We Bought a Newspaper

Mary Lou Cohalan and her husband bought the Suffolk County News along with three other couples in the late 1960s. Her resulting career as the first woman editor of the paper saw her chasing fires, fighting prejudice, and winning awards.

Mary Lou (or “Scoop”) ran the editorial side of things while Joann O’Doherty handled the business end. Along with the Retaliattas and the Harts, the Cohalans shepherded their hometown paper through innovations and upheavals until 1985.

Hear about the changing world of Savyille, Bayshore, and the rest of the South Shore from the end of the Vietnam War era to the coming of the computer age.

The Facade that Wouldn’t Die. Suffolk County News building on Candee Ave.
New design for the paper’s 100th anniversary.

 

Further Research