MCLEAN, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 16, 2009--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. Community Publishing division of Gannett.
"We applaud the hard work and ongoing efforts of our employees at the
newspaper. Their dedication to journalism and to the community of Tucson
deserves the highest praise. We hope for a quick and positive response
to this offer."
The Tucson Citizen is an afternoon newspaper that publishes Monday
through Saturday. It is one of the two newspapers produced by TNI
Partners as part of a joint operating arrangement (JOA) under the
Newspaper Preservation Act. The Arizona Daily Star, which is owned by a
subsidiary of Lee Enterprises Incorporated, is the second newspaper in
the JOA. TNI Partners provides the production, distribution, sales and
other non-editorial business functions for both the Citizen and The Star.
Each newspaper maintains a separate newsroom and the editorial
operations of the newspapers are entirely independent. Average daily
circulation of the Citizen is 19,851, according to the latest Audit
Bureaus of Circulation report. Founded in 1870, the Tucson Citizen has
been part of a JOA since 1940.
Offers should be directed to Robert J. Broadwater, managing director of
Broadwater & Associates LLC, at (914) 961-5700 or broadwater@broadwaterllc.com.
Gannett Co., Inc. is a leading international news and information
company that publishes 85 daily newspapers in the USA, including USA
TODAY, the nation's largest-selling daily newspaper. The company also
owns nearly 900 non-daily publications in the USA and USA WEEKEND, a
weekly newspaper magazine. Gannett subsidiary Newsquest is the United
Kingdom's second largest regional newspaper company. Newsquest publishes
17 daily paid-for titles, more than 200 weekly newspapers, magazines and
trade publications, and a network of award-winning Web sites. Gannett
also operates 23 television stations in the United States and is an
Internet leader with sites sponsored by its TV stations and newspapers
including USATODAY.com, one of the most popular news sites on the Web.
CONTACT: Gannett Co., Inc.
Media inquiries:
Tara Connell
Vice President of Corporate Communications
703-854-6049
tjconnel@gannett.com
Source: Gannett Co., Inc.