The Topeka Capital-Journal is the product of
the marriage of two of the state's pre-eminent publications: The Topeka
Daily Capital, founded in 1879, and The Topeka State Journal, which grew
from The Topeka Blade of 1873. The man who brought the two together was
Oscar S. Stauffer, a Hope native who worked as a reporter for the Emporia
Gazette and The Kansas City Star before buying his first newspaper -
a weekly in Peabody.
Stauffer grew his business into a company that, by the 1990s, would
include 20 daily newspapers, eight weekly newspapers and shopper publications,
seven television stations, four radio stations and several radio networks,
a computer division and a magazine group. The decision was made in
1994 to sell Stauffer Communications to Augusta, Ga.-based Morris Communications
Corp., a privately held media company. John Stauffer said the decision
was difficult but necessary given the diverse interests of his family.
He said the company was pleased to see another newspaper-based media
company make the winning offer.
The Internet was growing exponentially in the years following Morris'
purchase, and in 1997, The Topeka Capital-Journal unveiled its online
counterpart, CJOnline.com. In 2003, The Topeka Capital-Journal experienced
another significant transformation as Morris Communications invested
more than $6 million in updating the mailroom operations and installing
a new Goss Headliner Offset press.
