New York Observer
 | |
 44th Street office | |
| Type | Weekly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format |
Solely on-line (2016- )[1] Tabloid (2014–2016)[2]Broadsheet (2011–2014)[3] Tabloid (2007–2011)[3] Broadsheet (1987–2007)[3] |
| Owner(s) | Observer Media |
| Founder(s) | Arthur L. Carter |
| Publisher | Jared Kushner |
| Editor-in-chief | Ken Kurson[4] |
| Deputy editor | David Wallis |
| Managing editors | Lale Arikoglu |
| Founded | September 22, 1987 |
| Language | English |
| Headquarters | 321 West 44th Street |
| City | New York City |
| ISSN | 1052-2948 |
| Website |
observer |
New York Observer first published in New York City on September 22, 1987, as a weekly newspaper by Arthur L. Carter, a former investment banker. The Observer focuses on the city's culture, real estate, media, politics and the entertainment and publishing industries. Since July 2006, the paper has been owned and published by the American real‑estate figure Jared Kushner. The paper began its life as a broadsheet, then was printed in tabloid format every Wednesday. It has its headquarters at 321 West 44th Street in Manhattan.
Observer Media, the publication's parent company, announced recently to readers that the weekly print edition will close. Content will remain available solely online under the masthead "Observer" dropping "New York". The November 9, 2016 issue was the last for the print publication.[5]
As of January 2016, the editorial team is led by Ken Kurson with other writers and editors including Rex Reed, Kara Bloomgarden–Smoke, Will Bredderman, Jillian Jorgensen, Drew Grant, James Jorden, Kim Velsey, Matthew Kassel.[4]
Previous and present writers include Joe Conason, Doree Shafrir, Hilton Kramer, Andrew Sarris, Richard Brookhiser, Michael Tomasky, Azi Paybarah, Ross Barkan, John Heilpern, Robert Gottlieb, Foster Kamer, Nicholas von Hoffman, Simon Doonan, Anne Roiphe, Terry Golway, Ron Rosenbaum, John R. Schindler, Michael M. Thomas, Robert Sam Anson, Philip Weiss and Steve Kornacki.
The paper was perhaps best known for publishing Candace Bushnell's column on Manhattan's social life on which the television series Sex and the City was based. It was visually distinctive because of its salmon‑colored pages and sketch illustrations, in the style of La Gazzetta dello Sport. Henry Rollins once described it as "the curiously pink newspaper". The paper switched to white‑colored paper in 2014.[2]
The fourth and longest serving editor for the newspaper, Peter Kaplan, left the newspaper on July 1, 2009. Interim editor Tom McGeveran was replaced by Kyle Pope in 2009.[6] Elizabeth Spiers served as editor from 2011 to 2012, followed by interim editor Aaron Gell. In January 2013, publisher Jared Kushner named Ken Kurson, a political consultant, journalist, and author, as the Observer's next editor.[7]
The New York Observer was also the name of a weekly religious paper founded by Sidney E. Morse in 1823.
Ownership
The publisher and original owner, Arthur Carter, has had other publishing interests, including the Litchfield County Times. At one time, he was a part‑owner in The East Hampton Star. Carter received a B.A. in French literature from Brown University and an M.B.A. in finance from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. He spent 25 years in investment banking until 1981, when he founded the Litchfield County Times in New Milford, Connecticut. He owned it for twenty years until selling to Journal Register Company, later also selling his 50‑percent interest in The East Hampton Star in 2003. He has been an adjunct professor of philosophy and journalism at New York University and is a trustee.
In July 2006, Jared Kushner, a 25‑year‑old law student and son of a wealthy New Jersey developer, Charles Kushner, purchased the paper for just under $10 million.[8] In April 2007 Bob Sommer became president of Observer Media Group, and subsequently served on OMG’s Board of Directors.[9]
Political stance
In 2016, the New York Observer became notable for being one of only a handful of newspapers to officially endorse United States presidential candidate Donald Trump in the Republican Party presidential primaries.[10] The newspaper's owner and publisher, Jared Kushner is Donald Trump's son-in-law as well as an advisor to the Trump presidential campaign.[11] The Observer did not repeat its endorsement after Donald Trump became the republican nominee for president.[12]
References
- ↑ THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, Monday, November 14, 2016, pg B5
- 1 2 Pompeo, Joe (March 18, 2014). "Observer C.E.O. touts gains ahead of relaunch". Capital New York. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
Tomorrow, newsstand readers and subscribers will get a look at the Observer’s relaunched print product, which is a smaller, tabloid‑format, saddle‑stapled publication that will trade in its distinctive salmon hue for white paper.
- 1 2 3 "The New York Observer Will Switch From Tabloid to Broadsheet". New York Observer. August 4, 2011.
- 1 2 "About". New York Observer. ISSN 1052-2948. Archived from the original on November 23, 2015. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
- ↑ THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, Monday, November 14, 2016, pg. B5
- ↑ Neyfakh, Leon (November 5, 2009). "Kyle Pope Is the Next Editor of The Observer". New York Observer. ISSN 1052-2948. Archived from the original on March 21, 2011.
- ↑ Carr, David (January 4, 2013). "New York Observer Hits Reset Again, Names Ken Kurson New Editor". The New York Times. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
- ↑ Seelye, Katharine Q. (July 31, 2006). "Developer's Son Acquires New York Observer". The New York Times. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
- ↑ Bob Sommer profile
- ↑ http://observer.com/2016/04/in-the-republican-primary-donald-trump-for-president/
- ↑ http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/20/politics/donald-trump-jared-kushner/
- ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-new-york-observer_us_5819f55ae4b092edafb57456