Ourselves

We are pleased to advise that The Local Paper and Melbourne Observer newspapers resume regular publication next week. The COVID lockdown prevented publication of our June 2 and 9 issues. Normal 5pm Friday deadlines apply for advertising bookings and content, prior to the Queen’s Birthday weekend. Earlier lodgement of material is always appreciated.

The publisher of this newspaper, Local Media Pty Ltd, this weekcelebrates the 51-year anniversary of its origins. The company’s Melbourne Observer was first published on September 14, 1969. Current day editor, Ash Long, started with the Observer as a newsboy in the third week of publication in 1969, later also creating The Local Paper group.

A statewide shutdown of non-essential services has just been announced, and takes place from 12 Noon today (Monday, March 23). This has immediate effect for the print and distribution of The Local Paper and Melbourne Observer newspapers. We will be continuing the weekly publication of our newspapers. We recognise that we have a civic responsibility

A State of Emergency came into effect on Monday (Mar. 16). across Victoria following the Coronavirus outbreak. There is an unprecedented amount of event cancellations throughout this region, and across the State. Your Local Paper and Melbourne Observer come to you again this week in print and online, with an expanded coverage of the latest

A record-breaking 53 local businesses have chosen the Melbourne Observer as their preferred media for local print and online advertising in 2020. The 53 businesses have signed authorisations for full-page colour advertising in every one of the Melbourne Observer’s 45 issues in 2020, starting on February 5. There are also 120 local trades people who

You can have an entire year’s advertising in the Melbourne Observer and The Local Paper newspapers for a total once-only payment of $99. You get a 30-word text ad (black-and-white) in each of 45 issues in 2020 (Feb.5-Dec. 16, except Easter Wednesday). You can change the content of your ads as often as you like, at no

The final 2019 issue of the Melbourne Observer will be published on Wednesday, December 11, 2019. This is one week earlier than previously advised. Deadline for editorial and advertising material is 5pm Friday (Dec. 6), unless other arrangements are in place. Advertising schedules/billing will be adjusted accordingly. The first 2020 issue of the Melbourne Observer

As an ambitious 18-year-old journalist, I requested an interview with Australia’s top-rating TV star of the time, Ernie Sigley. It was 1975 and Sigley was besting the ratings with a twice-weekly variety program at GTV-9 Melbourne. Sigley was not granting any interviews at the time … except this one to me, organ-ised through the channel’s

As part of the 50-year anniversary of Local Media, and during the summer break, we are looking back at some of our interviews over the past half-century. This is Ash Long’s interview from 44 years ago, 1975, with TV star Norman Gunston (and actor Garry McDonald): Australia had an unlikely TV star and Gold Logie

Local Media, which publishes the Melbourne Observer and The Local Paper, this year celebrates its 50th anniversary of its origins. A clear snapshot of the mindset of Observer publisher Maxwell Newton is given in the interview Ash Long conducted with him in 1975. Long was aged 18. The interview was published in Farrago, the University of