The ''Observer-Dispatch'' (''The O-D'') is the largest
newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...
Central New York
Central New York is the central region of New York State, including the following counties and cities:
With a population of about 773,606 (2009) and an area of , the region includes the Syracuse metropolitan area.
Definitions
The New York ...
Herkimer County
Herkimer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,139. Its county seat is Herkimer. The county was created in 1791 north of the Mohawk River out of part of Montgomery County. It is named af ...
Utica, New York
Utica () is a Administrative divisions of New York, city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The List of cities in New York, tenth-most-populous city in New York State, its population was 65,283 ...
, the publication is owned by
Gannett
Gannett Co., Inc. () is an American mass media holding company headquartered in McLean, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.Rome, New York
Rome is a city in Oneida County, New York, United States, located in the Central New York, central part of the state. The population was 32,127 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Rome is one of two principal cities in the Utica–Ro ...
and published under the name of the ''Oneida Observer'', but returned to Utica after. The paper consolidated with the ''Utica Democrat'' in 1852, bringing with it long-time editor Dewitt C. Grove, who simultaneously served as mayor of Utica from 1860 to 1862. The ''Observers facilities were destroyed in 1884 by a fire. Construction began in 1914 on a new office for the Observer, which was completed in 1915. The two-story building was expanded to three stories in 1930, with the name "Utica Observer-Dispatch" engraved in the stone above the third story windows.
In 1922 the paper was purchased by Frank E. Gannett, founder of the
Gannett Company
Gannett Co., Inc. () is an American mass media holding company headquartered in McLean, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. Gannet also purchased the ''Utica Daily Press'' in 1935. The ''Utica Daily Press'' and the ''Utica Observer-Dispatch'' merged in 1987, and were renamed to the current ''Observer-Dispatch''. Gannett owned the newspaper until 2007, when it was purchased by GateHouse Media. GateHouse Media's parent company merged with Gannett in 2019, returning the ''Observer-Dispatch'' to Gannett once more.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the O-D had a weekly
Bosnian language
Bosnian (; / , ) is the standardized variety of the Serbo-Croatian pluricentric language mainly used by ethnic Bosniaks. Bosnian is one of three such varieties considered official languages of Bosnia and Herzegovina, along with Croatian and ...
column serving the
Bosnian American
Bosnian Americans are Americans whose ancestry can be traced to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The vast majority of Bosnian Americans immigrated to the United States during and after the Bosnian War which lasted from 1992–95. Nevertheless, many Bosnia ...
population in Utica.
The company added digital delivery of news and information in January 2000 with the launch of uticaOD.com. It began online video publication in 2006.
In 2004, the ''Observer-Dispatch'' purchased the ''Mid York Weekly'' newspaper, serving
Hamilton, New York
Hamilton is a town in Madison County, New York, United States. The population was 6,690 at the 2010 census. The town is named after American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton.
The Town of Hamilton contains a village also named Hamilton, the s ...
, and seven weekly
Pennysaver
A pennysaver (or free ads paper, Friday Ad or shopper) is a free community periodical available in North America (typically weekly or monthly publications) that advertises items for sale. Frequently pennysavers are actually called ''The Pennysave ...
publications, which are mailed throughout Oneida and Herkimer counties. The ''Observer-Dispatch'' shares an editor with ''
The Times Telegram
''The Times Telegram'' is an American daily newspaper published in Herkimer, New York. It serves southern Herkimer County and the westernmost part of adjacent Montgomery County in the Mohawk Valley region of New York State. It was formed on Aug ...
'', a sister Gannett paper in nearby
Herkimer County
Herkimer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,139. Its county seat is Herkimer. The county was created in 1791 north of the Mohawk River out of part of Montgomery County. It is named af ...
.
In March 2022, the Observer-Dispatch building was purchased by a real estate investment group.
Awards
The ''Utica Daily Press'' and the ''Utica Observer-Dispatch'' were jointly awarded the 1959
Pulitzer Prize for Public Service
The Pulitzer Prize for Public Service is one of the fourteen American Pulitzer Prizes annually awarded for journalism. It recognizes a distinguished example of meritorious public service by a newspaper or news site through the use of its journalis ...