The Story of West Orange on the Go

The West Orange Times & Observer traces its roots to 1905, when the first edition of the Winter Garden Ricochet was published. Through generations of growth and change, the newspaper evolved into the West Orange Times & Observer and related Observer publications, continuing a tradition of hyperlocal journalism that has made it West Orange County's newspaper of record.

Austin Arthur had developed strong relationships throughout West Orange County through his work as a local business owner, community advocate and host of the long-form interview program After Thought. Recognizing Austin's knowledge of the community and conversational approach, the Observer approached him about bringing a new voice and format to its local news coverage.

The result was West Orange on the Go, a popular podcast produced as a program of the West Orange Times & Observer. The program brought the week's hyperlocal news into an audio format while providing something more than a reading of the headlines.

Inspired in part by the conversational news-and-comment tradition associated with legendary broadcaster Paul Harvey, Austin moved through the news of the week while adding history, context, commentary and observations about the people and places behind each story.

The program covered local government, business, schools, nonprofit organizations, community events and the people making a difference throughout Winter Garden, Ocoee, Oakland, Windermere, Horizon West, Dr. Phillips, Gotha, Tilderville and the surrounding communities.

At its heart, West Orange on the Go was built around a simple idea: West Orange has stories worth knowing, and those stories deserve to be heard.