THE Jamaica Observer yesterday copped the coveted Media of the Year award at the Advertising Agencies Association of Jamaica’s awards luncheon at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston.

The Observer’s Sharla Murray Wright and Mitzie Nembhard also won the two awards for Best Service Agents in the print media. The young newspaper was winning the award for the second time since it started publication in March 1993 as a weekly before going daily in December 1994.

“It’s phenomenal!” general manger for sales and marketing at the Observer, Chantal Hylton-Tonnes, said of winning the AAAJ’s top media award, likening it unto receiving a Grammy or Emmy.

“It’s a vote of confidence from 20-odd advertising agencies which account for more than 60 per cent of [our] advertising revenue,” Hylton-Tonnes said. “It’s very competitive and it’s something we crave.”

The Gleaner was named runner-up.

Observer CEO Edward Khoury expressed the gratitude of the Observer’s team to the AAAJ for its nod of approval, and urged the organisation to “keep nodding, please”.

“We will continue to work hard to produce Jamaica’s number one morning daily at the highest quality,” Khoury continued. “We appreciate clients’ confidence in spending their advertising dollars with the Jamaica Observer.”

Meanwhile, founder of Irie-FM Karl Young won the media Personality of the Year award. Erica James-King of PRO Communications Limited, who read the citation, said Young was a “street-smart, insightful, Jamaican powerhouse”.