RUST COMMUNICATIONS ACQUIRES NINE NEWSPAPERS IN MISSOURI, ARKANSAS

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- A 5,000-circulation Arkansas daily newspaper and eight weekly publications with more than 80,000 total distribution in Southeast Missouri and Northeast Arkansas were acquired today by Rust Communications of Cape Girardeau from American Publishing Co. of West Frankfort, Ill.

The Courier-News has been the daily newspaper of record in Blytheville, Ark., for more than 100 years but now has changed ownership twice in less than a year. For over a decade it has been competing with a twice-weekly newspaper, the Village News, operated by Dave Tennyson. In January Rust Communications purchased part-interest in the Tennyson operation, which also includes the weekly Osceola (Ark.) Citizen-Journal. A day later Park Newspapers of Ithaca, N.Y., sold the Blytheville daily newspaper and the weekly Osceola Times to American Publishing Co. The Blytheville newspapers will merge effective immediately. Decisions concerning personnel have no been finalized. The new corporate name for the Blytheville company is Village News Inc., with Gary Rust, Dave Tennyson and Wally Lage as owners.

The acquired Missouri weekly newspapers include the Malden Delta News, the Malden Press-Merit, the Tri-State Big Nickel, the Caruthersville Bootheel Beacon, the Caruthersville Democrat Argus, The Hayti Democrat Argus and the Stoddard County Delta News. These newspapers will be consolidated into the Rust-owned Delta Publishing Co. headquartered in Dexter, Mo.

Prior to the acquisition Rust Communications already was the largest non-metropolitan daily and weekly newspaper group in Missouri comprising four Southeast Missouri daily newspapers (The Daily American Republic in Poplar Bluff, the Dexter Statesman, the Daily Democrat in Kennett and the Southeast Missourian in Cape Girardeau), 10 weeklies, numerous specialty publications and printing companies. Gary Rust is the principal owner.

While Rust Communications newspapers will continue to operate independently, they participate in a regional news and advertising network, which -- including a daily newspaper in Sikeston under separate ownership -- has daily and Sunday distribution of more than 60,000 households and weekly distribution of approximately 200,000. The first Rust Communications daily newspaper was acquired 12 years ago. The group is actively seeking other newspaper acquisitions in the mid-United States.