Rust acquires 20th daily paper

Business Today

Rust Communications of Cape Girardeau has acquired the Fort Scott (Kan.) Tribune-Monitor effective Aug. 2. The company has owned the nearby Nevada (Mo.) Daily Mail and Nevada News since 1997. The Tribune-Monitor is the 20th daily in the Rust group of newspapers.

The Tribune-Monitor has been family owned since its founding in 1884. Frank Emery, the most recent owner, said, "It was important to me, as I approached my decision on choosing a buyer of the newspaper, that we are handing the newspaper over to a family who has shown over and over they care about people and they care about the community the newspaper serves."

Carl Simpson, publisher and part owner of the Nevada newspapers, will be general overseer of the Fort Scott newspaper. Ken Lyons, general manager of the Tribune-Monitor, will remain with the newspaper. All other full-time employees of the Fort Scott paper will be offered opportunities to remain with the newspaper.

Rust Communications, one of the fastest growing privately owned media companies in the country, also owns more than 30 weekly publications and is part-owner of 17 radio stations in Missouri and Illinois.