Spencer, IA – April 1, 2022 – Rust Communications has sold the Le Mars Daily Sentinel, Cherokee Chronicle Times, Spencer Daily Reporter, and several other northwest Iowa publications to Gene Hall and his son Chris, according to Randy Cope of Cribb, Cope & Potts, who represented the Rust family in the sale. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.
“Chris and I are tremendously excited for the opportunity to purchase our hometown newspaper,” Gene Hall said. “I’m grateful to Jon Rust for his assistance. I believe in Spencer, I believe in great journalism, and I believe that we will do our level best to give our readers and advertisers the greatest value possible.”
“We are happy to entrust the award-winning newspapers of Northwest Iowa to the Hall family,” said Jon K. Rust, president of Rust Communications. “They are an Iowa family that knows Iowa well, and they know Spencer well. We are so appreciative of all our staff at each of the newspapers who have worked hard and with incredible dedication to serve their communities with great affection, high standards, and care. With the Halls’ ownership, the future looks bright.”
The Hall family is headquartered in Charles City, Iowa, and owns the newspaper and central printing facility there, as well as newspapers in New Hampton, Nashua, and Algona.
Based in Cape Girardeau, Mo., Rust Communications is a second-generation media company with 33 newspapers and minority ownership of 17 radio stations in nine states.
Randy Cope of Cribb, Cope & Potts represented the Rust family in their sale to the Hall family. Cribb, Cope & Potts is a leading merger and acquisition firm with offices in Arkansas, Montana, and California.
