to your preferences. The survey will only take about five minutes to complete.

Click here to take our survey!

Once you complete the survey, you can choose to be entered in a drawing for a prize. The prize will be a gift card to a restaurant, tickets to the Long Island Aquarium or tickets to NYCB Theatre at Westbury.

Thank you for being a valued reader!

Angela Susan Anton proudly displays two first place wins at the New York Press Association awards convention.

Anton Media Group took home nine prestigious awards from the New York Press Association (NYPA) Better Newspaper Contest on April 7 and 8.

The group of 16 local newspapers, plus arts and entertainment publications Long Island Weekly, Boulevard and a host of community-minded magazines, took home awards for its editorial work, as well as its creative design team.

“I’m so proud to be a part of the New York Press Association,” said Angela Susan Anton, publisher. “Year in and year out, we display the talent needed to earn multiple awards. I believe our adherence to quality in writing and the look and design of our papers is our driving force in community journalism.”

From left: Page designer Sheila Ferrari; Anton President Frank Virga; art director Alex Nuñez; senior artist Caren Benipayo; assistant art director Barbara Barnett; editor Betsy Abraham and editor Christy Hinko.

• First Place, Best Obituaries “A Final Act Of Service,” “A Woman of Grace,” and “Mineola Pours A Cup For Nick Liakonis” – Betsy Abraham (Hicksville Illustrated, Mineola American)
  • The NYPA committee remarked, “Easily the most compelling read of all the entries in this category. Great work by Betsy Abraham to recognize that people other than longtime community newsmakers can contribute to a community’s quality of life. It seems that Linda Callendrello did that, even though she was homeless.”
• First Place, Graphic Illustration “Eternal Con June 1, 2016“, Division 3 – Barbara Barnett (Long Island Weekly)
  • The NYPA committee remarked, “Barbara Barnett goes above and beyond to create an authentic “comic book” look and feel with her design. Her talent gives this entry something extremely special and unique.”
• Second Place, Graphic Illustration “Coney Island June 8, 2016“, Division 3 – Barbara Barnett (Long Island Weekly)
  • The NYPA committee remarked, “With a look and feel of The Beatles Yellow Submarine cartoon, the cover pulls in readers with a familiar, cool look and leads them down a path of a magical place called Coney Island.”
• Second Place, Best Special Section “Winter Car Care Feb. 17, 2016“, Division 2 – Barbara Barnett (Port Washington News)
  • The NYPA committee remarked, “This cover did a great job of using an illustration for conveying three main points of winter car care without words. Depicting the car as a schematic drawing and using the actual photos of the battery, tire pressure and wiper fluid made the illustration work.
• Third Place, Best Automotive Special Section or Magazine, Division 1 – Christy Hinko and Alex Nuñez (Port Washington News)
  • The NYPA committee remarked, “Nice format and layout.”
• Honorable Mention, Best Front Page, Division 1 – Sheila Ferrari (Garden City Life)
  • The NYPA committee remarked, “Appealing design with a willingness to play with layout so each page feels fresh rather than cookie-cutter.”
• Third Place, Best Front Page “Long Island Roller Rebels“, Division 3 – Barbara Barnett (Long Island Weekly)
  • The NYPA committee remarked, “Great use of full color and utilizing every inch.”
• Third Place, Best Large Space Ad, Division 2 – Caren Donatelli (Port Washington News)
  • The NYPA committee remarked, “Biscuits & Barbecue ‘Turducken!’ makes me hungry just to look at.”
• First Place, Best Multi-Advertiser Pages, Division 2 – Caren Donatelli (Port Washington News)
  • “The NYPA committee remarked, “You used eye-catching colors and clean design.”

United States Marines Corps Retired Major Chuck Kilbride joined Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano in thanking Anton Media Group owner and publisher Angela Susan Anton and the Anton Media Group staff for donating hundreds of toys for the recent Toys for Tots campaign.

“Toys for Tots is a wonderful program that delivers joy to thousands of disadvantaged children,” said Mangano.

The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program collects new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December each year and distributes those toys as gifts to needy children in the community in which the campaign is conducted.

Pictured: Nicole Lockwood, editor; Jennifer Fauci, editor; Betsy Abraham, editor; Pastor John Gravagnan; Frank Rizzo, editor; County Executive Mangano; Angela Susan Anton, Anton Media Group owner and publisher; U.S. Marines Major Kilbride; Kristen Anton, publisher assistant; Joe LaPadula; Frank Virga, Anton Media Group president; Iris Picone, Anton Media Group director of operations.