Ousted Newsday EIC joins New York 1

John Mancini, ousted editor-in-chief of Newsday in December by Cablevision, is starting at Time Warner-owned cable station New York 1 as its transit reporter.

The move is considered a big step down on the face of it, but its an easy way to make a career change while still collecting a severance package from Cablevision/Newsday on another front.

Mancini during his tenure at Newsday, worked under three different owners and had to oversee massive downsizings, the retreat from its once huge Queens and city bureaus, and the shuttering of virtually all the foreign bureaus as Newsday along with most major dailies wrestled with enormous changes. Mancini was replaced as editor by Debby Krenek

The problems at Newsday were compounded by a circulation-pumping scandal in which several executives on the business side conspired to inflate the circulation numbers in order to charge higher ad rates to advertisers.

He spent 20 years in total at Newsday, but also served on the city desk at The New York Post and was editor of the since folded Long Island Voice.

NY 1 said that Mancini will take over the position starting Friday from Bobby Cuza, who is also was a Newsday alum and is still at NY1 covering politics.