January 13, 2021 9:52
Local news website Manly Observer has launched in Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
The announcement:
Hyperlocal news site Manly Observer has launched in the lower Northern Beaches region of Sydney.
The news service, which began as a social-media-first platform, added a website www.manlyobserver.com.au to the mix just days before a second Sydney wave of COVID-19 hit the local government area in which it is based.
Editor Kim Smee said her original plans for a light entry into the market quickly changed into round-the-clock frontline coverage of the pandemic unfolding in her neighbourhood.
The platform quickly became the go-to source for breaking news and its first four weeks saw 200,000 views through local social media referral alone, in addition to its 160,000 Facebook reach.