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Robert Dickey Is Gannett’s Outstanding Publisher for 1999

ARLINGTON, Va. – Robert J. Dickey has been selected as Gannett’s outstanding newspaper publisher for 1999, it was announced tonight.

Dickey, president and publisher of The Desert Sun in Palm Springs, Calif., was one of 27 newspaper executives honored at the annual President’s Ring dinner during the Newspaper Management Conference.

Dickey also was named publisher of the year for 1998. He is the first newspaper chief executive to be selected twice.

“Bob’s unprecedented selection is a tribute to his leadership and his ability to achieve on-going results while still focusing on the long-term strategies of the dynamic Coachella Valley market,” said Gary L. Watson, president of the Newspaper Division.

Arnold H. Garson, president and publisher of the Argus Leader, Sioux Falls, S.D., was first runner-up. Victor H. Hussey, retired president and publisher of the Chronicle-Tribune, Marion, Ind., was second runner-up.

Other executives cited as the top performers in a discipline during 1999 included:

· Advertising: Peter W. Ricker, advertising director, The Idaho Statesman, Boise;

· Circulation: Edward E. Graves, vice president/circulation, The Greenville (S.C.) News;

· Finance: Donald A. Lemire, controller, Courier-Post, Cherry Hill, N.J.;

· Human Resources: Timothy C. Regan, vice president/human resources, The News Journal, Wilmington, Del., and human resources director/East Newspaper Group;

· Information Technology: Russell Nicolosi, vice president/information services, Asbury Park (N.J.) Press;

· Market Development: Brian S. Priester, market development director, Argus Leader, Sioux Falls, S.D.;

· News: Mark A. Silverman, publisher & editor, The Detroit News;

· Production: Mark J. Frisby, vice president/production, Asbury Park (NJ) Press and Home News Tribune, East Brunswick, N.J.;

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. 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.