Bruce Lowry, the highly-regarded former editorial page editor for The (Bergen) Record, has joined Senate President Steve Sweeny and the New Jersey Senate Democratic Majority Office communications team.
Lowry had spent 15 years at the Bergen Record until April, when Gannett layoffs obliterated the editorial page.
“Bruce has been recruited to serve as a consultant in our communications office at a demanding time for the Senate Majority,” said Richard McGrath, a spokesman for the Senate Democrats. “He has a wealth of experience as a reporter and editor, he’s a skilled writer who knows New Jersey, and his subtle Louisiana accent is a distinctive addition to staff discussions. We are fortunate to have him.”
Lowry has put considerable distance – about seventh months — between his journalism career and his acceptance of a job with the legislature. He was not seeking a new job at the time he was working for Gannett.
Senate sources say that Lowry is off to a strong start as he transitions from journalist to staffer.
The financially struggling Gannett chain, which owns the Bergen Record and 9 other New Jersey daily newspapers, has faced recurring layoffs, furloughs and buyouts. The Bergen Record has seen their print circulation drop by more than 70% since Gannett bough the newspaper from the Borg family in 2016, and the number of reporters is now about 1/3 of what it was 15 years ago.
Gannett also laid off their editorial page editor, Randy Bergmann, in 2020.
GateHouse Media acquired Gannett in 2019 for $12.06 per share. The deal was structured to include a massive debt that would require hundreds of millions in cuts to pay back a $1.2 billion loan that was part of the deal to keep them afloat.
Gannett stock is currently trading at 2.80 per share. The media chain announced this week that they would outsource about 500 business jobs to India in 2021.
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