MISSOURIAN `REFLECTS' 90 YEARS

Geofge and Harry Naeter, two of the three brothers who founded The Daily Republican, now known as the Southeast Missourian.

Sometimes with the familiarity of a friend, sometimes with the spark of a new acquaintance, always with the goal of clear, straight talk, the Southeast Missourian has brought news into homes for 90 years.

October marks the 90th anniversary of the newspaper, which dates to the 1904 acquisition of a defunct Cape Girardeau newspaper called the Daily Republican by St. Louisian printers and brothers Fred and George Naeter. A third brother, Harry, soon joined the venture.

The first edition was Oct. 3. 1904 and the newspaper's name was changed to the Cape Girardeau Southeast Missourian in 1918. Cape Girardeau was dropped from the masthead five years later.

In continuous publication since 1904, the Missourian helps thousands of readers throughout the region greet their day. It is a responsibility not overlooked by persons affiliated with the newspaper.

"We have a long tradition to uphold," observed Southeast Missourian Editor Joe Sullivan. "This newspaper has deep roots in the community. In many ways over the years it has helped direct the course of development, growth and expansion of the Cape Girardeau area."

With the Mississippi River at its side, Cape Girardeau and the entire region has grown dramatically since the turn of the century, and so has the Missourian. To commemorate that mutual success story -- and in recognition of the Missourian's first 90 years -- a first-of-a-kind magazine called River City Reflections has been compiled.

"It's a 76-page publication that is just chock full of rarely seen photographs that reflect the Cape Girardeau area over the last 90 years, since the Naeters' first founded the local newspaper," said Marge Nichols Sullivan, the magazine's editor.

The magazine will touch on most areas of life in and around the river city, from community gatherings to a look at the industrial and commercial base that helps tie the community together, she said.

Available Thursday, it can be purchased for $3 at the Southeast Missourian office and at the Jackson, Chaffee and Marble Hill offices. It will also be available through the mail for $4 by calling the Missourian.

Progress is never stagnant, and neither is a newspaper. Whether it is read at the breakfast table or with a cup of coffee at the office, Southeast Missourian readers expect concise coverage of local and regional news along with a balanced look at state, national and international events.

Since the newspaper's first four-page edition, great attention has always been paid to local news. As the newspaper grew, so did attention to news of regional interest.

Recognizing the varied interests and addresses of its readers, the Missourian is putting renewed focus on regional news coverage in what the editor called "a total newspaper effort." Newsroom reorganization completed last week will help meet that goal.

"We now have staff members in the news department specifically to do regional news," Joe Sullivan said. Plus, the editor said, "We're going to be putting together a team of correspondents around the area who will report on news about their areas to us." Staff coverage of regional news will continue even after the correspondents come on board.

In conjunction with the emphasis, town meetings are being scheduled to ask interested persons what they want from their newspaper. The meetings, which will be attended by key persons from the Southeast Missourian, will be called "Meet the Press," Joe Sullivan said.

Joe Sullivan, who joined the Missourian in July, said "the enterprising attitude to grow and expand and make a better product" led him to the Cape Girardeau newspaper.

It is that kind of enthusiasm that made John Blue look forward to coming to work at the Missourian for almost 40 years. Blue, named editor in 1961, retired in 1980.

"You had to keep up with the trends and the times and keep up with what was happening," Blue recalled.

"Newspapers are always evolving," said the career newspaperman who still resides in Cape Girardeau. "What was the main thing then is passe now."

About the time Blue joined the Missourian staff as a reporter in 1940, the Missourian was printing three editions. An 11:30 a.m. edition was delivered by rail to points north and south of Cape Girardeau. A 2:30 p.m. edition covered the more immediate Cape Girardeau area, and a 3 p.m. edition covered Cape Girardeau and Jackson.

From its early years, the Southeast Missourian was an evening newspaper. In 1990 the Southeast Missourian switched to morning publication, and in October 1993 the newspaper added a Saturday edition. Color enhances the newspaper's front page daily.

Ownership of the newspaper remained in the Naeter family until 1977 when it was purchased by Thomson Newspapers Inc., part of an international newspaper company.

Gary W. Rust purchased the Southeast Missourian in June 1986.

Modes of transporting the newspaper to readers' front doors, likewise, changed through the years. Today an independent carrier-contractor force of about 66 persons distributes newspapers in Cape Girardeau, Perry, Bollinger, Scott and Stoddard counties, along with Union and Alexander counties in Southern Illinois.

"We start our press at 12:30 a.m., and we have carriers picking up papers as soon as the press starts up until about 3 a.m.," said Mark Kneer, director of circulation and marketing.

The Southeast Missourian has an average paid daily circulation of about 18,000 and a Sunday paid circulation of about 20,500, Kneer said.

The newspaper's 90-year tradition is a legacy that will be upheld, Joe Sullivan said. "The future is very bright."