MISSOURIAN CELEBRATES 90 YEARS WITH OPEN HOUSE

You read the news, sports, features and columns in the Southeast Missourian every day but rarely get to see how the people and machines work to make the finished product.

Today the public will have an opportunity to go inside the heart and soul of the newsroom and other areas of the Missourian to learn more about a newspaper that is celebrating its 90th year of existence.

From 4-7 p.m. the Missourian will hold an open house to show how the paper has evolved from a four-page edition to a publication that continues to focus on local and regional news.

The first edition rolled off the presses Oct. 3, 1904. The newspaper changed its name from the Daily Republican to the Cape Girardeau Southeast Missourian in 1918.

Ownership of the Southeast Missourian began with brothers Fred and George Naeter. In 1977 the publication was sold by the Naeters to Thompson Newspapers Inc., part of an international newspaper company.

When Gary W. Rust purchased the newspaper in 1986, it became a family-owned publication once again.

Missourian Publisher Wally Lage said today's open house is just another way the locally-owned publication looks forward to receiving input from its readers.

"By being locally owned, the management has little choice but to stay in touch with our audience," Lage said. "Believe me, folks know who to call if the news department has done something people think is in error or they perceive to be unfair."

Added Lage, "I have been allowed to invest heavily into improving the quality of the news product as well as the working conditions for the employees."

To recognize the 90-year tradition of the Southeast Missourian, a 76-page magazine, titled "River City Reflections," has been compiled. The magazine offers a mixture of photos, drawings and facts from stories that appeared in the Missourian for nine decades.

"River City Reflections" is available for $3 at the Southeast Missourian as well as at the Jackson, Chaffee and Marble Hill offices. It also is available at local outlets such as Schnucks, Kidds, Town House Motel, Dwight's Amoco, Shop 'N' Save, Winks and Southeast Missouri State University's Books-N-Things bookstore.