Our History
The Observer-Reporter has been a part of Southwestern Pennsylvania since 1808, when it started as The Reporter in the basement of a tavern in Washington, Pa. Since then, the company has evolved into a multimedia company, spanning print publishing, digital content distribution, digital marketing and advertising, regional events, and much more. Our newspaper circulation reaches readers in Washington, Greene and southern Allegheny counties with our daily newspaper, the Observer-Reporter, our weekly publication, The Almanac, and numerous monthly magazines and other special-interest publications.
1808– Printers William Sample and William B. Brown stop at The Sign of the Swan tavern in the village of Washington, Pennsylvania on their way to Kentucky. With them are a hand-printing press, type, ink and paper. Tavern owner John Rettig convinces the two men to set up their shop in the basement of his business (currently the Union Grill) and, on Aug. 15, 1808, The Reporter, a weekly newspaper, debuts. The Reporter changes hands several times in the 1800s, and becomes a daily afternoon publication, The Daily Reporter, in 1876, under the ownership of Maj. Enos L. Christman.
1871– The Monthly Advance is founded in Washington by Horace B. Durant, and four months later is renamed The Weekly Advance. In 1876, that publication becomes The Washington Observer. The Washington Observer, then owned by E.F. Acheson and Winfield McIlvaine, debuts as a daily newspaper in 1889.
1902– The Washington Observer is bought by John L. (Jack) Stewart on July 24, 1902, and Acheson and Stewart form the Observer Publishing Co.
1903– The Observer Publishing Co. purchases The Reporter. The Washington Observer is published in the morning, and The Washington Reporter, in the afternoon. Acheson retires in 1912, turning over ownership and the presidency to Stewart.
1940- Margaretta Stewart takes over the company upon John Stewart’s death.
1963– The company purchases The Waynesburg Republican. In 1967, The Washington Observer and The Washington Observer merge to become the Observer-Reporter.
1966- John L.S. and William B. Northrop, grandsons of Margaretta Stewart, become co-owners and president and vice president, respectively, upon her death in May 1966.
1981– The Observer-Reporter becomes a morning-only paper, including a zoned edition for Greene County subscribers. The company buys controlling interest in The Advertiser and The Almanac.
1982– Eleanor Vosburg sells The Burgettstown Enterprise to the Observer Publish Co.
1984- The Record-Outlook in McDonald is bought from Andrew Eiler and William Burns.
1986- The Democrat Messenger in Waynesburg and the Monongahela Daily Herald are purchased.
1986– The Sunday Observer-Reporter launches in April.
1993– A new color press is installed in June. In that decade, circulation of the Observer-Reporter grows by 7,000 customers, to nearly 40,000.
1995– The Burgettstown Enterprise and The Record-Outlook merged to form The Record-Enterprise.
1996– The Observer-Reporter website, www.observer-reporter.com, is launched. InfoSource, an audiotext service, and Ads by Phone, a telemarketing division, are launched; both services ended in 1998. Cobweb, an internet service provider, starts in August 1996 and was sold in 2003.
1997– John and Bill Northrop name their sons, Thomas and William B. Jr., respectively, as co-publishers. On April 17, 2000, the Northrop brothers handed over the company to their children, and Tom and Bill Jr. became co-publishers.
1998– The Advertiser and The Almanac are merged into one publication, The Almanac, with two zoned editions. In August, the South Hills edition of the Observer-Reporter is launched.
2004– Tom Northrop becomes sole publisher and president when Bill Jr. leaves the company.
2010– The Observer-Reporter adds its e-Edition to the online products offered to subscribers.
2013– Observer Publishing Co. forms Reimagine Main Street, a digital marketing agency that specializes in online advertising, marketing, and search engine optimization for businesses.
2016 – The Observer-Reporter news app is launched for use on mobile phones and tablets.
2017– The Observer-Reporter and The Almanac launch redesigned websites, along with a new e-Edition.
2018– Observer Publishing Company is bought by Ogden Newspapers Inc.
