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{{Short description|Newspaper in Fayetteville, North Carolina}}
{{Infobox Newspaper
{{Infobox newspaper
| name = The Fayetteville Observer
| image = [[Image:Fayetteville Observer front page.png]]
| name = The Fayetteville Observer
| caption = The [[December 4]], [[2006]] front page of<br />''The Fayetteville Observer''
| logo = The Fayetteville Observer (2019-10-31).svg
| image = <!-- [[Image:Fayetteville Observer front page.png]] -->
| type = Daily [[newspaper]]
| caption = The December 4, 2006 front page of the<br />''Fayetteville Observer''
⚫
| format = [[Broadsheet]]
| foundation = [[1816]]
| type = Daily [[newspaper]]
⚫
| format = [[Broadsheet]]
⚫
| ceased publication =
| foundation = 1816
| price =
⚫
| ceased publication =
| owners = Fayetteville Publishing Co.
| owners = [[Gannett]]
| publisher = Charles Broadwell
| publisher =
| editor = Brian Tolley
| newseditor = Beth Hutson<ref name="About" />
⚫
| circulation = 69,880
| opeditor = Myron B. Pitts<ref name="About" />
⚫
| headquarters = 458 Whitfield Street<br>[[Fayetteville, North Carolina|Fayetteville]], [[North Carolina]] 28306 {{USA}}
⚫
| circulation = 19,427
| ISSN =
| circulation_date = 2018
| website = [http://www.fayobserver.com fayobserver.com]
| circulation_ref = <ref>{{Cite web |date=2018 |title=2018 Legacy NEWM Annual Reports |url=https://s202.q4cdn.com/162862548/files/doc_financials/2018/ar/2018-NEWM-Annual-Report.pdf |website=investors.gannett.com}}</ref>
⚫
| headquarters = 581 Executive Place<br/>[[Fayetteville, North Carolina]] 28305 USA
| publishing_city = Fayetteville
| language = [[American English]]
| ISSN = 2155-9740
| oclc = 45115389
| website = {{URL|fayobserver.com}}
}}
}}
[[File:Front Page of the Fayetteville Observer newspaper from March 9, 1865.jpg|thumb|Front page of the March 9, 1865 ''Fayetteville Observer'']]
'''''The Fayetteville Observer''''' is an American English-language daily [[newspaper]] published in [[Fayetteville, North Carolina]]. Founded in 1816, it is the oldest local newspaper published in North Carolina. The paper originally operated as the ''Caroline Observer'' before rebranding to the Fayetteville Observer in 1833.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fayetteville Observer {{!}} NCpedia |url=https://www.ncpedia.org/fayetteville-observer#:~:text=Image%20from%20the%20North%20Carolina,largest%20circulation%20in%20North%20Carolina. |access-date=2023-09-07 |website=www.ncpedia.org}}</ref>


It was locally owned by the McMurray family from 1923 to 2016, when it was acquired by [[GateHouse Media]], which became [[Gannett]] in an acquisition in 2019.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/14/business/media/gannett-gatehouse-media-merger.html|title=Gannett Gatehouse Merger|work=New York Times|date=November 14, 2019|author=Tracy, Marc}}</ref>
'''''The Fayetteville Observer''''' is a daily [[newspaper]] published in [[Fayetteville, North Carolina]].


==History==
==History==
[[File:Edward Jones Hale.jpg|thumb|upright|Edward Jones Hale, editor and owner of the ''Fayetteville Observer'' 1825–1865]]
''The Fayetteville Observer'' is [[North Carolina]]'s oldest newspaper still being published. It traces its roots to the establishment of the ''Carolina Observer'' in [[1816]].
The ''Fayetteville Observer'' is the oldest newspaper in [[North Carolina]]. It was founded in 1816 as the ''Carolina Observer''. The ''Fayetteville Observer'' was not published between 1865 and 1883, so the Wilmington ''[[Star-News]]'' (founded in 1867) is North Carolina's oldest continually published newspaper. The name was changed to the ''Fayetteville Observer'' in 1833. The ''Observer''{{'}}s offices were destroyed by [[William T. Sherman]]'s invading army in 1865.<ref name="NCPedia">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ncpedia.org/fayetteville-observer|title=Fayetteville Observer|last=Parker|first=Roy|date=2006|website=NCpedia|access-date=2019-05-16}}</ref> It was refounded as ''The Fayetteville Observer'' in 1883. W. J. McMurray bought the paper in 1923, and his family-owned Fayetteville Publishing Company ran the paper for four generations.<ref name="About">{{cite web |title=Fayetteville Observer, About Us |url=https://www.fayobserver.com/contact/staff/ |access-date=January 13, 2020 |website=Fayetteville Observer}}</ref><ref name="LOC">{{cite web|url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn00059022/|title=Fayetteville Observer|website=Library of Congress|access-date=January 13, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/fayetteville-observer/|title=Fayetteville Observer|author=Williams, Shane|access-date=January 16, 2020}}</ref>


Edward Jones Hale was the editor of the newspaper from 1825 to 1865. The paper was a leading supporter of the [[Whig Party (United States)|Whig]] party. The content of the paper during this time period included many historical articles about North Carolina and accounts of the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. The Hale family moved to New York after the newspaper buildings were destroyed in the Civil War. His son, [[Edward J. Hale|Edward Joseph Hale]] returned to North Carolina in 1883 to revive the newspaper and continued ownership of the newspaper until 1919 when it was sold to a group of local businessmen.<ref name="NCPedia" />
Editor E.J. Hale led the newspaper for 40 years through the [[American Civil War]], when Gen. [[William T. Sherman]]'s Union army destroyed the Observer's offices in [[1865]]. The newspaper was re-established by the Hale family in [[1883]]. Today, through decades of growth and change, ''The Observer'' remains as the flagship publication of Fayetteville Publishing Company.


The Fayetteville Publishing Company was founded in 1923. A Sunday edition of the paper was started in 1957. Originally an afternoon paper, it began publishing a morning paper, ''The Fayetteville Times'', in 1973. The two papers published combined editions on Sunday, and from 1982 onward published a combined Saturday edition as well. In 1990, the McMurrays merged the ''Observer'' and ''Times'' into a single morning paper, ''The Fayetteville Observer-Times.'' It dropped "Times" from its flag in 1999.<ref name="About"/> The ''Fayetteville Observer'' launched its first website in 1995 and it has a presence on Facebook for distribution of news and interaction with readers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/fayobserver/|title = The Fayetteville Observer| website=Facebook|access-date=January 16, 2020}}</ref>
W.J. McMurray established Fayetteville Publishing Co. in May [[1923]] to operate the newspaper. Mr. McMurray, a newspaperman from [[New York City]], had bought ''The Observer'' that January from David B. Lindsay of [[Marion, Indiana]].


==Awards==
Four generations later, the company remains in the same family. ''The Observer'' is the largest independent newspaper in North Carolina and one of the largest family-owned papers in the country.
''The Fayetteville Observer'' is a member of the [[North Carolina Press Association]]. The newspaper has received the following awards:<ref name=NCPA>{{cite web |url= http://www.ncpress.com/directory/ |title= Member Directory |publisher= North Carolina Press Association |access-date= March 20, 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170320232927/http://www.ncpress.com/directory/ |archive-date= March 20, 2017 |url-status= live }}</ref>
* 2002, recognized as one of the 50 best-printed papers in an international color-quality competition<ref name="About" />
* 2010, 2011, 1st place in excellence for large newspapers, awarded by the North Carolina Press Association<ref name="About" />
* 2018, Melissa Sue Gerrits, Hugh Morton Photographer of the Year, North Carolina Press Association; 1st Place in General Excellence<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cdn1.creativecirclemedia.com/ncpress/files/20190426-114419-2018-Ed-Tab-print-singles-d2.pdf|title=2018 Editorial Awards|website=NC Press Association|access-date=January 16, 2020}}</ref>


==See also==
The publishers who have led Fayetteville Publishing are: Charles R. Wilson, Mr. McMurray's brother-in-law, who served from 1924 until his death in 1949; Richard M. Lilly, Mr. Wilson's son-in-law, who served from 1949 until his death in 1971; Ramon L. Yarborough, Mr. Lilly's son-in-law, who served from 1971 until his retirement in 2000; and Charles W. Broadwell, a great-grandson of Mr. Wilson and grandson of Mr. Lilly, who succeeded Mr. Yarborough and is the company's current president and publisher.
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* [[List of newspapers in North Carolina]]


==References==
Mr. Wilson, a native of [[London, Ontario]], had previous experience in manufacturing. Mr. Lilly was a Fayetteville native and [[Wake Forest University|Wake Forest College]] graduate who practiced law before joining the newspaper. Mr. Yarborough is a Fayetteville native and graduate of the [[UNC-Chapel Hill|University of North Carolina]]. He served as the company's vice president and general manager before becoming the president and publisher, and he is now the chairman of the board. Mr. Broadwell is a Fayetteville native and graduate of [[UNC-Chapel Hill]]. He started his journalism career at age 16 and served as the newspaper's editor for 12 years.
{{reflist}}

A central figure in the company's family history is the late Ashton Wilson Lilly, the niece of Mr. McMurray, daughter of Mr. Wilson and wife of Mr. Lilly. Mrs. Lilly, who died in [[2000]], served for a time as the company's president and for decades as the chairman of the board of Fayetteville Publishing. The company has created an award in her memory for outstanding employees: the Ashton W. Lilly Spirit Award.

When a young Ashton Wilson and her parents arrived in Fayetteville in [[1924]], the Observer was published six days a week and had a circulation of about 4,000. The newspaper plant was on Green Street at the site of the old City Hall (now Fascinate-U Children's Museum). During Mr. Wilson's first year as publisher, the company built a new plant at 512 Hay St.

Fayetteville Publishing Co. remained at the Hay Street location, while carrying out several remodeling and expansion projects, until moving to the present Whitfield Street location in January [[1978]]. The old newspaper property on Hay Street is now the site of the [[Airborne and Special Operations Museum]].

Fayetteville Publishing continues to have a downtown presence: With the historic Liberty Point building at Bow and Person streets, which the company bought and restored, and with the giant oak tree at Hay and Hillsboro streets, where the company maintains ownership of that corner property.

Some key moments in the company's history include:

* ''The Observer'' expanded its publication schedule to seven days a week by beginning a Sunday morning edition in January [[1957]].
* Fayetteville Publishing established a morning newspaper, ''[[The Fayetteville Times]]'', on [[July 2]], [[1973]], while still publishing the afternoon ''Observer''. The papers were combined on Sundays, and then in 1982 also on Saturdays. On [[September 1]], [[1990]], the two newspapers were merged to form a bigger morning newspaper, ''[[The Fayetteville Observer-Times]]''.
* In November [[1993]], the newspaper underwent an extensive redesign that resulted in additional sections and other content improvements.
* In October [[1995]], ''The Observer'' became one of the first newspapers with its own Web site, providing news and information over the Internet. The company's website has continued to grow since then.
* In [[1997]], the company began a $30 million expansion project that included the installation of state-of-the-art printing presses and the addition of 70,000 square feet of space in the production and packaging areas. Construction began in early [[1998]], and the new presses came on line in November [[1999]]. This was the most expensive project in the company's history, reflecting the family ownership's commitment to quality and to the future.
* The new printing technology resulted in greatly increased color-printing capacity, among many other improvements to the newspaper. With this dramatic change, after more than 40 years of operating on its old printing press, the company in [[1999]] returned the newspaper to its historic name: ''The Fayetteville Observer''.
* The company has continued to diversify with the purchase of ''[[The Carolina Trader]]'' and ''[[Acento Latino]]'' publications over the years, among others, and the creation of Next! magazine, The Sandspur weekly newspaper and others. The company is involved in the advertising sales, printing and distribution of the military newspapers at [[Fort Bragg]] and [[Pope Air Force Base]]. With its new presses, Fayetteville Publishing Co. has also established a strong reputation in commercial printing for various publications in the Southeast.

In [[2002]], ''The Fayetteville Observer'' was named one of the 50 best-printed newspapers in the world in an international color-quality competition. Only 11 U.S. newspapers received this recognition.

The newspaper has received a number of other prestigious awards. In [[2005]], the N.C. Press Association selected ''The Fayetteville Observer'' as No. 1 in General Excellence among North Carolina's largest daily papers.


==External links==
==External links==
* {{cite web|url=https://www.digitalnc.org/newspapers/fayetteville-observer-fayetteville-nc/|title=Issues of the ''Fayetteville Observer'' from 1851-1865|website=digitalnc.org}}
*[http://www.fayobserver.com The Fayetteville Observer official site]


{{NorthCarolina-newspaper-stub}}


{{Gannett}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Fayetteville Observer, The}}
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[[Category:Newspapers published in North Carolina]]
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[[Category:Mass media in Fayetteville, North Carolina]]
[[Category:Gannett publications]]
[[Category:Daily newspapers published in North Carolina]]
[[Category:1816 establishments in North Carolina]]
[[Category:Publications established in 1816]]
[[Category:Fayetteville, North Carolina]]
[[Category:Fayetteville, North Carolina]]
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[[Category:Cumberland County, North Carolina]]

Latest revision as of 02:32, 14 December 2023

The Fayetteville Observer
TypeDaily newspaper
FormatBroadsheet
Owner(s)Gannett
News editorBeth Hutson[1]
Opinion editorMyron B. Pitts[1]
Founded1816
LanguageAmerican English
Headquarters581 Executive Place
Fayetteville, North Carolina 28305 USA
CityFayetteville
Circulation19,427 (as of 2018)[2]
ISSN2155-9740
OCLC number45115389
Websitefayobserver.com
Front page of the March 9, 1865 Fayetteville Observer

The Fayetteville Observer is an American English-language daily newspaper published in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Founded in 1816, it is the oldest local newspaper published in North Carolina. The paper originally operated as the Caroline Observer before rebranding to the Fayetteville Observer in 1833.[3]

It was locally owned by the McMurray family from 1923 to 2016, when it was acquired by GateHouse Media, which became Gannett in an acquisition in 2019.[4]

History[edit]

Edward Jones Hale, editor and owner of the Fayetteville Observer 1825–1865

The Fayetteville Observer is the oldest newspaper in North Carolina. It was founded in 1816 as the Carolina Observer. The Fayetteville Observer was not published between 1865 and 1883, so the Wilmington Star-News (founded in 1867) is North Carolina's oldest continually published newspaper. The name was changed to the Fayetteville Observer in 1833. The Observer's offices were destroyed by William T. Sherman's invading army in 1865.[5] It was refounded as The Fayetteville Observer in 1883. W. J. McMurray bought the paper in 1923, and his family-owned Fayetteville Publishing Company ran the paper for four generations.[1][6][7]

Edward Jones Hale was the editor of the newspaper from 1825 to 1865. The paper was a leading supporter of the Whig party. The content of the paper during this time period included many historical articles about North Carolina and accounts of the Civil War. The Hale family moved to New York after the newspaper buildings were destroyed in the Civil War. His son, Edward Joseph Hale returned to North Carolina in 1883 to revive the newspaper and continued ownership of the newspaper until 1919 when it was sold to a group of local businessmen.[5]

The Fayetteville Publishing Company was founded in 1923. A Sunday edition of the paper was started in 1957. Originally an afternoon paper, it began publishing a morning paper, The Fayetteville Times, in 1973. The two papers published combined editions on Sunday, and from 1982 onward published a combined Saturday edition as well. In 1990, the McMurrays merged the Observer and Times into a single morning paper, The Fayetteville Observer-Times. It dropped "Times" from its flag in 1999.[1] The Fayetteville Observer launched its first website in 1995 and it has a presence on Facebook for distribution of news and interaction with readers.[8]

Awards[edit]

The Fayetteville Observer is a member of the North Carolina Press Association. The newspaper has received the following awards:[9]

  • 2002, recognized as one of the 50 best-printed papers in an international color-quality competition[1]
  • 2010, 2011, 1st place in excellence for large newspapers, awarded by the North Carolina Press Association[1]
  • 2018, Melissa Sue Gerrits, Hugh Morton Photographer of the Year, North Carolina Press Association; 1st Place in General Excellence[10]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Fayetteville Observer, About Us". Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  2. ^ "2018 Legacy NEWM Annual Reports" (PDF). investors.gannett.com. 2018.
  3. ^ "Fayetteville Observer | NCpedia". www.ncpedia.org. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  4. ^ Tracy, Marc (November 14, 2019). "Gannett Gatehouse Merger". New York Times.
  5. ^ a b Parker, Roy (2006). "Fayetteville Observer". NCpedia. Retrieved 2019-05-16.
  6. ^ "Fayetteville Observer". Library of Congress. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  7. ^ Williams, Shane. "Fayetteville Observer". Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  8. ^ "The Fayetteville Observer". Facebook. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  9. ^ "Member Directory". North Carolina Press Association. Archived from the original on March 20, 2017. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
  10. ^ "2018 Editorial Awards" (PDF). NC Press Association. Retrieved January 16, 2020.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Fayetteville_Observer&oldid=1189799142"