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USA Today editor John Hillkirk, who took over the job in April, informed staff today that there will be 26 jobs cut at the newspaper. Hillkirk, in an memo obtained by POLITICO, wrote that those laid off will “be notified today or as soon as possible.” In a second memo, staffers were informed that there will be a merger between USA Today's news operation and USA WEEKEND. The moves come on the same day that parent-company Gannett announced the institution of furloughs for 2010, just as they did this year. In addition to layoffs, Hillkirk explained in the memo how...

Cost cutting produced a solidly profitable third quarter for Gannett Co. But the latest financial results for the country's largest newspaper publisher show another big decline in ad revenue. Gannett owns USA Today, more than 80 other newspapers and 23 television stations. Its earnings Monday follow a similar report last week from McClatchy Co., another big newspaper owner that has managed to profit even as its main revenue source withers. Gannett's ad sales in its publishing division dropped 28 percent from a year ago. That follows a 32 percent decline in the second quarter and a 34 percent decline in...

Gannett's The Town Talk in Alexandria, La., will lay off about 40 employees when it shifts its printing next month to Lafayette, La., according to a Wednesday memo. Leslie Hurst, Gannett's vice president of the South group and publisher of The Daily Advertiser in Lafayette announced the move in a memo obtained by Gannettoid.com. In the memo, Hurst said, "this decision was not made lightly, but is the result of a great deal of thought and research to ensure that we are making the best decision for both operations." According to a story published Wednesday on The Town Talk's Web...

Sitting here in my DC hotel room this morning and received the Hotel's USA Today newspaper and took a look through the front page section. Guess What! The USA Today didn't even have any story on the Washington Tea Party. Can you imagine that! No story. The Newspaper media is wondering why their readership is declining its obivious that they are the Obama Media department and they work for the Democratic party. Can you imagine that 1,500,000 people attended a rally in DC to wake up the politicians and they USA Today doesn't cover it. I guess we have the...

The entire business news staff at The Journal News in Westchester County, New York, a Gannett newspaper, is gone this week in the round of 50 cutbacks at the paper. These include business editor Mike Bieger and reporters Julie Moran Alterio, Jerry Gleeson and Jay Loomis. The former business editor, who was most recently data desk editor, Frank Brill, was also laid off. Brill is a former board member of the Society of American Business Editors and Writers. The move calls into question whether eliminating coverage of business news in the worst recession in two decades is a good idea....

INDIANAPOLIS -- The union representing newsroom and other employees at The Indianapolis Star has ratified a two-year contract that includes a 10 percent pay cut. The Newspaper Guild Local 34070 said its members voted 56-45 on Tuesday in favor of the contract, which runs through August 2011 and suspends all merit pay increases. The contract covers 170 editorial and building services employees. Company officials have said the pay cut is necessary because of the recession. Guild members in June voted overwhelmingly to reject a contract offer from the Gannett Co.-owned Star that called for 12 percent pay cuts. The Star...

Jim Hopkins on his muckraking meta-site, loved by ex-employees and loathed by management. Jim Hopkins worked at Gannett for 20 years, writing and editing in newsrooms at four newspapers, including USA Today. He took a buyout, then launched the Gannett Blog in late 2007. Unaffliated with the company, it turned into a sounding board for employees, at times resembling "angry talk radio," says Hopkins. Drawing kudos for its crowd-sourcing, Gannett Blog used a community of current and exiled company employees to break stories, dish gossip and publish leaks. One section wooed them with this pitch: "A look in someone's eyes....

McLean-based Gannett -- the nation's largest publisher of newspapers, including USA Today -- today said it posted a $70.5 million profit in the second quarter, compared to a loss last year, despite a continue slide in advertising revenue. The results were better than analysts had expected and sent Gannett stock soaring; it closed up 29 percent to $4.50 per share today. The profit came from cost-cutting, not growth. And the company predicted that revenues would continue to dip in its broadcast unit next quarter.

Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI - News) reported today that 2009 second quarter earnings per diluted share were $0.30 compared to a net loss per share of $10.03 for the second quarter of 2008. Results for both quarters included several special items noted below. Earnings per diluted share for the second quarter of 2009, excluding those items, were $0.46. Earnings per diluted share for the second quarter of 2008 on a comparable basis were $1.04. snip Weakness in the economies of the U.S. and UK resulted in continued downward pressure on revenues. Total reported operating revenues for the company were...

Gannett to cut 1,400 jobs in new round of cuts NEW YORK – Newspaper publisher Gannett Co. plans to cut 1,400 jobs in the next few weeks, about 3 percent of the work force, as it faces a prolonged slump in advertising revenue. The majority of layoffs will come by July 9, he said. The move follows a 10 percent cut at Gannett last year, which left the company with about 41,500 employees. Gannett publishes USA Today, the largest newspaper by circulation in the U.S., along with dozens of other newspapers

The Gannett Company, owner of the nation’s largest newspaper chain, will go through another round of layoffs soon, with an announcement possible in the next few days, executives said Tuesday. The company’s United States and British newspaper divisions eliminated more than 10,000 jobs in 2007 and 2008, including about 2,000 layoffs last fall, and Gannett executives have said repeatedly that they expect more downsizing, including layoffs. The company, which also owns a chain of television stations and Internet ventures, ended last year with 41,500 employees, including 35,800 in its newspaper divisions. On Gannett Blog, a former Gannett editor who closely...

Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI - News) today said it will cease print publication of the Tucson Citizen. The Citizen will continue operating its web site, www.tucsoncitizen.com. The last print edition of the Citizen will be published on Saturday, May 16. “Dramatic changes in our industry combined with the difficult economy – particularly in this region – mean it is no longer viable to produce two daily printed newspapers in Tucson,” said Bob Dickey, president of the U.S. Community Publishing division of Gannett. “We are pleased that the Citizen’s web site will continue its role as a place for a...

The dividend aristocrats index has had five dividend cuts so far this year. Because of the way that the index is rebalanced, the dividend cutters will remain a part of the elite basket of S&P 500 companies which have consistently raised their dividends for over 25 consecutive years. Unless a member of the Dividend Aristocrats index is removed from the S&P 500, it won’t be removed from the elite income index. The five companies, which cut dividends so far in 2009, will most likely be booted out of the index at the annual December reconstitution. Back in February, General Electric...

Gannett's Woes: Revenue Fall Accelerates Gannett Co. television revenues will continue to sink at a double-digit percentage rate in the coming months. This follows lower revenue trends that the company's TV stations had in the first quarter. Broadcasting revenues for the first quarter 2009 were $143.5 million, compared to $170.2 million in the first quarter of 2008 -- a 15.7% decline. Operating income for its broadcasting businesses sank 24% to $44 million. Much of the drop comes from the absence of political advertising versus a year ago, and from weaker ad sales from the automotive and retail categories. Some of...

Gannett Co., the largest newspaper publisher in the U.S., reported a 60 percent decline in first-quarter profit Thursday and said the decline in its advertising revenue is accelerating. Gannett, which publishes USA Today ... ad revenue shrunk by 33.5 percent. USA Today's total number of paid ad pages in the quarter fell to 527, from 826 a year ago.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Many U.S. hotel chains like to offer USA Today, The Wall Street Journal or their local newspaper as a courtesy to guests. Marriott International Inc will offer a different courtesy: no paper at all. Marriott said on Monday that it will stop dropping daily papers automatically at its guests' doors. Now, it will offer them a choice of papers or, if they want, no paper at all. Based on preliminary data, Marriott projects that this will reduce newspaper distribution by about 50,000 copies daily, or 18 million annually. Beginning June 1, guests at the company's full-service...

Craig Moon, president and publisher of USA Today, said he plans to retire April 17 after more than 23 years at Gannett Co. (GCI). No replacement has been named. Moon also supervises USA Weekend, the Detroit Media Partnership, Gannett Offset and the Military Times operation. Gannett owns 85 U.S. newspapers, more than 850 magazines and nondailies, and 23 television stations. USA Today, started in 1982, is the nation's largest circulation daily. Like other media companies, Gannett has been suffering from sharp drops in advertising and readers moving to the Internet for ads, news and entertainment. At a recent conference with...

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20090324/GPG0101/90324138/1978

Marshal Wyatt Earp's fabled 1881 shootout at the OK Corral in Tombstone was reported this way: "A day when blood flowed as water, and human life was held as a shuttlecock, a day always to be remembered as witnessing the bloodiest and the deadliest street fight that has ever occurred in this place, or probably in the territory." For nearly 140 years, the Tucson Citizen has told the stories of Southern Arizona, but on Saturday, March 21, the state's oldest newspaper will tell its last -- its own. Gannett Co. Inc., the nation's largest newspaper publisher, announced in January it...

Gannett Co. (GCI) said late Wednesday its board cut the quarterly dividend to 4 cents from 40 cents because of the recession and stale credit markets. The newspaper operator hopes to use the annual savings of $325 million to pay down debt. The dividend is payable April 1 to shareholders of record as of March 6.

Gannett Co. (GCI) , the largest U.S. newspaper publisher, said Friday that it will take fourth-quarter non-cash charges of as much as $5.2 billion, after taxes, related to a reduction in the value of its assets as a result of the worldwide financial meltdown. On a preliminary basis, Gannett says its profit fell 36% to $158 million, or 69 cents a share, in the quarter ended Dec. 28, compared to year-earlier net income of $245.3 million, or $1.06 a share. Preliminary results in the latest three months include $24.4 million in severance and facility consolidation costs. Gannett expects to take...

The Tucson Citizen, Arizona’s oldest newspaper, is going to close down by March 21 unless a buyer is found before then. And frankly, nobody’s buying newspapers these days. The Gannett-owned newspaper is run under a joint operating agreement with the Arizona Daily Star and is the first U.S.-Mexico border newspaper to announce its impending demise. Three other newspapers along the border have cut back operations, laid employees off and cut back benefits in an attempt to save themselves. This morning, the San Antonio Express-News announced it’s going to offer employees a one year unpaid leave of absence, institute a hiring...

Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI) today said it is offering to sell certain assets of the Tucson (AZ) Citizen. If a sale is not completed by March 21, 2009, Gannett said it will have to close the newspaper. "The Tucson Citizen has been part of Gannett since 1976 and we deeply regret having to take this step. But dramatic changes in our industry combined with the difficult economy - particularly in this region - mean it is no longer viable for our partnership with Lee Enterprises Incorporated to produce two daily newspapers in Tucson," said Bob Dickey, president of the U.S....

TUCSON, Ariz. - Gannett Co., the largest newspaper publisher in the country, will close the Tucson Citizen if it does not find a buyer for certain assets owned by the paper by March 21. Robert J. Dickey, president of Gannett U.S. Community Publishing, made the announcement in a brief meeting with employees Friday. "The Tucson Citizen has been part of Gannett since 1976, and we deeply regret having to take this step," Dickey said. "But dramatic changes in our industry combined with the difficult economy _ particularly in this region _ mean it is no longer viable for our partnership...

The Gannett Company, the nation’s largest newspaper publisher, said on Wednesday that it would force thousands of its employees to take a week off without pay in an effort to avoid layoffs. Gannett, which owns 85 daily newspapers across the United States including its flagship USA Today, said it could not say exactly how many people would be required to take time off, or how much money the company would save. But it said it would require unpaid leave for most of its 31,000 employees in this country. Also on Wednesday, USA Today notified its staff of a one-year pay...

The news that the Gannett Company--the nation’s largest newspaper publisher, flagship USA Today--is forcing thousands of its employees to take unpaid leave is the latest, shocking, evidence of the ill health of the old media. But for present purposes, let's focus on this odd nugget: Gannett has informed its employees that pursuant to federal and state law, they [emphasis added]: must not work while on an unpaid leave. That includes reading or responding to e-mails, calling or responding to calls from colleagues and being on site at your location at any time during your furlough days. Can't you just imagine...

The Gannett Company, the nation’s largest newspaper publisher, said on Wednesday that it would force thousands of its employees to take a week off without pay in an effort to avoid layoffs. Gannett, which owns 85 daily newspapers across the United States including its flagship USA Today, said it could not say exactly how many people would be required to take time off, or how much money the company would save. But it said it would require unpaid leave for most of its 31,000 employees. “Most of our U.S. employees — including myself and all other top executives — will...

Gannett Co Inc (GCI.N), the largest U.S. newspaper publisher, will make workers take a week off without pay because of what it called some of the most difficult economic conditions it has ever experienced. "This means that most of our U.S. employees -- including myself and all other top executives -- will be furloughed for the equivalent of one week in the first quarter," Chief Executive Craig Dubow wrote in a memo to employees on Wednesday. Gannett, which publishes USA Today, the largest U.S. newspaper by circulation, is instituting the furlough after cutting thousands of employees from its payroll to...

Beset by falling revenue, Detroit's newspapers announced Tuesday that they plan to offer only three days of home delivery and will push their online editions instead, making the city the largest in the nation to undergo such a makeover. The Detroit Media Partnership, which runs the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News, expects to cut about 9 percent of its work force but "hopefully" less, and there will be no job reductions in the newsrooms of either paper, said David Hunke, Free Press publisher and chief executive of the partnership. "We're here because we're fighting for our survival," Hunke...

The Detroit News...and another Detroit daily newspaper, the Free Press, are expected to announce next week that they will halt home delivery of the two papers most days of the week... The move comes in the wake of a 22 percent circulation decline at the News and 15 percent at the Free Press over the last five years. Staff cuts are also likely.... The Free Press is owned by Gannett Co., Inc In the face of the worst business climate for daily newspapers in decades, with steep declines in advertising and rising business costs, other U.S. dailies have examined steps...

The publisher of the Detroit Free Press, the country's 20th largest paper by weekday circulation, is expected to announce next week that it will cease home delivery of the print edition of the newspaper on most days of the week, according to a person familiar with the company's thinking. The publisher hasn't made a final decision, said this person, but the leading scenario set to be unveiled Tuesday would call for the Free Press and its partner paper, the Detroit News, to end home delivery on all but the most lucrative days—Thursday, Friday and Sunday. On the other days, the...

Newspaper publisher Gannett said on Wednesday it expects its 2008 revenue to fall to $6.8 billion from $7.4 billion last year, underscoring what is shaping up to be the worst advertising market in decades. The publisher of newspapers such as USA Today also told attendees of a UBS investor conference that it expects to shoulder severance costs of $45 million to $50 million in the current quarter for its previously announced plan to cut 10 percent of its workforce. "We're focusing on leaner operations across the board," Chief Executive Craig Dubow told attendees during a Webcast of the conference two...

The nation's largest newspaper company, USA Today publisher Gannett Co., has begun implementing a 10 percent work force cut announced in October in response to declining revenue. Employees at some of the company's 85 local and regional papers learned Monday and Tuesday what cuts will occur at their publications. The latest reductions follow a 3 percent cut announced in August. Both cuts are separate from a 5 percent trim from USA Today's newsroom announced Nov. 24. A spokeswoman for McLean, Va.-based Gannett did not immediately return calls seeking comment Tuesday. The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle in New York said Tuesday...

The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle says it is eliminating 59 jobs, or 8% of its work force, to pare back costs during the weak economy. The daily newspaper says it will lay off 34 employees later this week and has already accepted 14 voluntary reductions, 3 of them in the newsroom. In addition, it says 11 open positions will not be filled. The newspaper has not yet specified how many of the layoffs will occur in the newsroom. After the cuts are made, it will have 680 full-time and part-time employees. Publisher Ali Zoibi says rising costs and a drop...

Memo sent to USA Today staffers on Nov. 23 To: The newsroom staff From: Ken Paulson and John Hillkirk The current economic crisis has taken its toll on businesses nationwide, including USA TODAY. This will mean a cut in our 2009 budget, including the elimination of about 20 positions in early December. We wish this wasn't necessary, but we're facing unprecedented economic challenges and we have to cut spending. We'll have our regular monthly staff meeting Monday at 5 p.m. EST and will discuss this development and answer any questions you may have, but here are the basics: Those whose...

Reeling from a second consecutive quarter of revenue losses, Gannett just announced plans to lay off 10% of its newspaper employees -- about 3,000 workers -- by early December, as the nation's top newspaper publisher struggles to right itself. The mass layoff was disclosed in a memo from newspaper division president Bob Dickey (left). The unprecedented cuts follow the elimination of more than 1,000 jobs over the past two months in Gannett's biggest and most troubled unit: the community newspaper division. Its 84 dailies plus USA Today account for nearly 80% of revenue, and 65% of GCI's 46,000 employees. The...

Gannett Co Inc, the largest U.S. newspaper publisher, posted lower-than-expected quarterly profit on Friday, reflecting anemic print advertising sales across the industry. Shares fell as much as 9 percent shortly after trading began on the New York Stock Exchange, a move reflected by major indices including the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which dropped near 400 points after U.S. markets opened. The results cap more than a week of stomach-churning ad declines at U.S. publishers Media General Inc, McClatchy Co and New York Times Co. The worsening world financial crisis is aggravating the already weakened state of U.S. newspapers, which have...

Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI - News) reported today that 2008 third quarter earnings per diluted share from continuing operations were $0.69 compared with $1.01 per share in the third quarter of 2007. The results for the quarter include $23.0 million in pre-tax severance expenses ($14.4 million after tax or $0.07 per share) related to reductions in force and efficiency efforts in the U.S. and the UK. Absent severance expenses in the quarter, the company would have earned $0.76 per share.

On a bad day for newspaper stocks, shares of Gannett Co. (NYSE: GCI) sank Wednesday to their lowest price in 18 years. Gannett tumbled 11.25% during the session, shaving $1.18 off its share price to close at $9.31 a share. It price, adjusted for splits and dividends, hasn't been that low since October 1990. Gannett is scheduled to release its third-quarter results on Friday morning. Based on the weak revenue figures already released by The McClatchy Co. and Media General, Wall Street is clearly not expecting good news from the nation's largest newspaper publisher. Shares of The New York Times...

Gannett reported today that advertising revenue at its publishing division plunged 16.8% in August compared to the same period a year ago on steep declines in classified advertising revenue. Classified advertising revenue decreased 28% on severe drops in real estate (down 40.0%), employment (down 33.6%) and automotive (down 21.1%). Both of Gannett's U.S. and U.K properties experienced declines. At Gannet's U.S. community publishing division only, total classified revenue fell 25.8% on a 32% drop in real estate revenue, a 35.1% drop in employment revenue, and an 18.3% drop in real estate revenue. Total retail advertising revenue at Gannett's publishing division...

Letter from Gannett U.S. Community Publishing president Robert J. Dickey September 9, 2008 Dear Fellow Employee, Given the job reductions across our division in the past month, I wanted to share with all of you our reasoning and plans for the future under a new structure we are implementing beginning today. Like many businesses, the weakening economy has had a significant effect on our financial performance. Hardest are the classified categories – real estate, employment and automotive, where our year-over-year classified losses are in the 25% range. But it does not stop there: All segments are struggling with the current...

Not sure how to post a link to a Gannett newspaper. Link only.

Gannett Co. Inc., bedeviled by plunging classified advertising, reported a 12.3 percent decline to $546.4 million in revenue for July compared to a year ago. A 25.2 percent decline in classified advertising sales reduced publishing revenue 16.7 percent to $340 million. Real estate classified revenue was 37.9 percent lower, employment classified revenue was down 29.1 percent and automotive classified revenue declined 21.1 percent. Broadcast revenue declined 6.1 percent to $61 million while a 4.2 percent decline in paid daily newspaper subscribers reduced circulation revenue by 2.6 percent $108.7 million. The latest figures from the Mclean, Va.-based media giant, the nation’s...

Gannett, the largest newspaper chain in the country, is preparing to trim 3% of its workforce -- or 1,000 employees -- through cuts and attrition. Gannett Vice President of Corporate Communications Tara Connell confirmed the reductions to E&P Thursday afternoon, adding that decisions on staff cuts would be made at each property based on financial targets and performances. The McLean, Va.-based company publishes more than 80 dailies, including USA Today, and 900 non-dailies. Gannett corporate is expected to review and approve the decisions. The Gannett Blog, run by former Gannett editor and reporter Jim Hopkins from Ibiza, Spain reported Wednesday...

Updated at 11:44 a.m. ET on Aug. 14: The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky., is among the first newspapers reporting layoffs on Thursday. Earlier: A Maryland publisher told employees late Wednesday afternoon that Gannett is eliminating 1,000 newspaper jobs, or about 3% of the troubled newspaper division's workforce -- and that about 600 employees are being laid off, a Gannett Blog reader says. The reader provided a copy of a memo that Daily Times Publisher Rick Jensen e-mailed about 4 p.m. today at the paper in Salisbury. "Across Gannett’s Community Publishing division, about 1,000 positions will be eliminated -- about 3%...

Eight months after becoming the only local daily in the city, Gannett Co.'s Cincinnati Enquirer is seeking to buy out 50 staffers. In an e-mail to employees Monday, Publisher Margaret Buchanan said the paper is looking to make the reductions among non-union employees. "If this voluntary offer doesn't result in a sufficient number of volunteers, or if in the future, economic conditions worsen, it may be necessary to consider layoffs," Buchanan wrote. On offer is two weeks of salary for every year of service plus health benefits for a period of up to 52 weeks. The offer expires Aug. 15,...

Gannett Co. Inc., which last month warned it would be taking a big non-cash write-down in goodwill and other impairment, said in a regulatory filing the charge amounted to $2.8 billion pre-tax, and $2.5 billion after taxes. In mid-July, Gannett had issued a preliminary financial statement for its second-quarter, reporting earnings per share of $1.02 compared with $1.24 per share in the year-ago quarter. In its filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Gannett adjusted that to a Q2 2008 loss of $2,290.8 million or $10.03 per share from continuing operations, including the impairment charges. The year-ago earnings of...

Gannett shares were down as much as 13% Wednesday after the newspaper publisher and broadcaster reported that second-quarter earnings and revenue fell short of Wall Street's expectations and warned that it will take a charge in the same quarter that reflects a decline in the value of its assets. The news marks the latest sign that newspapers are having difficulty making the transition to the online era. Gannett stock was down $2.10 to $15.25 in morning trading on heavy volume of 5.2 million shares. In the quarter ended June 30, the publisher of USA Today said it expects to take...

Gannett Co. Inc. (GCI) said Wednesday that preliminary second-quarter earnings were $232.7 million, or $1.02 a share, compared to $365.7 million, or $1.56 a share, in the same period a year ago. Earnings from continuing operations were $1.02 compared with $1.24 per share in the second quarter of 2007. The preliminary results, however, do not include non-cash charges to be recorded in the quarter, which have not yet been finalized. The non-cash charges are expected to total in the range of $2.6 billion to $2.9 billion on a pre-tax basis and $2.4 billion to $2.7 billion on an after-tax basis....

Gannett Co. Inc. said Friday it is reorganizing its U.S. Community Publishing division, reducing the number of regional groups by one to four and seeing off two retiring top executives. Under the new structure, five regional groups have been reorganized into four: East, South, Interstate and West. Interstate will be headed by Senior Group President Barbara A. Henry until Aug. 1, when she is retiring, Gannett said. Henry, 55, has also been president and publisher of The Indianapolis Star since 2000. She began her career at Gannett as a reporter at the Reno (Nev.) Gazette-Journal in 1974, and later became...