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 Headquarters at the 321 West 44th Street, New York | |
| Type | Website, formerly weekly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | |
| Owners |
|
| Founder | Arthur L. Carter |
| Publisher | Joseph Meyer |
| President | James Karklins[5] |
| Founded | September 22, 1987; 38 years ago (1987-09-22) |
| Language | English |
| Headquarters | 1 Whitehall Street |
| City | New York City, New York |
| Country | United States |
| ISSN | 1052-2948 |
| Website | observer |
The New York Observer was a weekly newspaper established in 1987. In 2016, it ceased print publication and became the online-only newspaperObserver.[6] The media site focuses on culture, real estate, media, politics and the entertainment and publishing industries.
TheObserver was first published inNew York City on September 22, 1987, as a weeklyalternative newspaper byArthur L. Carter, a formerinvestment banker. TheNew York Observer had also been the title of an earlier weekly religious paper founded 164 years before bySidney E. Morse in 1823.
After almost two decades, in July 2006, the paper was purchased by the American real estate figureJared Kushner, then only 25 years old. The paper began its life as abroadsheet, and was then printed intabloid format every Wednesday, and currently has an exclusively online format on an internet website. It is headquartered at 1Whitehall Street in lowerManhattan.
Previous prominent writers for the publication includeJoe Conason,Doree Shafrir,Hilton Kramer,Andrew Sarris,Richard Brookhiser,Michael Tomasky,Azi Paybarah,Ross Barkan,John Heilpern,Robert Gottlieb,Nicholas von Hoffman,Simon Doonan,Anne Roiphe,Terry Golway,Ron Rosenbaum,Michael M. Thomas,Philip Weiss, andSteve Kornacki.
The paper publishedCandace Bushnell's column "Sex and the City" about Manhattan's social life and emotional relationships on which the trend-setting popular television seriesSex and the City (later also with two successful feature films) is based.
It was visually distinctive because of its use of sketch illustrations and salmon-colored newsprint, with the latter compared to the similar physical appearance of theFinancial Times fromBritain.[2][7]Henry Rollins once described it as "the curiously pink newspaper". The paper switched in 2014 to using regular white newsprint for its last two years on paper.[2]
The fourth and longest-serving editor for the newspaper,Peter Kaplan, left the publication on July 1, 2009. Interim editor Tom McGeveran was replaced by Kyle Pope later that year in November 2009.[8] Two years later,Elizabeth Spiers then served as editor for a year from 2011 to 2012, followed by interim editor Aaron Gell. In January 2013, publisher Jared Kushner named his longtime friendKen Kurson, a political consultant, journalist, and author, as theObserver's next editor.[9]
Publication of the weekly print edition ended with the November 9, 2016 issue.[6][10] Observer Media, the publication's parent company, has continued to publish content on an online website under the masthead title of the "Observer" (dropping "New York" from the name).
The discontinuation of the printObserver came the day after editor Kushner's father-in-law,Donald Trump (Trump's daughterIvanka is Kushner's wife), won the2016 presidential election; becoming the 45thPresident of the United States, serving one term to 2021. Kushner served as a senior adviser in theTrump administration. Kushner transferred his ownership of Observer Media's remaining online assets into aTrump family trust, through which his brother-in-law Joseph Meyer took over his former role as publisher during that time.[11]
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The publisher and original owner,Arthur Carter, has had other publishing interests, including theLitchfield County Times. At one time, he was a part‑owner inThe East Hampton Star. Carter received a B.A. in French literature fromBrown University and an M.B.A. in finance from theTuck School of Business atDartmouth College. He spent 25 years in investment banking until 1981, when he founded theLitchfield County Times inNew Milford, Connecticut. He owned it for twenty years until selling toJournal Register Company, later also selling his 50‑percent interest inThe East Hampton Star in 2003. He has been an adjunct professor of philosophy and journalism atNew 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.[12]
In January 2017, Jared Kushner announced he would sell his stake to a Kushner family trust, when he became a senior advisor to President Donald Trump.[13] Kushner's brother-in-law, Joseph Meyer, who has been the CEO of Observer Media Group since 2013, replaced him as publisher.[14]
In 2016, theObserver became one of ahandful of newspapers to officially endorse United States presidential candidateDonald Trump in theRepublican Party presidential primaries.[15] The newspaper's owner and then publisher, Jared Kushner, is Trump's son-in-law and was an advisor to theTrump presidential campaign.[16] TheObserver did not repeat its endorsement after Trump became theRepublican nominee for President.[17]
Tomorrow, newsstand readers and subscribers will get a look at theObserver's relaunched print product, which is a smaller, tabloid‑format, saddle‑stapled publication that will trade in its distinctive salmon hue for white paper.
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