It publishes four community newspapers with a combined circulation of more than 77,000. The first edition of the Jefferson County Leader came off the presses on Aug. 25, 1994. It was distributed free by direct mail to every home in the Missouri communities of Barnhart, Pevely, Herculaneum, Crystal City, Festus, Hillsboro and De Soto, as it still is today. The Arnold-Imperial Leader, which served t
hose two ZIP codes as well as Kimmswick, began publishing on Aug. 24, 1995. The West Side Leader began as a monthly on May 30, 2013, quickly grew in popularity and readership and became the company’s third weekly newspaper on May 14, 2014. It covers the western Jefferson County communities of Fenton, High Ridge, House Springs, Cedar Hill, Byrnes Mill and Dittmer. In February 2017, the Leader started publishing the Eureka Leader, which is mailed to more than 10,900 households in the Eureka, Mo., 63025 ZIP code and the Wildwood, Mo., 63040 ZIP code every other week. The paper expanded to the Wildwood ZIP code in January 2021. In 2008, the company earned eligibility for a Requester Periodicals permit from the United States Postal Service when it collected more than 35,000 requests for delivery from its household deliveries. The company also publishes Grand Times, a magazine for senior readers which is inserted in the Leader newspapers in conjunction with very popular Senior Expo community events. The company always has emphasized strong local news content, running a 40 percent “news hole,” an unusually high percentage for free newspapers. That commitment to news has brought the company dozens of editorial awards over the years from both the Missouri Press Association and the National Newspaper Association. It also has earned the company a loyal and large roster of advertisers, ranging from local merchants to nationwide retailers. Those strong relationships, for both ROP and insert customers, are reflected in numerous awards the company has earned from the Missouri Ad Managers Association. In 2011, Leader Publications jumped into the digital age with www.myleaderpaper.com. The newspaper's online product now has an average of about 500,000 pageviews monthly and includes banner ads, online classified ads, breaking news and features unique to the website. Leader Publications also keeps in touch with readers and advertisers through social media. Follow the Leader on Facebook, as well as Twitter, TikTok and Instagram at . Leader employees are actively involved in Jefferson County’s communities and civic organizations. With owners/operators on site, the company remains committed to its cornerstone values of strong local news coverage, customer service and community involvement.
