The Charlotte Observer

The Charlotte Observer
The Charlotte Observer
CharlotteObserverTuesday6-16 0000.png
The June 16, 2009 front page of
The Charlotte Observer
Type Daily newspaper
Format Broadsheet
Owner The McClatchy Company
Publisher Ann Caulkins
Editor Rick Thames
Founded 1886
Headquarters 600 South Tryon Street
Charlotte, North Carolina 28202  United States
Circulation 155,497 Daily
212,318 Sunday[1]
Official website charlotteobserver.com

The Charlotte Observer, serving Charlotte, North Carolina and its metro area, is the largest newspaper, in terms of circulation, in North Carolina[2] and South Carolina.[citation needed] It is owned by The McClatchy Company.

Contents

Overview

The Observer primarily serves Charlotte and Mecklenburg County and the surrounding counties of Iredell, Cabarrus, Union, Lancaster, York, Gaston, Catawba, and Lincoln. It publishes local sections for each of these outlying counties and for specific neighborhoods within Mecklenburg. The newspaper's circulation covers over 40 counties in North and South Carolina. Home delivery service in outlying counties has declined in recent years, with delivery times growing later as the paper has outsourced circulation services outside the primary Charlotte area.

Circulation at The Charlotte Observer has been declining for many years. The most recent period (May 2011) showed that Charlotte Observer circulation totaled 155,497 daily and 212,318 Sunday.

In addition to its main bureau in Charlotte, the paper operates six regional bureaus in Hickory, Gastonia, Concord, Monroe, and Cornelius, and Fort Mill, South Carolina. It has offices in the state capitals of North and South Carolina: Raleigh and Columbia, respectively. The Observer also has an office in Washington, D.C.

The newspaper has an online presence at charlotteobserver.com, and its staff also oversees a popular NASCAR news website, ThatsRacin.com, and a corresponding syndicated feature, That's Racin'. The paper's television partner is WCNC-TV.

The Observer employs approximately 700 employees, down from over 1,200 at its peak, mostly in its downtown Charlotte office.

History

The paper was founded in 1886 and was purchased by Knight Newspapers in 1955. Knight merged with Ridder Publications to form Knight Ridder in 1974. The Observer eventually became the fourth-largest newspaper in the Knight Ridder chain (behind The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News, Detroit Free Press and Miami Herald). In the late 1800's it was used as a vehicle for white supremacy that helped lead to the coup d'etat in Wilmington and the Democratic Party seizing control of the state government.

In 1959, The Observer purchased The Charlotte News, Charlotte's afternoon newspaper. All operations were merged except editorial content, which was fused in 1983. The Observer ended circulation of the afternoon News in 1985.

The paper has won four Pulitzer Prizes, but nothing since 1988.

McClatchy purchased most of Knight Ridder's newspapers, including The Observer, in 2006. This made The Observer a sister publication of the state's second-largest paper, The News and Observer of Raleigh; and of The Herald of Rock Hill, the primary newspaper for the South Carolina side of the metro area. As of spring 2008, it is the fifth-largest newspaper in the McClatchy chain (behind The Kansas City Star, Miami Herald, Sacramento Bee and Fort Worth Star-Telegram). McClatchy's share value has been in decline since the purchase. The stock has lost over 95% of it's value, far worse than many remaining newspaper companies.

Pulitzer Prizes

The Charlotte Observer headquarters

See also


References

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • The News & Observer — The June 16, 2009 front page of The News Observer Type Daily newspaper Format …   Wikipedia

  • Charlotte Observer Marathon — The Charlotte Observer Marathon was a significant annual marathon 42.195 kilometres (26.219 mi) which took place in Charlotte, North Carolina, between the years of 1977 and 2004. The marathon was held as part of a larger event, known as The… …   Wikipedia

  • The Charlotte News — was the afternoon newspaper in Charlotte, North Carolina. The newspaper was eventually purchased by its larger rival, The Charlotte Observer but continued to be published until 1985. See also The Charlotte Observer Categories: North Carolina… …   Wikipedia

  • Charlotte Trolley — Overview Type Heritage Streetcar System Charlotte Area Transit System …   Wikipedia

  • Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools — Reach Further Address 701 E. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Charlotte, North Carol …   Wikipedia

  • Charlotte Area Transit System — Parent Charlotte Mecklenburg (Charmeck) Founded 1999 Headquarters 300 East Trade Street, Charlotte, North Carolina …   Wikipedia

  • Charlotte Transportation Center / Arena (LYNX station) — Charlotte Transportation Center/Arena LYNX light rail station …   Wikipedia

  • Charlotte Bobcats — 2011–12 Charlotte Bobcats season Conference …   Wikipedia

  • Charlotte/Douglas International Airport — Charlotte (Caroline du Nord) Pour les articles homonymes, voir Charlotte. Charlotte …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Charlotte (Caroline Du Nord) — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Charlotte. Charlotte …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”