Owner(s) Observer Media Group Language English | Publisher William H. Lee Headquarters Sacramento, California | |
Type African-American weekly Founder(s) William H. Lee, Gino Gladden, and John W. Cole | ||
The Sacramento Observer is an African American-owned weekly newspaper in Sacramento, California, U.S. It serves the African-American community throughout the Sacramento Metropolitan Area. There are an estimated 144,000 African Americans living in Sacramento, according to the 2005 American Community Survey published by the Census. The newspaper has a paid subscription base of 50,000. It is distributed every Thursday. It is owned and operated by The Observer Media Group, which also publishes SacObserver.com, its online news site.
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History
Dr. William H. Lee, Gino Gladden, and John W. Cole established the Observer on November 22, 1962. Currently Dr. Lee serves as owner and publisher of the nearly 45-year-old newspaper. The operations of the weekly is a family affair: Dr. Lee's wife Mrs. Kathryn Lee has served as co-owner and business manager, while his sons Larry, Billy and Roderick (deceased) have served in various roles. Dr. Lee's youngest son, Larry, currently serves as the President and CEO of SacObserver.com.
The Observer has grown since its four-page debut in the 1960s. It boasts six sections, covering local, national and international news, business, entertainment, government and politics, education, health and sports. It publishes a local church directory and a calendar of events, publishing African American events throughout the city.
SacObserver.com
In 2001, The Observer launched its online news site SacObserver.com. Its first inception featured select articles from The Observer newspaper. The Web site underwent a redesign where it expanded to seven content channels. The Web site publishes an online Church Directory, Community-Based Organizations directory, HBCU Directory, Blacks in State Government listing, a Recipes archive and an online Calendar of Events, which lists events throughout Northern California.
Awards
The Observer has earned many awards including the coveted John B. Russwurm Trophy for Journalism Excellence, which is considered to be the Pulitzer Prize in African American newspaper publishing. National Newspaper Publishers Association, an organization of more than 200 Black newspapers throughout the United States of America, awards the 4-foot (1.23 m) Russwurm trophy. The newspaper has won this distinction six times.
Community involvement
Throughout the years, The Observer has been a strong community leader. The Observer was the catalyst for Sacramento Urban League and the Sacramento Area Black Law Caucus. In the past The Observer has sponsored numerous community events including organizing the Sacramento Black Expo, a yearly, three-day event celebrating African American history featuring seminars, workshops, concerts and a marketplace.