Lee Enterprises Will Honor Winners of 2007 President's Awards

Mary Junck, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Lee Enterprises (NYSE:LEE), announced today the winners of 2007 Lee President’s Awards for News, Innovation and Lee Spirit. Individuals and teams who won the 11 awards will be honored, along with finalists for Enterprise of the Year, at a recognition ceremony Nov. 13. The awards carry cash prizes totaling $60,000. "As always, the winning entries this year represent only a sample of all the wonderful work we do day in and day out for audiences and advertisers in every one of our markets,” Junck said. "In addition to powerful journalism and innovative ideas, this year’s entries also showed strong online components, reflecting techniques that have emerged from our ongoing training program called Lee Online University.” EXCELLENCE IN NEWS The news award recognizes outstanding achievement in any aspect of print and online journalism, from reporting and writing to photography, video, graphics and presentation. The judges selected five sets of winners: Independent Record, Helena, Mont. – For intense, around-the-clock, multimedia coverage of wildfires that swept the region this past summer. In addition to providing readers with strong coverage in the newspaper itself, the staff created an interactive online fire site called Flash Point. It included up-to-date information on every active fire in the state, along with video and photo galleries, an interactive map, reader-submitted photos, links to valuable resources and a function enabling reporters and photographers to use text messages via cell phone to update the site directly from the fire lines. Sharing in the award are Tara Basilewitsch, Angela Brandt, Eve Byron, John Doran, Ginny Emery, Leah Gilman, Duane Johnson, Martin Kidston, Larry Kline, George Lane, Denny Lester, Alana Listoe, Rich Myers, Pete Nowakowski, Deanna Satre and Eliza Wiley. This is the third Lee President’s Award for the Independent Record since 2000. Archives: www.helenair.com/flashpoint. Winona Daily News, Winona, Minn. – For a poignant story of love and death told in "A Year to Live.” The series follows a woman and her husband of 43 years as they face the inevitable end of her colon and liver cancer. The judges said: "This series beautifully captures the grace with which she chose to die – but also the grace with which she lived, loved and was loved. The outpouring of response from readers shows the power and depth of the series’ universal message – we choose how we live, and if we’re fortunate, how we die.” The award is shared by Jim Bowey, Darrell Ehrlick, Chris Hubbuch, Keith O’Donnell and Brian Voerding. Archives: www.lee.net/awards/2007/winona. La Crosse Tribune, Winona Daily News, Vernon County Broadcaster, Westby Times and Houston County News, all part of the River Valley Newspaper Group in southwest Wisconsin and southeast Minnesota – For meritorious coverage of massive regional flooding "representing the best in teamwork and initiative in service to the public.” The staffs of the two dailies and three weeklies joined forces to provide comprehensive coverage online and in the newspapers. On one day alone, the group posted 60 breaking news stories, eight slide shows and many photos from readers. The continual online coverage set records for page views, with almost a half million on Aug. 20. Archives: www.lacrossetribune.com and www.winonadailynews.com. Casper Star-Tribune, Casper, Wyo. – For "creative and groundbreaking multimedia and print coverage of the College National Finals Rodeo.” The judges described the coverage as complete, authoritative, exciting, original and compellingly packaged. Sharing in the award are Dan Cepeda, Matt Close, Ron Gullberg, Peter Hockaday, Kerry Huller, Ben Hunter, David Mayberry, Patrick Schmiedt, Eric Schmoldt, Ryan Soderlin and Austin Ward. Archives: www.cnfr.com. Arizona Daily Star, Tucson, Ariz. – For "Sealing Our Border: Why It Won’t Work,” a print and online series examining the entire length of the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border to determine the feasibility of building a fence to stop illegal immigration. The team interviewed at least 350 people and concluded that sealing the border was a practical impossibility. Sharing the award are James Gregg, Stephanie Innes, Brady McCombs, Lindsay Miller, Kelly Presnell and Andrew Satter. This is the Arizona Daily Star’s third Lee President’s Award in three years, all for outstanding coverage of border issues, and the second each for Brady Combs and Kelly Presnell. Archives: www.azstarnet.com/secureborder. Each set of winners will receive $5,000 and individual engraved crystals. The judges gave honorable mentions to The Times and Democrat in Orangeburg, S.C., for outstanding multimedia coverage of a presidential debate; to the Quad-City Times in Davenport, Iowa, for a print and online features package named "Quadrants,” and to the Wisconsin State Journal in Madison for its sensitive chronicle of the final months of a cancer patient in hospice. Judges for the Excellence in News category were Richard Cole, dean emeritus of the school of journalism and mass communications at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Sherry Chisenhall, editor and vice president for news at The Wichita Eagle; and Charlotte Hall, senior vice president and editor of the Orlando Sentinel. Typical of their comments: "The quality of the entries was very high, and I was particularly impressed by the work of your smaller papers, both online and in print. It just shows you don't have to have big resources to do big journalism – or to innovate on the Web.” INNOVATION The innovation award recognizes an individual or team for creating or significantly advancing a print or online idea that drives revenue, builds audiences or serves customers better. Judges for the innovation category were Barbara Cohen, president and founder of Kannon Consulting; Herbert W. Moloney III, president and chief operating officer of Western Colorprint, Inc.; and Jim Currow, executive vice president for newspapers at Morris Publishing LLC. They selected five sets of winners: The Times and Democrat, Orangeburg, S.C. – For an energetic, out-of-the-box approach to a major community event, resulting in unprecedented online traffic, circulation gains, community goodwill and a windfall of advertising revenue. When plans for the first presidential debate in the 2008 election campaign thrust Orangeburg into the national spotlight, the staff launched ambitious print and online coverage, applying multimedia storytelling tactics learned weeks before at Lee Online University. The staff engaged the Quad-City Times in Davenport, Iowa, in an idea- and task-sharing partnership, which included development of multimedia coverage and a live news log. The massive lead-up and event coverage was extended by contributions from non-newsroom staff members, including the publisher, ad director and operations manager. The coverage, which was shared across Lee, received a Lee President’s Award honorable mention. The staff also hosted a reception for more than 600 media representatives who converged on the city. Missoulian, Missoula, Mont. – For missoula.com, a quarterly glossy magazine with an interactive online site dedicated to the themes of living, working and visiting. Audience reaction has been enthusiastic, driving print and online advertising revenue well beyond original projections. The judges described the venture as "a particularly creative approach to leveraging print and online resources.” Sharing the award are Kristin Bounds, Sherry Devlin, Jim McGowan, Kate Murphy and Kurt Wilson. This is the fourth Lee President’s Award for the Missoulian since 2000 and the third one shared by Sherry Devlin and Kurt Wilson. Casper Star-Tribune and the weekly Casper Journal, Casper, Wyo. – For "Made in Wyoming, Our Legacy of Success,” a project aimed at inspiring readers, especially students, through profiles of Wyoming people who have been successful in a broad variety of ways. The 62 profiles, ranging from Chief Washakie to Curt Gowdy, appeared throughout the school year in the newspapers and on a special website, and later in a hard-cover book. The project included classroom study guides and an essay contest, and it drew acclaim from readers, students, teachers and the non-profit organizations that helped sponsor the program. The judges recommended that other Lee newspapers consider similar projects. The award is shared by Dale Bohren, Katharina Bohr-Buresh, Tristan English, Wyoma Groenenberg, Ron Gullberg, Katie Kennedy, David Mirhadi, Michael Moore and Clark Walworth. Archives: www.madeinwyoming.net. Lincoln Journal Star, Lincoln, Neb. – For developing and executing an expansive approach to driving double-digit employment revenue growth through targeted packages that include the daily newspaper, niche publications, online listings and directories, Lee’s partnership with Yahoo! HotJobs, online banners and displays, videos, television and a job fair. The judges described the all-inclusive advertising program as a model for other daily newspapers and noted that nearly one-third of the Journal Star’s employment revenue now comes from non-traditional products and services. St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Suburban Journals of Greater St. Louis – For "innovation in execution,” a category the judges created to recognize two highly successful but different examples of outstanding work. At the Post-Dispatch, the automotive sales team expanded its multi-product strategy by adding Rides the Magazine, a free, weekly, used car publication and online site, www.ridesthemagazine.com. Together with other new programs, including a new car dealer directory and a premium position inventory sale, Rides has helped the Post-Dispatch outperform many other metro newspapers in auto revenue. At the Suburban Journals, over only 90 days, a team of employees conceived, developed, launched and sold out the most ambitious set of websites in Lee. The sites, one for each of 33 mastheads, plus a portal site highlighting the best of all the content, instantly transformed the Journals from a group of weekly newspapers into a daily information source for 185 communities and neighborhoods of Greater St. Louis. Monthly traffic has reached one million page views, and revenue has leaped 10-fold. See: suburbanjournals.stltoday.com. Each set of winners will receive $5,000 and individual engraved crystals. The judges gave honorable mentions to the Billings Gazette in Billings, Mont., for developing a sales model targeting non-advertisers; to the Independent Record in Helena, Mont., for developing a creative way to sell speculative advertising; and to the Lee Central Safety Committee, made up of representatives from throughout the company, for engineering more than 4,000 training sessions in eight months with a goal "to provide our employees with the safest workplace in our industry.” LEE SPIRIT The Lee Spirit Award recognizes outstanding personal commitment to our company and the people we serve. This year’s winner is Maury Thompson of The Post-Star in Glens Falls, N.Y. Maury is widely known as a prolific, enthusiastic, creative and energetic multimedia reporter, columnist and blogger. He keeps remarkably close contact with the community by walking from one end of the city to the other on his way to meetings and interviews. Maury walks because of limited eyesight. He says that even if his vision were suddenly restored, he would still walk or take the bus because he can find more stories that way. He’s also known in the community for his piano playing and singing at coffee houses and in church. He will receive $5,000 and an engraved crystal. Photos and more information about the Lee President’s Awards are available at www.lee.net. Lee Enterprises is a premier publisher of local news, information and advertising in primarily midsize markets, with 51 daily newspapers and a joint interest in five others, rapidly growing online sites and more than 300 weekly newspapers and specialty publications in 23 states. Lee’s newspapers have circulation of 1.7 million daily and 1.9 million Sunday, reaching more than four million readers daily. Lee’s online sites attract more than 11 million unique visitors monthly, and Lee’s weekly publications have distribution of more than 4.5 million households. Lee’s newspaper markets include St. Louis, Mo.; Lincoln, Neb.; Madison, Wis.; Davenport, Iowa; Billings, Mont.; Bloomington, Ill.; Tucson, Ariz.; and Napa, Calif. Lee stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol LEE. For more information about Lee, please visit www.lee.net.