otherJune 22, 2011
Timeline of the Southeast Missourian newspaper
The Southeast Missourian newspaper celebrated its centennial in 2004, publishing a timeline of its history. This is an updated version of that timeline....
The Southeast Missourian newspaper celebrated its centennial in 2004, publishing a timeline of its history. This is an updated version of that timeline.
Sept. 22, 1904
George and Fred Naeter, brothers, took an excursion on the Mississippi River to Cape Girardeau, where they discovered The Daily Republican was for sale. A third brother, Harry, later joined the business venture.
Oct. 3, 1904
Having purchased the defunct newspaper, the brothers printed their first issue in a room in the old Opera House, 302 Broadway; circulation was 579.
July 22, 1905
The Republican moved to the old Wilson residence at the southwest corner of Broadway and Spanish Street. It was evicted from the Opera House because the noise of the press drowned out actors on stage.
April 18, 1906
The Daily Republican published the first extra in Cape Girardeau -- the San Francisco earthquake.
May 20, 1906
Began printing with electricity.
July 28, 1908
Ground was broken for new newspaper office at 225 Broadway.
Nov. 6, 1908
The Republican moved into new building; missed three publication days.
June 6, 1912
Branch office opened in Jackson.
Aug. 22, 1912
Offices expanded by adding room to rear of building.
June 5, 1916
Started United Press reports.
Feb. 22, 1918
Harry Naeter Sr. died.
March 1, 1918
Newspaper's name was changed to The Cape Girardeau Southeast Missourian as a tribute to Harry Naeter Sr. Associated Press service started.
Dec. 31, 1920
Weekly publication of The Missourian ended.
July 8, 1924
In preparation for construction of new publishing house, Naeter brothers had old Doyle house razed at the southwest corner of Broadway and Lorimier Street.
Sept. 11, 1925
New Missourian building, 301 Broadway, was dedicated.
Oct. 1, 1929
James A. Jackson revived The Cape Girardeau News, which he had first started in 1901. Jackson was a partner in The News with H.W. Shaylor, and later with R.V. Marshall.
1934
Missourian building was enlarged.
Sept. 10, 1935
The Missourian began assembly of an engraving department, which allowed the use of local photographs.
Oct. 12, 1937
The first first color ad was printed in The Missourian.
1938
The Missourian's Art Exhibition began, which became an annual event for many years.
Jan. 1, 1943
The News suspended publication until after World War II.
Oct. 3, 1944
Four murals, painted by Ary Murbain, placed in The Missourian offices.
1947
Tile murals installed on east side of Missourian building.
March 7, 1950
James A. Jackson, owner of The News, died.
Dec. 1, 1950
Ernest M. Lawson of Fortville, Ind., purchased The News from the Jackson estate.
Jan. 3, 1951
Naeters bought the building at 313 Broadway; it was remodeled and used as a stationery store.
Aug. 23, 1951
Announcement was made of the sale of The News to Max O. Shipley of Minneapolis, Minn., by Ernest M. Lawson. Sale included the Cape News Printing Co., publishers of The Rural Messenger. Lawson remained at the newspaper as editor. Shipley changed the name to the Southeast Weekly Bulletin.
Nov. 1, 1953
W.G. and Beulah Hart of Springfield bought the Southeast Weekly Bulletin.
Oct. 30, 1957
Commercial printing department of The Missourian was sold to group of employees; it became Missourian Litho & Printing Co.
April 6, 1964
W.T. Hart died, but his widow, Beulah Robertson Hart, continued to operate the Southeast Weekly Bulletin.
1966
The Southeast Weekly Bulletin moved from 8 S. Sprigg St. to 421 Broadway.
March 1967
Gary Rust purchased the Southeast Weekly Bulletin from Beulah Hart.
October 1968
Jackson Journal Inc. and Concord Publishing of Cape Girardeau merged the Jackson Journal and the Cape Girardeau Bulletin.
September 1973
The Missourian changed from hot type to cold type printing.
May 5, 1974
By adding a Sunday edition, The Missourian became a seven-day daily newspaper.
Aug. 9, 1974
The Missourian printed its last extra -- "Nixon Resigns."
March 27, 1976
Publication of a Saturday Missourian ended.
Nov. 24, 1976
Sale of The Missourian to Thomson Newspapers Inc. was announced.
Jan. 4, 1977
Two Jackson weeklies -- The Cash-Book Journal, a consolidation of the Jackson Post and Cash-Book, and the Jackson Journal -- merged into one publication. The transaction involved a merger by Rep. Marvin E. Proffer, publisher and editor of the Cash-Book; Gerald Jones, publisher and editor of the Journal, and Gary Rust, publisher of the Cape Girardeau Bulletin-Journal.
Jan. 13, 1977
The Missourian published its first edition under the Thomson masthead.
Oct. 26, 1978
The Missourian building's decorative chimney was demolished.
February 1983
Gary Rust purchased the former Missourian Litho building on William Street with plans to move the Bulletin-Journal web press and circulation divisions to that building.
May 1983
New press was installed at the William Street building.
June 23, 1983
The Bulletin-Journal was printed for the first time on the new 40-page Webleader Offset Press.
Oct. 2, 1983
The Missourian retired its old nameplate, replacing it with a more up-to-date typeface, and dropped "The" from newspaper's name.
July 1, 1984
The Journal, a Poplar Bluff weekly newspaper that was part of the Bulletin-Journal group, began publishing a Sunday issue.
July 5, 1984
The Missourian published its first local, four-color photo produced and processed in-house.
Oct. 21, 1984
The Journal at Poplar Bluff ceased its Sunday publication.
June 26, 1986
Gary Rust purchased the Southeast Missourian.
July 10, 1986
With the combined staffs of the Bulletin-Journal and the Southeast Missourian, the first merged edition was published.
April 12, 1988
The Kennett Statesman began publication. It was a weekly newspaper published on Tuesdays by Sherm Smith and owned by Smith and Gary Rust.
September 1988
Sherm Smith and Gary Rust, publishers of the Daily Statesman at Dexter and the Kennett Statesman at Kennett, purchased half-interest in the Advance News.
March 1989
The Daily Dunklin Democrat at Kennett was purchased by Sherm Smith and Gary Rust. The Kennett Statesman and The Democrat merged immediately. The five-day publication of The Democrat was continued and retained its name.
Oct. 15, 1989
Three Southeast Missouri newspapers began Sunday editions -- the Daily Statesman at Dexter, the Daily Dunklin Democrat at Kennett and The Journal in Poplar Bluff.
June 4, 1990
The Southeast Missourian converted to morning delivery of its product.
Sept. 4, 1991
Gary Rust, co-owner of the Daily Statesman at Dexter and The Daily Dunklin Democrat in Kennett, purchased the shares of co-owner Sherm Smith.
Nov. 28, 1992
The Southeast Missourian launched a five-week trial run of Saturday editions.
March 8, 1993
Wally Lage began his duties as publisher of the Southeast Missourian.
March 31, 1993
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Dan and Connie Sitze, owners and publishers of The Bloomfield Vindicator for four years, announced the sale of the newspaper to Gary Rust.
Oct. 2, 1993
The Southeast Missourian became a seven-day newspaper, adding a permanent Saturday edition.
May 1993
The Scott County News was purchased by Concord Publishing House Inc.
Dec. 13, 1993
Announcement was made of the formation of Rust Communications Inc., with founder Gary Rust as principal owner and president of the new company. The company networked several Southeast Missouri newspapers and printing companies. Included in the network were dailies: Southeast Missourian at Cape Girardeau, the Statesman at Dexter, the Daily Dunklin Democrat at Kennett, the Daily American Republican at Poplar Bluff and the Standard Democrat at Sikeston. Also included were three weeklies and four free publications, one of which was the Standard Democrat.
December 1993
Tennyson Publishing Co., which included newspapers in Blytheville and Osceola, Ark., as well as a printing company, affiliated with Rust Communications. Papers were the Village News at Blytheville and the Citizen-Journal at Osceola.
December 1993
"Images of the Past in the City of Roses," published by the Southeast Missourian and Concord Publishing, went on sale. It sold out in two weeks and a second printing was ordered.
March 1, 1994
The Malden Journal began publication.
June 1994
Leland and Joan Flor sold The Banner-Press of Marble Hill to Rust Communications.
Oct. 14, 1994
Rust Communications acquired the Arkansas Daily Courier News of Blytheville, along with eight weekly publications from American Publishing Co. of West Frankfort, Ill. The Courier-News and the Village News were merged. The corporate name became Village News Inc., with Gary Rust, Dave Tennyson and Wally Lage as owners. Weeklies included in the sale were the Delta News at Malden, the Press Merit at Malden, the Tri-State Big Nickel, the Bootheel Beacon at Caruthersville, the Democrat Argus at Caruthersville, The Hayti Democrat Argus, and the Stoddard County Delta News. Those newspapers were consolidated into the Rust-owned Delta Publishing Co. headquartered at Dexter.
May 1995
The Dyersburg News began publication.
August 1995
The Butler County Publishing Co. purchased The Prospect-News in Doniphan from Chester "Bud" and Dorothy Ponder, making it the newest member of the Rust Communications Network of Newspapers.
May 9, 1996
Concord Publishing House added the Missourian-News, a weekly newspaper in New Madrid County, to its family of newspapers. The Portageville-based publication was formerly owned by Erwin and Jean Lloyd.
May 16, 1996
Vyron and Cynthia Mitchell announced the sale of the Dyer County Tennessean to Concord Publishing House. The Tennessean was founded in 1888.
July 2, 1996
The Standard Democrat, published in Sikeston, was purchased by Michael Jensen and Don Culbertson, both of Sikeston, and Gary Rust of Cape Girardeau from American Publishing Co.
Aug. 1, 1997
Five weekly newspapers in Northeast Arkansas and Southeast Missouri were purchased by Rust Communications from Ron and Nancy Kemp of Rector, Ark. The five weeklies were in Rector, Manila and Piggott in Arkansas and Campbell and Senath in Missouri.
Aug. 18, 1997
USMedia Group Inc. announced plans to sell four daily newspapers and five weeklies to Rust Communications. The deal included several shoppers and niche publications. The dailies were Daily Mail and Sunday Herald in Nevada, Mo.; Democrat-News in Marshall, Mo.; Daily Sentinel in LeMars, Iowa; and Daily Gazette in McCook, Neb. The weeklies were the Berryville Star-Progress, Eureka Springs Times-Echo and Green Forest Tribune, all in Arkansas, and Mountain Home News and Glenns Ferry Gazette, both in Idaho. Other niche publications and shoppers included the Ozark Mountain Trader and The Flashlight, both in Arkansas; Mountain Home AFB Pipeline, Mountain Home AFB Gunfighter and Family Line, all in Idaho; Action Shoppers Guide in Iowa; Saline County Citizen in Missouri, and Buffalo Nickel in Nebraska.
Oct. 14, 1998
Rust Communications acquired the Holiday Island Regional News, a direct-mail distribution newspaper of 14,000 circulation in Carroll County, Ark.
Feb. 1, 1999
Pathfinder Communications Inc. of Elkhart, Ind., announced the sale of the Greencastle Banner Graphic and the Spectrum to Concord Publishing House.
April 16, 1999
Rust Publishing, a family-owned subsidiary of Rust Communications, purchased the N.E.W. Vernon County Record in Nevada, Mo. Most of the content of the twice-weekly newspaper was absorbed into the Nevada Daily Mail/Herald newspaper.
March 31, 2000
The Puxico Press was purchased by Don Schreiber, president of Butler County Publishing Co. Inc. of Poplar Bluff. Joining Schreiber for the document signing was Gary Rust, president of Rust Communications and co-owner of Butler County Publishing.
Dec. 28, 2000
Rust Communications agreed to acquire two daily newspapers and five weeklies from Paxton Media Group of Paducah, Ky. The dailies were the State Gazette in Dyersburg, Tenn., and The Brazil Times in Brazil, Ind. The weeklies were The News in Salem, Ark., The South Missourian News in Thayer, Mo., and three shoppers serving Fulton, Izard and Sharp counties in Arkansas and Oregon County in Missouri.
Feb. 15, 2001
Gary Rust advanced to chairman of the board of Rust Communications. Jon K. Rust and Rex D. Rust were named co-presidents.
Jan. 25, 2002
Gary Rust received the Rush H. Limbaugh Sr. Award of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce.
March 4, 2002
Rust Communications acquired two more newspapers in Iowa: the Cherokee Daily Times and the semiweekly Chronicle, both in Cherokee. The newspapers were merged into the Cherokee Times, publishing four afternoons a week.
July 28, 2002
The Southeast Missourian purchased a new press, constructing an addition to its production plant on William Street to house the new $2.5 million Dauphin Graphic Machine press.
Jan. 2, 2003
Rust Communications Inc. acquired several newspapers in northwestern Iowa and one in Indiana from Community Newspaper Holdings Inc., Birmingham, Ala. Newspapers in Iowa were The Spencer Daily Reporter, Northwest Iowa Shopper, Storm Lake Pilot-Tribune, Buena Vista County Shopper, Dickinson County News and Okobojian. In a separate transaction, Rust acquired the Linton Daily Citizen in Indiana.
April 2, 2003
Rust Communications purchased the Evening World, the daily newspaper published in Bloomfield, Ind., from William Miles.
Sept. 27, 2003
Rust Communications chairman Gary Rust was inducted into the Missouri Press Association's Hall of Fame.
Nov. 18, 2003
The Missourian published a pictorial history of Cape Girardeau, "Cape Girardeau Faces and Places."
Dec. 18 2003
Rust Communications made an investment in Mississippi River Radio for purchase of 17 Zimmer Radio Group radio stations. Stations were located in Cape Girardeau, Poplar Bluff, and Sikeston/Malden in Missouri and Carbondale/Marion in Illinois.
Aug. 2, 2004
Rust Communications acquired the Fort Scott Tribune-Monitor in Kansas.
Sept. 15, 2004
Wally Lage, publisher of the Missourian and chief operating officer of Rust Communications the past 11 years, was promoted to vice President of Rust Communications. He continued as the company's chief operating officer. Jon K. Rust was named publisher of the Missourian. He continued as co-president of Rust Communications.
Nov. 7, 2004
Mary Blue, who wrote a weekly gardening column -- Ladybug Says -- for the Southeast Missourian for 35 years before retiring in 1996, died. She also worked as the newspaper's food editor for 20 years. Her husband, the late John Blue, was editor of the newspaper from 1961 to 1980.
Dec. 10, 2004
After 47 years in the newspaper business, Irvin Landewee retired as the Missourian's national advertising accounts manager. In his absence, Donna Denson was named advertising director and Gera LeGrand national accounts manager.
June 1, 2005
The Southeast Missourian Building, built in 1925, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Oct. 1, 2005
Concluding a year-long celebration of its centennial, the Southeast Missourian hosted a grand festival that included music, street theater, magic shows, children's games, an antique car show, carriage rides, photo exhibits, press tours, food and much more at the newspaper's office and at Courthouse Park.
Oct. 14, 2005
Rust Communications of Cape Girardeau purchased a twice-weekly newspaper and a shopper in Tennessee, where the company owned two daily newspapers. The 5,000-circulation Lewisburg Tribune/Marshall Gazette and the 15,000-circulation Marshall County Shopper were purchased from the Lewisburg Printing Co.
Nov. 28, 2005
Wally Lage, vice president and chief operating officer of Rust Communications, was elected president of PAGE, a national not-for-profit organization that for 21 years made a mission of giving small- to midsize newspapers the same buying power as larger publicly owned companies.
April 3, 2006
Adam Burnham, most recently the advertising director of the Suburban Journals of St. Charles County, was named the new advertising director for the Southeast Missourian.
April 3, 2006
Jon K. Rust, publisher of the Southeast Missourian and co-president of Rest Communications, was elected to the Associated Press board of directors.
July 6, 2006
The Southeast Missourian was named Newspaper of the Year in the 2006 Suburban Newspapers of America contest.
July 13, 2006
The nation's largest newspaper trade association recognized the Southeast Missourian with five reporting awards, as well as first place for best newspaper Web site in its 2006 contest. The National Newspaper Association had more than 2,500 newspaper members, primarily outside of metropolitan regions.
Jan. 1, 2007
Rust Communications, owner of the Southeast Missourian, acquired The Concordia, a weekly newspaper in Concordia, Mo., from Gary and Judy Beissenherz.
May 1, 2007
The Southeast Missourian launched a new online service for subscribers that provided facsimile copies of the print version of the newspaper.
May 2, 2007
Callie Clark Miller was named online and special publications managing editor of the Southeast Missourian.
July 23, 2007
The Southeast Missourian appointed former news editor and reporter Bob Miller to the new role of handling the day-to-day newsroom operations. Miller, 31, of Jackson, left a position as a page designer at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch to take on the role of managing editor. Miller's position allowed former managing editor Sam Blackwell to take over some new projects at the Missourian, including assisting in arts coverage.
June 9, 2008
The Southeast Missourian launched a comprehensive online service for local businesses. The Web site, SemoMarketplace.com, offered free listings for more than 4,000 area businesses that included such information as store hours, methods of payment and photos of the businesses.
June 25, 2008
Jim Maxwell, a newspaper veteran with a history of new media innovation was named associate publisher of the Southeast Missourian. Most recently, Maxwell was president and publisher of the Pocono Mountains Media Group. Maxwell was also named vice president of operations for Rust Communications.
Aug. 10, 2008
After a yearlong transition, Bob Miller became news editor of the Southeast Missourian. Longtime editor R. Joe Sullivan remained on staff as editorial-page editor and news consultant.
Aug. 28, 2008
A new text messaging service was launched by the Missourian, giving readers local news seconds after it occurred.
Sept. 11, 2008
Wally Lage, vice president of newspapers for Rust Communications, was inducted into the Missouri Newspaper Hall of Fame by the Missouri Press Association.
Oct. 27, 2008
Rust Communications co-president Rex Rust was elected president of the Inland Press Association board of directors.
March 9, 2009
Rust Communications acquired The Monett Times and the Monett Shopper in Monett, Mo., from Cleveland Newspapers Inc., based in Cleveland, Tenn.
Sept. 12, 2009
In an effort to manage costs without passing on substantial increases to advertisers and home subscribers, the Missourian suspended publication of its Saturday print edition.
Sept. 28, 2009
Jon Rust, co-president of Rust Communications and publisher of the Southeast Missourian, was named second vice-chairman of the 2010 Suburban Newspapers of America board of directors.
Sept. 28, 2009
Missourian crime reporter Bridget DiCosmo was named Missouri Outstanding Young Journalist of the Year by the Missouri Press Association.
Aug. 19, 2010
Wally Lage, vice president and chief operating officer of Rust Communications, died in Maine, after slipping off a wharf. He was 66 years old.
Sept. 7, 2010
The Southeast Missourian and Concord Printing Services, both divisions of Rust Communications, announced changes in their management structure. Mark Kneer, a longtime "go-to guy" for important projects at the Southeast Missourian, was named general manager of operations for the newspaper. Barry Thornton, a veteran commercial printing salesman and former sales manager, was named manager of Concord Printing Services.
Sept. 30, 2010
Ending a 45-year career, R. Joe Sullivan retired from the Southeast Missourian. The last 16 years of his carrer he has worked for the Southeast Missourian as editor, most recently as editorial-page editor.
Oct. 1, 2010
Kim McDowell, head of human resources at the Southeast Missourian and longtime community activist, died at age 58.
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