What began more than two centuries ago as a single newspaper in Augusta, Georgia., today has grown into one of the largest mid-sized media companies in the nation. Morris Communications Company's diverse holdings span not only the United States - from Alaska to Florida to Texas to Minnesota - but also extend into the United Kingdom and the principality of Monaco.

A private, family-owned company, Morris Communications was established in 1970, descending from a corporate structure dating to the 1800s. The major thrust of the multimedia corporation continues to be newspaper publishing, but its diversity has led to other endeavors that include outdoor advertising, magazines and specialized publications, book publishing and distribution, radio broadcasting, visitor publications, direct marketing, commercial printing and online services.

William S. (Billy) Morris III, who established Morris Communications more than three decades ago, is chairman and chief executive officer. William S. (Will) Morris IV, his elder son, is president. The Morris family became involved with The Augusta Chronicle in 1929, when 26-year-old William S. Morris Jr., father of today's chairman and CEO, became a bookkeeper at the daily newspaper, which was started in 1785 as the Augusta Gazette, the fledgling town's first newspaper. Today, Morris Communications maintains corporate headquarters only a few blocks from the site of its modest beginnings.

In 1945 Morris and a friend purchased controlling interest in the newspaper and 10 years later bought the remainder of the outstanding stock, along with the afternoon Augusta Herald. Billy Morris, who delivered newspapers from horseback in his hometown as a boy, joined the company in 1956, a few days before his 22nd birthday, as assistant to the president. He became publisher of the two Augusta newspapers and president of the corporation 10 years later.

With the two Augusta newspapers as its base, the company started its expansion with the purchase of a radio station in Augusta and two other daily newspapers in Georgia - in Savannah and Athens. Then it was on to Alaska ... Texas ... Florida. The highway to spanning the nation and beyond had begun.

Community service has always been close to the hearts of the Morris family. One lasting gift to the Augusta-area community is the Morris Museum of Art, which opened in September 1992, on Augusta's Riverwalk Cultural Corridor. The museum, named in his parents' memory, fulfilled a dream of Billy Morris to provide Augusta and the Southeast with a broad-based survey collection of Southern art.

Morris Communications' largest expansion in numbers of properties occurred in 1995 with the purchase of all outstanding stock of Stauffer Communications Inc, in Topeka, Kanas. The purchase included daily newspapers, nondaily newspapers, shoppers, television and radio stations and other properties.

Strengthened by this merger, Morris Communications has continued to grow and seek diversity in holdings that further its objective of becoming the pre-eminent source of news, advertising, entertainment and related services in the communities they serve. The company moves into the 21st century with optimism and enthusiasm, fortified by its heritage, its success and the dedication of its employees.

Upon this foundation, Morris Communications will continue to build market share, develop new revenue streams and serve its diverse audiences with practical, relevant products.

For more information about Morris Communications, please go to www.morris.com.