Jon K. Rust honored with award created in his name

The Local Media Association has created an award in honor of Jon K. Rust, publisher of the Southeast Missourian and co-president of Rust Communications, in recognition of his commitment to the Local Media Association and Foundation, according to a recent news release.

Rust joined the LMA board in 2002, and went on to become chairman of the board. He was instrumental in the organization's transformation to an umbrella organization serving all local media, the release stated.

His board leadership spanned 16 years, the most by anyone in LMA's 47-year history.

The Jon K. Rust LMA Service Award will be presented each year to someone who goes above and beyond in their service to LMA and/or LMF.

Rust, the award's first recipient, was honored Thursday during Media Transformation 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri.

At the event, LMA president Nancy Lane spoke while presenting the award, the release stated, saying, "No one knows our organizations better or has served longer. Jon's contributions have been game-changing. Anyone who has ever served on a board with Jon knows how thoughtful he is in his approach to everything. Never one to shy away from a tough subject, he handles every situation with grace and professionalism. We will greatly miss him at the board level."

Rust then encouraged conference attendees to get more involved with LMA and work together on business models to sustain local journalism. The release quoted Rust: "I'm humbled and honored, and grateful for the experience. I look forward to remaining involved with LMA as these are exciting times for the organization."

The Local Media Association serves more than 3,000 newspapers, TV stations, radio stations, directories, pure plays and research and development partners, primarily in the United States and Canada. It assists local media companies with their transformation strategies via cutting-edge programs, conferences, webinars, research and training. Members range from large publicly-traded companies to smaller, family-owned operations.