Suffolk Life to cease publication
By Tim Gannon
Suffolk Life appears to be going out of business.
Several employees, some speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Times/Review that the newspaper held a staff meeting yesterday morning to announce that the June 25 issue would be its last.
Officially, the company wasn’t confirming anything, however.
“We are not ready to comment, but we would be glad to answer your questions next week,” said Suffolk Life general manager Irl Krause.
The paper, started in 1961 in the Riverhead home of publisher David Willmott, moved several times over the years and now occupies Wilmott Plaza on Route 58. Mr. Willmott could not be reached for comment.
Freelance reporter Karen Forman said she was told yesterday that the June 25 issue would be the last.
“For me, it was a part-time job, but for some of the people who have been there for many years, it was completely devastating,” she said.
Another employee, who asked not to be identified, said employees were told the paper is closing due to financial reasons because the downturn in the economy had hurt sales. Presumably, the company also has been hurt by recent increases in the costs of postage, newsprint and fuel. At its zenith, the paper was delivered to hundreds of thousands of homes in Suffolk County.
The employee said she enjoyed working there and was sad to see it closing.
“It was like a landmark,” she said.
Suffolk Life, which is delivered free through the mail, had been distributed in all 10 Suffolk County towns until the end of last year, when it halted distribution in the western Suffolk towns of Babylon, Islip, Huntington and Smithtown.
It continued to distribute various localized editions in Brookhaven and in the five East End towns.
Mr. Willmott has said in past interviews that he has received numerous inquiries from developers looking to buy his Route 58 property, but that he felt he wouldn’t sell unless the price was right. The most notable of those offers came from the Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse chain, which sought to build a store there.
Mr. Willmott told Times/Review in 2006 that Suffolk Life had about 125 employees. In addition to the newspaper, Suffolk Life had its own printing press on site.
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