 The publication was founded as the "Southeast Entertainer" in 1976 by Jacksonville businessman and musician Tony Trotti.Originally an occasional publication, Trotti made it a weekly in the 1980s and changed the name to "First Coast Entertainer", leaving his job as vice president of George Washington Life Insurance to work on the paper.In addition to covering Jacksonville's entertainment scene, the paper had a promotion arrangement with film companies to give out free movie tickets to readers.