Gannett to Acquire Thomson Properties, Including 21 Daily Newspapers
ARLINGTON, Va. – Gannett Co., Inc. announced today that it will acquire 21 daily newspapers, along with numerous weeklies and niche publications, from Thomson Newspapers, Inc. in a series of transactions for an aggregate purchase price of $1.125 billion.
Gannett will acquire Thomson’s strategic marketing groups in Wisconsin (eight dailies), Central Ohio (eight dailies), and Southwest Ohio (two dailies), and single daily newspaper groups in Lafayette, La.; Salisbury, Md.; and St. George, Utah.
In announcing the offer, Douglas H. McCorkindale, president and chief executive officer of Gannett, said, “We are extremely pleased that these Thomson properties will become part of Gannett. Thomson’s publications provide a significant opportunity to expand and strengthen our operations in several locations throughout the country.”
Closing is expected to occur in the third quarter of 2000, subject to obtaining applicable governmental approvals.
Gannett Co., Inc. is an international news and information company that publishes 74 daily newspapers in the USA, including USA TODAY, the nation’s largest-selling daily newspaper. The company also owns a variety of non-daily publications and USA WEEKEND, a weekly newspaper magazine. Newsquest plc, a wholly owned Gannett subsidiary acquired in mid-1999, is one of the largest regional newspaper publishers in England with a portfolio of more than 180 titles. Its publications include 11 daily newspapers with a combined circulation of approximately 450,000. Newsquest also publishes a variety of non-daily publications, including Berrow’s Worcester Journal, the oldest continuously published newspaper in the world. On June 5, Gannett acquired Newscom, the eighth largest regional newspaper publisher in England with 99 publications including 4 dailies. Gannett also operates 22 television stations and is an Internet leader with sites sponsored by most of its TV stations and newspapers including USATODAY.com, one of the most popular news sites on the Web.