The Louisville Eccentric Observer (also called LEO Weekly but widely known as just LEO) is a free weekly newspaper (urban alternative weekly), distributed every Wednesday in over 800 locations throughout the Louisville, Kentucky area, including areas of southern Indiana. The newspaper was founded in 1990 by John Yarmuth, Robert Schulman, Denny Crum (then the coach of the University of Louisville men's basketball team), and two other investors. LEO claims a readership of 153,000.
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, began bi-weekly publication on November 1 of that year, and regular 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, LEO began publishing a more diverse variety of news and reviews.
The paper carries various nationally syndicated columns and features such as Real Astrology, News of the Weird and The New York Times crossword puzzle. However, the reviews of music, restaurants, theatre, movies and books, as well as 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.
Since 1992, LEO has published Literary LEO, an annual issue dedicated to locally produced literature, poetry and more recently photography.
LEO has been a member of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies since 1995. In 2003 it was sold to a company owned by Times Publishing Co. of Pennsylvania, owner of the Erie Times-News. 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 LEO.
As of February 2009, the magazine has undergone a style change. The biggest changes of note have been introducing a new logo and using magazine paper as opposed to news paper.
Famous quotes containing the words eccentric and/or observer:
“In a cabinet of natural history, we become sensible of a certain occult recognition and sympathy in regard to the most unwieldy and eccentric forms of beast, fish, and insect.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“I had such a wonderful feeling last night, walking beneath the dark sky while cannon boomed on my right and guns on my left ... the feeling that I could change the world only by being there.”
—Viorica Butnariu, Rumanian student at Bucharest University. letter, Dec. 23, 1989, to American friend. Observer (London, Dec. 31, 1989)