OWENSVILLE — Generational newspaper publishers Dennis and Connie Warden and their son, Jacob Warden, on June 26 purchased the Three Rivers Publishing publications — Cuba Free Press, Saint James Press and Steelville Star-Crawford Mirror — from Robert Viehman.

Jacob Warden, future owner and publisher of the family’s six newspapers, said they are excited to bring Three Rivers Publishing under the Warden Publishing umbrella. The Wardens have owned and operated The Gasconade County Republican since 1963, The Maries County Advocate since 2016, and The Osage County Unterrified Democrat since 2018.

“We’re excited to pick up the torch in Crawford County and continue the high journalistic standards that we’re bringing from the other Warden Publishing newspapers,” said Jacob Warden, a fourth-generation newspaperman. “In today’s age, it’s important for community newspapers to be owned locally. We are excited to keep three more newspapers from becoming corporately owned.”

Since purchasing The Cuba Free Press and Steelville Star-Crawford Mirror in 2002 from the original owners Percy Pascoe (now deceased) and his wife Delma Pascoe, Viehman has successfully owned and published both weekly newspapers. He eventually founded the Saint James Press around 2010, in competition against another publication. The 60 year-old publisher said he had a good run and is ready to retire.

“After 45 years in the newspaper business, I am thrilled that the Wardens bought my newspapers,” Viehman said on June 27. “When my wife decided late last year on her retirement date, which is still about 20 months away, I decided I had better begin trying to sell the business. I think I put an ad in the Missouri Press News and Bulletin in January and Jacob called me within about two weeks and we began working on the sale. It was a big relief to me to be able to sell to a family, especially a local family, that I know will be good to my now former employees and will do a great job with the papers. I wanted to avoid selling to a large publishing company if I could and it worked out that I did.”

The Wardens couldn’t agree more. The new owners have big plans to improve and modernize the faces of The Cuba Free Press, Saint James Press and Steelville Star-Crawford Mirror. Stories will continue to pour in from familiar writers, though some new team members will be brought on board in the coming weeks.

“Readers may notice a few new faces along with familiar ones as we hire a new sports reporter and community news reporter in the coming weeks,” Jacob Warden said. “Former owner Rob Viehman will be staying on temporarily as a writer to further assist with a smooth transition. We are grateful to Rob’s dedication to the success of the newspapers.”

As the community notices them providing coverage to the area, Warden encourages them to say hello and introduce themselves.

“I look forward to meeting everyone at various community and sporting events in the coming year,” Warden continued.

While most of the existing Three Rivers Publishing staff are staying, there is one exception. The retirement of a long-time, dedicated employee.

“We are thankful for Joy Brandenburger and wish her well in her retirement,” Warden said. “Joy has served the community at the newspaper for 48 years in the roles of secretary and billing manager in the Cuba office.”

In the coming weeks and months, Warden plans to immerse himself in the Crawford County communities and invites everyone to pick up copies of their locally focused newspapers.

A few updates to look forward to include more sports coverage, updated web features and modernizing the newspapers’ design. The new owners will also be pursuing additional advertising opportunities instead of continuing the Extra publication.

“By updating software and technology, the community can look forward to seeing better quality and more colored pictures within our pages,” Warden said. “We are going to update and modernize the design further to support the Upper Meramec Area Visitor’s Guide as well as new and current special sections.”

The new owners will be expanding the printing services to include invoices, receipts, fliers and magazines.

“Warden Publishing is ecstatic to have six newspapers focused on local communities,” Warden said. “Warden Publishing. Six newspapers, one goal because community matters.”

The Warden family can trace their history in the local newspaper business back to 1933 when their grandfather, Ralph E. Warden, assumed managerial duties, and his sister, Mrs. C. S. Hutton, became editor under the former owner W. O. Boyd. Ralph Warden would eventually purchase the business in 1948 with his partner, Henry Murray. However, in 1963, Murray sold his share of the business to brothers Tom and Don Warden, and the family has been sold from one generation to the next ever since.

As the future owner of Warden Publishing, Jacob Warden not only shares the passion of the generations before him but has encouraged his father to expand the business, keeping locally owned newspapers out of the hands of corporately owned operations. His love of the business is not unlike former owner Viehman, who came to The Cuba Free Press in the fall of 1987 after graduating from the Missouri School of Journalism.

“I worked there until 1991, when I took a job as managing editor of the Neosho Daily News,” Viehman said.

Viehman didn’t know it at the time, but Pascoe had already begun to hope that the young editor would someday purchase his newspapers.

While he may not have come from a family of publishers, Viehman also grew up in the newspaper business via his late mother, Ava Viehman, who worked for the Pascoes and helped them found the Steelville Star-Crawford Mirror. Viehman started working with his mother at the newspaper around 15 years-old.

During the years leading up to his purchase of the Crawford County newspapers, Viehman left Neosho to work as the managing editor of the Branson Tri-Lakes Daily News in the fall of 1995. However, it didn’t last. Viehman and his late wife, Lori Viehman, who had also worked for the Pascoes at Steelville Star-Crawford Mirror, contacted the Pascoes and returned to Crawford County. At that point, the Viehmans knew they would someday purchase the two newspapers.

Lori Viehman sold advertising for The Star and Rob Viehman worked as editor of the Free Press until they purchased the newspapers in 2002.

“Just two months later, my wife died,” Viehman said.

Viehman was left with three children and two newspapers. Still, around 2010, he opened the Saint James Press in competition with the St. James Leader-Journal, which was owned by a larger chain. The Leader-Journal would eventually go out of business. Viehman eventually married again. He and his wife Caroline, reside in the Steelville area.

“I feel extremely lucky to have had such great employees and customers over the last 22 and a half years,” Viehman said. “I don’t know how I could have gotten better support from the community and I’m sure that will continue as the Wardens begin their journey in Cuba, St. James, and Steelville.”