MCLEAN, Va. – Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) reported today that preliminary 2008 fourth quarter earnings per diluted share from continuing operations were $0.69 compared with $1.06 per share in the fourth quarter of 2007.

The preliminary results for the quarter include $56 million in pre-tax severance expenses ($36.1 million after tax or $0.16 per share) related to restructuring and efficiency efforts in the U.S. and the UK. Absent severance expenses in the quarter, the company’s preliminary earnings would have been $0.85 per share. Pre-tax severance expenses and facility consolidation costs totaled approximately $38 million in the fourth quarter of 2007 ($24.4 million after-tax or $0.11 per share).

The preliminary results, however, do not include non-cash charges expected to be recorded in the quarter, which have not yet been finalized, for the impairment of goodwill, other intangible assets and certain other assets. The non-cash charges are expected to total in the range of $5.1 billion to $5.9 billion on a pre-tax basis and $4.5 billion to $5.2 billion on an after-tax basis. In the fourth quarter a year ago, the company recognized a pre-tax, non-cash impairment charge of $72.0 million ($50.8 million after-tax or $0.22 per share).
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CBS is First Advertiser to Appear in the Ads That Debuted Last Week

NEW YORK – The New York Times announced that it has begun offering ad placements on its front page below the fold. CBS was the first to appear.

“This high impact placement represents an exciting new opportunity for our advertisers to reach our educated, affluent and influential readers across the country,” said Denise Warren, senior vice president and chief advertising officer for The New York Times Media Group. “In 2006 we began testing ads on some section fronts and received a very positive response from the advertising community. A strip ad on the front page of The New York Times will be highly attractive to advertisers looking for premium real estate for their campaigns.”
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MCLEAN, Va. – Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI) will provide a live Webcast of its presentation by executive management at the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference at 10:00 a.m. (EST) on Wednesday, December 10th.

The topics to be discussed will include Gannett’s strategic efforts, particularly its digital segment and content initiatives, and the company’s outlook for 2009.

To listen to the live Webcast, go to www.gannett.com or www.ibb.ubs.com. On www.gannett.com, a link to the Webcast will be under “Company Highlights.” Find Gannett’s Webcast on www.ibb.ubs.com by first clicking on the “Conferences” icon; then click on the “Webcast” icon next to the 36th Annual Global Media and Communication conference heading. Please allow at least 10 minutes to access the links before the presentations begin.
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MCLEAN, Va. – Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI) has acquired Ripple6, Inc., a leading provider of social media services. Ripple6 will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Gannett and will continue to offer its best of breed social media technology and analytics not only to Gannett but also to an array of top tier marketers and Web publishers. Terms were not disclosed.

“From the moment we began working with Ripple6, we realized we had found a company that is richly innovative and can change the way social media is offered and monetized online,” said Craig Dubow, chairman, president and CEO of Gannett. “Ripple6 will join our other enterprises in fueling the rapid growth of our digital business, which seeks to apply innovative technology and content solutions to the needs of all our customers. With the Ripple6 platform, we can help users create communities and connect with their friends and family in highly pleasing ways, while providing marketers with innovative advertising opportunities and measurable results.”
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MCLEAN, Va. – The Board of Directors of Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI) has elected two new directors, effective immediately.

* Howard Elias is president, EMC Global Services and Resource Management Software Group, and executive vice president, EMC Corporation. Elias oversees EMC’s professional services and global customer support organizations, EMC Consulting, and Global Pre-Sales and Education Services. He also has worked at Hewlett-Packard Company, Compaq, Digital, AST Research, and Tandy Corporation.
* Scott McCune is vice president of Integrated Marketing for The Coca-Cola Company. He is responsible for the development of worldwide media, licensing, sports and entertainment marketing strategies. He also has worked at Anheuser-Busch, Inc., and the Sports Time Cable Network.
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New Features Include Section-front Video Players, Better Search and a Redesigned Video Library

NEW YORK – NYTimes.com announced today the launch of a new video platform that introduces video into more sections of the site and provides enhanced user functionality. This new platform emphasizes The Times’s strong commitment to video as an important journalistic medium. Players, now using a high-definition format, are available on the home page, article pages, in blogs and in the video library, making video an even more integral component of the NYTimes.com experience.

The video platform also introduces:
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MCLEAN, Va. – Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI) reported 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.

As previously reported, the company acquired all of its partners’ ownership stakes in ShopLocal LLC on June 30, 2008. In addition, the company acquired an additional 10 percent stake in CareerBuilder increasing its ownership to 50.8 percent on September 3, 2008. The results for ShopLocal and CareerBuilder were fully consolidated beginning in the seventh and ninth periods, respectively. Prior to these acquisitions the company’s equity share of CareerBuilder and ShopLocal results was reported as equity earnings. Beginning with the third quarter, a new “Digital” business segment is being reported which includes CareerBuilder and ShopLocal results from the date of full consolidation as well as PointRoll, Planet Discover and Schedule Star. Prior period results for PointRoll, Planet Discover and Schedule Star have been reclassified from the publishing segment to the digital segment.
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MCLEAN, Va. – Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services today placed Gannett’s long and short term credit ratings on credit watch, with negative implications.

Gannett has continued to fund itself in the commercial paper market despite current market disruptions over the past few weeks. As a prudent liquidity measure in light of the ongoing credit market dislocations, Gannett partially drew down on its committed revolving credit facilities sufficient funds to cover all of its commercial paper obligations outstanding. This action was taken prior to — and was completely unrelated to — Standard & Poor’s actions today.
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