On March 13, 1999, one year after the old Santa Monica Outlook closed down, a group of the newspaper’s reporters and editors launched The Lookout. Back then, there were two ISPs, LA Bridge and Santa Monica’s own U.S. Inter.net, and readers used 14K modems.
On Friday, The Lookout marks its 10th anniversary, making it one of the nation’s oldest independent local news sites and the city’s longest-running news source.
Its goal was to make big bucks on the Internet and keep serious, objective journalism alive in the beachside city left without a newspaper.
"We have met one of our two key goals,” said Jorge Casuso, the Lookout’s editor and publisher.
For the past ten years, The Lookout’s daily coverage has kept Santa Monica’s residents, business owners and workers up to date with the latest breaking news, while in-depth enterprise stories have delved into some of the key issues that have shaped the city of 88,000 over the past decade.
The task could not have been accomplished without the hard work of The Lookout’s IT manager and designer, Iris N. Oliveras, and our dedicated reporters and columnists. They include Frank Gruber, Teresa Rochester, Olin Ericksen, Oliver Lukacs, Anne LeJeunesse, Tomm Carroll, Mitch Chortkoff, Gene Williams, Ann K. Williams, Erica Williams, Ed Moosbrugger, Blair Clarkson, Mark McGuigan, Elizabeth Schnieder, Cindy Frazier, Anita Varghese, Barbara Lasser, Vince Basehart, “Billy Jack” creator Tom Laughlin, Jenee Darden, Gatheriong Marbet, Jodi Gusek, Joyce Tse, Caitlin Cross-Barnet and Juliet McShannon.
Former Outlook staff who have lent their expertise and support include Saul Rubin, Heinze Kohne, Josh Grossberg, Pat Alston, John Sweeney, Mary Moore, Kim Irwin and Sandra Parker. Bruce Cameron, aka “The Source,” helped The Lookout puts together its business plan and eight years ago introduced columnist Frank Gruber to the staff.
The news could not have been posted without the dedicated advertisers who have supported the venture for most of the past ten years, including the City of Santa Monica, whose many departments have advertised their services and events on the site and whose dedicated officials have helped further the goal of informing the public.
Other longtime sponsors include RAND, Saint John’s Health Center, Santa Monica College, HLM Law, Sullivan-Dituri Realtors, Bay Cities Deli, ISU Bob Gabriel, the Bayside District Corporation, Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, Pacific Park, Santa Monica Place and Santa Monica Collection Apartments.
Advertisers also include Hotel Casa del Mar and Shutters on the Beach, LA CarGuy, Gordon Gitlen Law, ACTION Apartment Association, Mercedes Benz, Readers Fine Jewelers, Target, Teasers, the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District, the Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corporation, the California Karate Club and the dozens of local candidates who have advertised their campaigns on the site.
And The Lookout would not exist without the loyalty of many readers who rely on its daily coverage as their main source of local news.
The Lookout is planning a 10th Anniversary celebration to coincide with the publication of Frank Gruber’s book “Urban Worrier: Making Politics Personal.”
