 | |
| Industry | Online and print media |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2007; 18 years ago (2007) |
| Founder | Jared Kushner |
| Headquarters | Manhattan,New York City,US |
Key people |
|
| Website | www |
Observer Media is an Americanonlinemedia company.[1][2][3] The company was formed through several acquisitions, including acquisition ofThe New York Observer in 2007.[4][5][6] Observer Media is based inLower Manhattan,New York City, and was owned by businessmanJared Kushner until 2016, when he transferred his ownership into a family trust, through which his brother-in-law Joseph Meyer took over his former role as publisher and chairman in 2017.[7][8] It currently publishes theCommercial Observer andObserver.[9][10] As of November 2016, Observer Media announced it would no longer print theNew York Observer. TheObserver site is a consolidation of several notable online properties, includingThe Gallerist,BetaBeat,NY Politicker, andPolitickerNJ.[11][12]
In 2007, Jared Kushner began acquiring and merging several print and online media publications into the Observer brand, includingThe New York Observer,BetaBeat,Gallerist,NY Politicker,SCENE Magazine, andPolitickerNJ.[13][14] These acquisitions became integrated into the website observer.com (Gallerist was integrated in September 2014,PolitickerNY in March 2014,BetaBeat in January 2015, andPolitickerNJ in August 2016).[15]
In March 2012, Observer Media launchedThe Commercial Observer, a commercialreal estatepublication.[16] The organization has since received various awards, including "NAREE's 65th Annual Real Estate Journalism" award,[17] "Best Team Report Silver" award (2013),[18] and "Best Weekly Newspaper Report Silver" award (2014).[19]The Commercial Observer publishes at commercialobserver.com, and also publishes weekly print edition.
Joseph Meyer now owns the company through his investment firm Observer Capital, and serves as chairman and publisher. Jared Kushner has no ownership stake in and has no role in the company.[citation needed]
James R. Freiman was named CEO of Observer Media in November 2022. Previously, Michael Rose, the former president of What to Expect, a subsidiary of Everyday Health, was named CEO of Observer Media on October 9, 2019.[citation needed]
The Observeronline site includes three main content categories: Business, Arts & Entertainment. Observer Media discontinued a print edition calledThe New York Observer in November 2016. The Commercial Observer online site includes sections such as Leases, Finance, Sales, Design & Construction, Technology, Markets and Events.
In April 2016, former editor-in-chiefKen Kurson was criticized for providing "input" toDonald Trump in a speech given at the annualAIPAC conference.[20] TheObserver was also criticized in 2014 for an investigative piece on formerNew York Attorney GeneralEric Schneiderman.[21] In July 2016,Observer staff journalist Dana Schwartz published an open letter to her bossJared Kushner criticizing him for his involvement in Trump's (Kushner's father-in-law) presidential campaign.[22] Shortly thereafter, Kushner responded to the letter defending his contributions to Trump's presidential campaign.[23] Both articles were widely circulated in social media, and attracted attention from various media outlets.[24]