The company has its origins in 1967, when Gary Rust and his wife Wendy purchased the small Cape Girardeau Weekly Bulletin.[1] In 1982, he purchased his first daily paper, the Dexter Statesman.[2] In 1986, he purchased the Southeast Missourian, the daily paper in town, from Thomson Newspapers.[1]
By 1993, the company owned part or all of four newspapers.[3] As of 2009, the family-owned company had full or part ownership of 18 daily papers, 30 weekly papers, and 17 radio stations in eight states.[4][5]
In 2001, Gary Rust retired from daily management of the company, and turned over the reins to sons Jon, who is on the Board Of Directors for the Associated Press, and Rex Rust, as well as COO Walter Lage. In 2003, Rust was inducted into the Missouri Press Association's Newspaper Hall of Fame.[1]
In January 2022, the company's co-president Rex Rust died. He was 52. At that time Rust Communications owned 40 newspapers in eight states, numerous magazines and websites, and had minority ownership of 17 radio stations.[6]
In February 2022, Rust Communications sold nine newspapers CherryRoad Media. The sale included four newspapers in Missouri: Marshall Democrat-News (purchased 1997[7]), Monett Times (acquired 2009[4]), Cassville Democrat and South Missourian News in Thayer. Also sold were five newspapers in Arkansas: Carroll County News in Berryville, Lovely County Citizen in Eureka Springs, The News in Salem, Villager Journal in Cherokee Village and Clay County Times-Democrat in Piggott.[8][9]
In April 2022, Rust Communications sold the Le Mars Daily Sentinel (acquired 1997)[7], Cherokee Chronicle Times, Spencer Daily Reporter and Iowa newspapers to Gene Hall and his son Chris.[10]
