Lee Enterprises Honors Winners of President's Awards.

Business Editors

DAVENPORT, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 4, 2001

Mary Junck, president and chief executive officer of Lee Enterprises (NYSE:LEE), announced today the winners of 2001 Lee President's Awards for News, Innovation, Lee Spirit and Enterprise of the Year.

Individuals and teams who won the 10 awards will be honored at a recognition dinner Oct. 22. The awards carry cash prizes totaling $50,000.

"I'm delighted also to report that the judges for the news and innovation categories have given Lee Enterprises very high marks for all the entries this year," Junck said. "They said we should be very proud of our overall excellence in news and our day-in and day-out innovation, especially in revenue initiatives. I wholeheartedly agree."

EXCELLENCE IN NEWS

The judges selected three winners for Excellence in News:

Wisconsin State Journal in Madison, for investigative reporting that uncovered the widespread use of state employees and resources for partisan political campaigning. Members of the team are Steve Apps, Phil Brinkman, Joyce Dehli, Teryl Franklin, Phil Glende, Dee Hall, Joe Jackson, Scott Milfred, John Pluym, Pat Reardon, Mike Rott, Laura Sparks, Tom Still, Meg Theno and the editor, Frank Denton. The judges noted that the newspaper received one of three President's Awards last year, also for investigative reporting, adding: "It's easy to see why readers have come to expect the highest-caliber journalism from the Wisconsin State Journal."

Independent Record in Helena, Mont., for sensitive and thorough coverage of the loss of a major employer, the Asarco lead-processing plant in East Helena. "The Independent Record did an amazing amount of reporting, especially for a paper with a small staff," the judges said. "They tapped into the history and community feelings, as well as their own feelings, and most certainly didn't leave readers wanting. This was truly excellence in journalism." Members of the team are Eve Byron, John Ebelt, Leah Gilman, Darci Goodrich, Sheila Habeck, Martin Kidston, Wayne Klinkel, George Lane, Carolynn McLuskey, Joe Menden, Rich Myers, Christina Quinn, Laura Tode; the editor, Dave Shors, and the publisher, Brad Hurd. Last year, the Independent Record won a President's Award for coverage of Montana wildfires.

Billings Gazette in Billings, Mont., for an historically significant series marking the 125th anniversary of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. The judges praised the series for "sophisticated reporting, brilliant writing, compelling illustrations and, overall, a sensitive and precise retelling of a fascinating and important event in American history." Members of the team are Dan Carter, Jim Gransbery, James Hagengruber, Ed Kemmick, Larry Mayer, Mary Pickett, Lorna Thackeray, Jeff Tollefson, Tom Tollefson, John Warner, Bob Zellar and the editor, Steve Prosinski.

The three Excellence in News winning teams will each receive a plaque and $5,000 for a staff celebration and other uses they choose. Every team member also will receive an engraved crystal award. Judges were Scott Bosley, executive director of the American Society of Newspaper Editors; Richard Cole, dean on the school of journalism and mass communications at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and Deborah Howell, editor of Newhouse News Service.

INNOVATION

The judges selected three winners in the Innovation category:

Sales Integration Team at Madison Newspapers Inc., Madison, Wis., "for flawless implementation of a far-reaching new way to do business," enabling every sales representative to serve customers of more than a dozen publications. Lee Enterprises and The Capital Times Co. jointly own Madison Newspapers, which publishes the Wisconsin State Journal and The Capital Times, along with shoppers and related publications. Its subsidiary, Central Wisconsin Newspapers, publishes two daily newspapers in addition to a group of weekly newspapers and shoppers. The judges said: "Through tedious planning and inspired execution, the team has achieved initial success that has resonated with customers and greatly exceeded expectations. More importantly, the team has blazed a wide path for other strategic business units in Lee Enterprises." Members of the team are Shellie Benish, Michael Browning, Mary DeNiro, Paul Fanlund, Jon Friesch, Dave Gentry, Michael Giuffre, Jennifer Hefty, Kari Johnson, Sandy Kampen, John Majer, Kirk Olson, Rhonda Reese, Marci Rosen, Jeff Schroeter, Lynn Schultz, Jerry Simpkins, Scott Stavrakas, Carol Taplin, Carrie Tennies, Pam Wells, Gina Zeinemann, Scott Zeinemann and publishers Clayton Frink of The Capital Times and James Hopson of the Wisconsin State Journal.

Southern Illinoisan, Carbondale, for creating a high-visibility regional office in the Marion mall. The judges said: "This project, while done before by other papers, rose to the top out of sheer excellence in the way the Southern Illinoisan staff improved on their plan at every turn. This newspaper office has everything except a press. It's a combination newsroom, ad department, service center, retail shop and cyber cafe, where visitors can talk with a reporter, place a classified, order a subscription, buy Southern wear, or simply enjoy a cup of coffee and surf the Internet. What a great idea!" Members of the team are Patty Armstrong Rose Baffi, Toby Beninati, Dennis DeRossett, Mark Dynis, David Fiedler, Gina Evans-Hendrickson, Kelly Gearhart, Tony Hoar Angela Holmes, Cheryl Hughey, Cheryl Johnson, Charlie Rich, Barb Tuthill, Nathan Van Hise, Ken Warren, Amy Wells and the publisher, Linda Ritchie Lindus.

Jim Holland and The Banner Press, a weekly newspaper in David City, Neb., for finding and implementing an efficient, low-cost way to send pages by satellite to press 30 miles away in Columbus. Holland, who also is publisher of the Fremont Tribune, will share the $5,000 prize with The Banner Press. Members of weekly newspaper staff are Lavina Armagost, Susan Bougger, Kimberly Cummings, Jonelle Demuth, Heather Lauterbach, Kristin Perk, Kreig Ritter and the general manager, Sheri Nunn. The judges said: "The best innovation often grows out of simply refusing to accept unacceptable alternatives. Faced with prohibitive costs for a telephone line or early deadlines for a courier, the staff of this small Lee weekly (3,800 circulation) figured out better, more efficient and less expensive way -- by satellite dish."

The teams winning the Innovation awards will each receive a plaque and $5,000 for a staff celebration and other uses they choose. Every team member also will receive an engraved crystal award. Judges were Barbara Cohen, president and founder of Kannon Consulting; Herbert W. Moloney III, chief operating officer of Vertis North America; and Mary Alice Shaver, chair of the department of advertising at Michigan State University.

Junck, after consulting with her vice presidents, selected winners of the Lee Spirit Award and the Enterprise of the Year.

LEE SPIRIT

The Lee Spirit Award recognizes extraordinary individuals who inspire those around them through stellar performance, personal commitment, dedication to others and community involvement.

"We had planned to give only one Lee Spirit Award but we were overwhelmed with deserving entries," Junck said. "Finally, we selected three, but many more easily could have won, and I have to say that I feel very fortunate to work in the same company with so many wonderful people."

Winners are:

Kyla Fraser, a circulation district manager at the Missoulian in Missoula, Mont. After a fellow worker's husband was diagnosed with leukemia, Fraser began a series of fund-raising projects, including potlucks, a garage sale, a car wash, a baby photo contest and other initiatives. Her enthusiasm and dedication has touched people throughout the newspaper and community. Because of her inspiration, for example, the ad staff decided unanimously to donate its department bonus. "Kyla's performance and character both inside and outside of the work environment have raised the bar for all of us," the testimonial says. "She gave 100 percent to the fund-raising effort and never missed a beat in her job performance.... She gave unconditional support for a co-worker in need. She was able to get a whole building of employees excited to move toward a common goal. ...She deserves this award because she unselfishly gave of herself so another could benefit."

Jim Galewski, opinion page editor at the Winona Daily News in Winona, Minn. In his 30 years at the paper, Jim also has served with distinction as a photographer, chief photographer, news editor and managing editor. Throughout the community, he is admired for innumerable contributions to civic efforts and organizations, including Scouting, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Foodshare and Jaycees. In 1992, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and since has been active also in MS support groups. The testimonial begins: "You say this about a lot of guys -- that they'd give you the shirt off their back. Jim actually would. You can call on him anytime for anything. That's the way he lives his life."

Sherri Jackson, assistant city editor at The Journal Times in Racine, Wis. The testimonial begins: "Sherri Jackson energizes and improves everything within range, starting with herself, emanating to the staff, radiating out into the community." In addition to continuing her outstanding performance on behalf of the newspaper, she is completing a master's degree and has won a year-long fellowship for minority journalists; she helped direct this year's Leadership Racine program; she serves on the board of directors of Racine's Center for Community Concerns; and she directs women's ministries for her church. She also assists in a variety of community outreach efforts and has been a teacher, volunteer tutor and peer counselor.

The three Lee Spirit winners will each receive a crystal engraving and a cash award of $5,000.

ENTERPRISE OF THE YEAR

The winner of the Enterprise of the Year award is The Bismarck Tribune in Bismarck, N.D.

"This is an extra-special award because it recognizes an entire organization as a role model for the rest of our company," Junck said. "The Bismarck Tribune, under the leadership of publisher Kevin Mowbray, not only qualifies as a role model but excels. The people there have set an impressive pace this past year, achieving strong revenue growth, improving their news product, increasing both daily and Sunday circulation, sharing ideas across our company, and generally finding better and better ways to do almost everything."

Greg Veon, vice president for publishing, added praise for Mowbray. "In his 15 months as publisher in Bismarck, Kevin has inspired the whole staff to reach for and attain goals that once seemed impossibly far away. He has brought out the best in a group of very good people."

The Bismarck Tribune will receive a special commemorative award and $5,000 for a staff celebration.

More information about the President's Awards winners and high-resolutions photos are available at www.lee.net.

Lee Enterprises, which is based in Davenport, Iowa, operates newspapers from the Midwest to the Pacific Northwest. Its stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol LEE.