Texas Observer, Progressive Magazine, Closes After 68 Years
Screenshots via Texas Observer on Facebook.
After 68 years of investigative magazine journalism, the non-profit Texas Observer is shutting down their operation, according to a Sunday night report by the Texas Tribune.
The struggles of expanding the audience and financial difficulties were reportedly the leading causes of the magazine’s demise.
The Observer’s last day of operation will be Friday, March 31, and the stoppage will affect all 17 staff members, including 13 reporters and some board members.
Per Tribune’s report, the nonprofit Texas Democracy Foundation, which owns the Observer, approved the layoffs this past Wednesday. The board confirmed the shutdown on Sunday.
Originally, the staff was going to be informed about the decision on Monday, but several staff members revealed on Twitter that they learned about the closure through Tribune’s report.
The Board of Directors tried to salvage the progressive magazine that grappled with limited increase in subscribers and donors by moving its entire content to an online-only format. The move would’ve decreased the budget, but it was the ultimate nail in the coffin for a publication that did not accept advertising funds.
The Observer had around 4,000 print subscribers and 64,000 newsletter subscribers, per the Tribune’s report.
Robert R. Frump, the outlet’s special adviser for business operation, told the Tribune that Observer struggled to adjust to the 24-hour news cycle and connect with a younger audience.
“We weren’t able to build a bridge to the younger, progressive generation. I think the legacy is worth fighting for, but I do understand why the board feels the way it does,” said Frump.
Over the years, the magazine has published numerous investigative pieces that made an impact in the Lone Star State.
Forrest Wilder and Mike Kanin’s “Pandora’s Boom” outlined the public and environmental risks of fracking in Texas. Maurice Chammah’s “Death in Texas” report explored the problems with states’ death penalty system. “Over the Line” was a series of articles by Melissa del Bosque that investigative abuses of U.S. Border Patrol where some agents smuggled and abused migrants.
The Austin-based magazine was founded by Frankie Randolph and Ronnie Dugger in 1954 to bring stories that were undermined by the state’s daily newspapers, particularly those affecting working people. From 1970 to 1976 the bi-monthly outlet was co-edited by legendary reporter Molly Ivins.
