The Sacramento Observer
Encyclopedia
The Sacramento Observer is an African American
-owned weekly newspaper
in Sacramento, California
, USA. 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.
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.
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.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
-owned weekly newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
in Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
, USA. 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.
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 PrizePulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
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.