Louisville Eccentric Observer

Last updated
Louisville Eccentric Observer
Leo stand.jpg
A LEO distribution location in 2005
Type Alternative Newsweekly
Format Tabloid
Owner(s)Big Lou Holdings LLC
EditorErica Rucker
Associate editorn/a
Founded1990
LanguageEnglish
Headquarters607 W. Main St.
Louisville, KY 40202
US
Circulation 25,150 [1]
Website leoweekly.com

The Louisville Eccentric Observer (also called LEO Weekly but widely known as just LEO) is a privately owned free urban alternative weekly newspaper, distributed every Wednesday in about 700 locations throughout the Louisville, Kentucky, metropolitan area, including areas of southern Indiana. The newspaper was founded in 1990 by John Yarmuth, Robert Schulman, [2] Denny Crum (then the coach of the University of Louisville men's basketball team), and two other investors. According to The Media Audit (March–April 2012) the LEO has a weekly readership of 88,807 and an unduplicated monthly readership of 136,478.

Contents

The paper carries various nationally syndicated columns and features such as News of the Weird and The New York Times crossword puzzle. However, the reviews of music, restaurants, theatre, films, books, and local and sports news, are all written by local writers. In the past, it featured popular columns by national writers Molly Ivins and Dave Barry.

History

The paper was initially devoted to opinion and commentary, with columns by Crum, Schulman, Yarmuth, and former Louisville Courier-Journal writers Mary Cauldwell and Dudley Saunders. The first issue was distributed in July 1990, bi-weekly publication began on November 1 of that year, and weekly publication in April 1993. A free paper, it has always been wholly supported by advertising revenue. Following its conversion to a weekly format in 1993, the LEO began including a more diverse variety of news and reviews.

Since 1992, the LEO has published an annual issue called the Literary LEO, dedicated to locally produced literature, poetry and, more recently, photography.

Since 1995, LEO has been a member of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies.

In 2003, it was sold to a company owned by Times Publishing Co. of Pennsylvania, owner of the Erie Times-News . [3] Yarmuth remained on board as a columnist and consultant until January 2006, when he declared himself a Democratic candidate for the Kentucky 3rd congressional district race and his column was put on indefinite hold. Yarmuth won the primary and defeated incumbent Republican Rep. Anne Northup, an occasional target of his columns.

In 2008, SouthComm Communications of Nashville, Tennessee, bought the LEO. [4] Following this acquisition, the magazine underwent a style change, introducing a new logo and using coated stock magazine paper rather than newspaper. [5]

In March 2013, the printing of LEO Weekly moved to Gannett Publishing Services in Louisville, and the publication moved back from a coated stock paper to newsprint.

In 2014, LEO was acquired by a group led by Aaron Yarmuth, the son of John Yarmuth. [6]

In June 2021, the LEO was sold to the Euclid Media Group. [7] In August 2023, the company dissolved and the newspaper was sold to Chris Keating, operating under the name Big Lou Holdings LLC. [8]

In January 2025, LEO fired two top editors, leaving it with only three full-time employees. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Print circulation</span> Number of printed copies of a publication

Print circulation is the average number of copies of a publication. The number of copies of a non-periodical publication are usually called print run. Circulation is not always the same as copies sold, often called paid circulation, since some issues are distributed without cost to the reader. Readership figures are usually higher than circulation figures because of the assumption that a typical copy is read by more than one person.

<i>The Tennessean</i> Daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee

The Tennessean is a daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee. Its circulation area covers 39 counties in Middle Tennessee and eight counties in southern Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett, which also owns several smaller community newspapers in Middle Tennessee, including The Dickson Herald, the Gallatin News-Examiner, the Hendersonville Star-News, the Fairview Observer, and the Ashland City Times. Its circulation area overlaps those of the Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle and The Daily News Journal in Murfreesboro, two other independent Gannett papers. The company publishes several specialty publications, including Nashville Lifestyles magazine.

Gannett Co., Inc. is an American mass media holding company headquartered in New York City. It is the largest U.S. newspaper publisher as measured by total daily circulation.

<i>Courier Journal</i> American daily newspaper in Louisville, Kentucky

The Courier Journal, also known as the Louisville Courier Journal, and called The Courier-Journal between November 8, 1868, and October 29, 2017, is a daily newspaper published in Louisville, Kentucky and owned by Gannett, which bills it as "Part of the USA Today Network".

<i>The Cincinnati Enquirer</i> Daily newspaper in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States

The Cincinnati Enquirer is a morning daily newspaper published by Gannett in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. First published in 1841, the Enquirer is the last remaining daily newspaper in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, although the daily Journal-News competes with the Enquirer in the northern suburbs. The Enquirer has the highest circulation of any print publication in the Cincinnati metropolitan area. A daily local edition for Northern Kentucky is published as The Kentucky Enquirer. The Enquirer won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for local reporting for its project titled "Seven Days of Heroin".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Creative Loafing</span> Publisher in Atlanta, Georgia, US

Creative Loafing is an Atlanta-based publisher of an arts and culture news and events newspaper/magazine. The company historically published a weekly publication that once had a 160,000 weekly circulation. While Creative Loafing is no longer publishing a newspaper, it continues to be Atlanta's primary calendar of cultural events. Currently The company has historically been a part of the alternative weekly newspapers association in the United States.

<i>Florida Today</i> Newspaper in Melbourne, Florida

Florida Today is the major daily newspaper serving Brevard County, Florida. Al Neuharth of the Gannett corporation started the paper in 1966, and some of the things he did with this newspaper presaged what he would later do at USA Today.

<i>Journal Star</i> (Peoria) Main newspaper in Peoria, Illinois

The Journal Star is the major daily newspaper for Peoria, Illinois, and surrounding area. First owned locally, then employee-owned, it is currently owned by Gannett.

<i>The Press Democrat</i> Newspaper based in Sonoma County, California

The Press Democrat, with the largest circulation in California's North Bay, is a daily newspaper published in Santa Rosa, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Yarmuth</span> American politician (born 1947)

John Allan Yarmuth is a retired American politician and newspaper editor who served as the U.S. representative for Kentucky's 3rd congressional district from 2007 to 2023. His district encompassed the vast majority of the Louisville Metro Area. From 2013 onward, he had been the sole Democratic member of Kentucky's congressional delegation. Yarmuth chaired the House Budget Committee from 2019 to 2023. On October 12, 2021, he announced that he would not seek reelection in 2022.

<i>The City Paper</i> Newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee, United States

The City Paper was a free, weekly newspaper that served Nashville, Tennessee from November 1, 2000 to August 9, 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Media in Louisville, Kentucky</span> Overview of mass media in Louisville, Kentucky, United States

This is a list of media publications and sources in Louisville, Kentucky.

NashvillePost.com is an online news service covering business, politics and sports in the Nashville metropolitan area. It is locally owned and available by subscription.

<i>Creative Loafing</i> (Atlanta) Monthly local magazine from Atlanta

Creative Loafing is a U.S. city monthly paper serving the Atlanta metropolitan area covering local news, politics, arts, entertainment, food, music and events. Its weekly print circulation is 70,000, and its cumulative readership in print is 477,000 according to Scarborough Feb 2014 - Jan 2015 study, and the website creativeloafing.com draws nearly 500,000 visitors monthly according to Google Analytics.

OneMK was a local weekly free newspaper and online news service, based in Milton Keynes.

<i>The Daily News Journal</i> Daily newspaper serving Murfreesboro, Tennessee, US

The Daily News Journal, commonly abbreviated to DNJ, is a newspaper serving Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Rutherford County, and surrounding communities. It is Rutherford County's sole daily newspaper. It publishes print and digital content. Published in Murfreesboro, it serves as the primary local newspaper, with competition from The Murfreesboro Post and other publications. The newspaper is not in competition with The Tennessean of Nashville, as both are owned by Gannett. Gannett acquired DNJ from Morris Multimedia in 2004.

The Sunshine Coast Daily is an online newspaper specifically serving the Sunshine Coast region of Queensland, Australia. It is owned by News Corp Australia. It was originally founded as a print newspaper, however since 2020 the publication is only available in digital forms.

The Arran Banner is a weekly local newspaper on the Isle of Arran in Scotland. It was established in 1974 and is published on a Saturday. The paper still attracts subscribers from around the world for its often unique and witty writing style. The newspaper is renowned for often controversial and heated discussion in its letter pages. Recently this has included debates on climate change, the state of Arran's roads and the proposed new ferry service to the island.

<i>Daily Herald</i> (Columbia, Tennessee) American newspaper

The Daily Herald is a daily newspaper in Columbia, Tennessee. The newspaper is published six days a week Sunday through Friday; the paper does not publish on Saturday. Although it is primarily distributed to Maury County, Tennessee its Newspaper Designated Market (N.D.M.) stretches into five counties in Southern Middle Tennessee. The five county distribution area of The Daily Herald includes: Maury County, Tennessee; Marshall County, Tennessee; Lewis County, Tennessee; and the northern halves of both Giles County, Tennessee and Lawrence County, Tennessee.

References

  1. "Verified Audit Circulation - LEO (Louisville Eccentric Observer)". Verified Audit Circulation.
  2. Bill Wolfe (January 7, 2008). "Media critic Schulman dies at 91: 'conscience of local journalism'". The Courier-Journal . Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. (Schulman was a nephew of Greenwich Village's legendary Romany Marie.)
  3. "LEO sold to Pennsylvania publishing company". Business First. 2003-07-15. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
  4. "SouthComm buys Louisville alt-weekly". Nashville Business Journal. 2008-05-23. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
  5. Fisher, Robin (2009-02-05). "LEO Going Forward". WFPL . Retrieved 2009-02-09.
  6. Sonka, Joe (2014-04-29). "LEO local and Yarmuth, once again! – FatLip". LEO Weekly. Archived from the original (Newspaper) on 2014-06-04. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
  7. Tobin, Ben (June 23, 2021). "Louisville publication LEO Weekly sold to Cleveland-based media company" . The Courier-Journal . Gannett (published June 22, 2021). Archived from the original on October 14, 2021. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  8. "The RFT Has a New Owner, and He's Based in St. Louis". Riverfront Times. August 10, 2023. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  9. Jones, Michael L. (January 14, 2025). "2 editors fired at LEO". Louisville Business First. Retrieved January 14, 2025.