Observer Media Group, Inc.

Overview

Observer Media Group, Inc. (OMG) is a Sarasota, Florida-based publisher of local newspapers and magazines across Florida's Gulf Coast and Central Florida.

Portfolio

• Longboat Observer
• Sarasota / Siesta Key Observer
• East County Observer
• West Orange Times & Observer and Southwest Orange Observer
• Business Observer and BusinessObserverFL.com
• Big Book of Business (annual directory)
• Jacksonville Daily Record
• Season, LWR Life, Key Life, and Baldwin Park magazines

Ownership

Observer Media Group is family-owned. Matt and Lisa Walsh purchased the Longboat Observer in 1995; their daughter Emily Walsh, the fourth generation of the family in the newspaper business, became president in 2021, with Matt Walsh continuing as CEO.

History

The Longboat Observer was founded in 1978 by Ralph and Claire Hunter. OMG later launched the Gulf Coast Business Review (now Business Observer) in 1997 and acquired the Jacksonville-based Financial News & Daily Record in 2017.