Gannett Co. / GCI

About Gannett Co.

7950 Jones Branch Dr., McLean, Va. 22107
www.gannett.com | 703-854-6000 | Founded: 1906

Industry: Media | Category: Top 100 Companies

Gannett last year took further steps in recognizing the role of the Internet in its news operation. In December, it combined the newsroom of USA Today, its flagship daily, with that of the paper's online version. Company executives said the move, which will be phased in and is similar to efforts at other Gannett papers, was in response to the growing importance the Internet plays in the delivery of news. The company said merging the two sides at USA Today was aimed at conceiving and planning coverage as a single unit to better deploy news-gathering resources.
Gannett got a new president and chief executive last year: Craig A. Dubow, who previously was president and chief executive of Gannett Broadcasting Division. Dubow took over in July, replacing Douglas H. McCorkindale, who will remain as chairman until his retirement in June. Roger L. Ogden became president and chief executive of the broadcasting division. In another personnel move, Gary L. Watson retired as president of the newspaper division after 39 years with Gannett. Susan Clark-Johnson succeeded him. She was senior group president of the Gannett Pacific Newspaper Group, the company's largest regional group, and chairman, chief executive and publisher of the Arizona Republic.
Gannett adjusted its stable of newspapers last year. In August, the company and MediaNews Group Inc. reorganized the Detroit Newspaper Agency and formed the Detroit Newspaper Partnership LP to manage the business operations of the papers in Detroit. Under the arrangement, Gannett acquired the Detroit Free Press from Knight Ridder Inc., and MediaNews bought the Detroit News from Gannett.
Gannett also exchanged newspapers assets with Knight Ridder in a deal that brought the Tallahassee Democrat into the Gannett fold along with an undisclosed amount of cash. In turn, Gannett gave up the (Boise) Idaho Statesman and two Washington state newspapers, the (Olympia) Olympian and the Bellingham Herald.
In December, Gannett and MediaNews expanded their Texas-New Mexico Newspapers Partnership to include papers in Pennsylvania. Gannett's Public Opinion of Chambersburg, Pa., went to the partnership, while MediaNews contributed the York Daily Record and York Sunday News, the Lebanon Daily News and the Evening Sun of Hanover. Gannett's ownership interest in the partnership was reduced by the moves, and MediaNews became the managing partner.
Gannett acquired the operations of HomeTown Communications Network, a community publishing company with assets in Michigan, Ohio and Kentucky. The acquisition includes one daily, 62 weekly and twice-weekly papers, 24 community telephone directories, a shopping guide, specialty publications, Web sites and four printing plants.

Chairman and CEO: Craig A. Dubow

2007 Financial Data

Total employees: 52,600 | Local employees: 2,669