Gannett Co., Inc. history, company profile (overview) and corporate video
Gannett Co., Inc. is a mass media holding company headquartered in Tysons, Virginia, United States. It publishes USA TODAY along with many others local media brands across over 40 U.S. states, and over 120 local media brands in the United Kingdom.
The company’s portfolio includes LocaliQ, a suite of digital business and marketing solutions, and USA TODAY NETWORK Ventures, which is one of the largest media-owned events businesses in the U.S.
HISTORY
Gannett was founded in 1923 by Frank Gannett in Rochester, New York as an outgrowth of a newspaper business he had begun in Elmira, New York in 1906.
In 1979, the company acquired Combined Communications Corp., operator of 17 television stations, as well as an outdoor advertising division. The outdoor advertising division became known as Gannett Outdoor, before being acquired by Outdoor Systems (previously a division of 3M), before the company was sold to Infinity Broadcasting. Infinity Broadcasting later became part of Viacom, and was part of CBS Corporation, until 2014 when CBS Outdoor went independent and became an indempendet company, Outfront Media.
In 2012, Gannett acquired Blinq Media.
In 2013, the company announced plans to acquired Belo Corporation.
In 2014, Gannett announced the acquisition of six stations from London Broadcasting Company, including KCEN-TV (NBC) in Waco-Temple-Bryan, KYTX (CBS) in Tyler-Longview, KIII (ABC) in Corpus Christi, KBMT (ABC/NBC) in Beaumont-Port Arthur, KXVA (FOX) in Abilene-Sweetwater and KIDY (FOX) in San Angelo.
In 2015, Gannett split into two publicly traded companies, Tegna, focusing on broadcasting, and Gannett, focusing on newspapers and publishing.
In 2019, New Media Investment Group, parent of GateHouse Media, announced that it would acquire Gannett. New Media Investment Group is managed and controlled by another private equity firm, Fortress Investment Group, which is owned by Softbank, a Japanese conglomerate. Apollo Global Management funded the acquisition, and Gannett merged with GateHouse Media into a new combined company that assumed the Gannett name.
BRANDS
- USA TODAY Network – one of the largest local-to-national publishing and digital media organizations in the U.S.
- Newsquest Media Group – one of the largest local media groups in the U.K.
- LocaliQ – a suite of marketing automation, campaign management, CRM and insight tools, and other digital business solutions.
Local publications
- The Arizzona Republic;
- northeresey.com;
- The Tennessean;
- Detroit Free Press.
Specialty content
- Reviewed;
- Humankind;
- Problem Solved;
- ENTERTAiN THiS!;
- Golfweek;
- USA Today AD Meter;
- Sports Seriously;
- FTW!.
Events & experiences
- High School Sports Awards USA Today;
- AMERICAN INFLUENCER AWARDS;
- Wine + Food Experience;
- RUGGED MANIAC.
With more than 21,000 employees, Gannett Co., Inc. is considered one of the largest newspaper publishers in the U.S. According to Forbes, it is considered one of the Largest Public Companies in the World.
*Information from Forbes.com, Wikipedia.org, and www.gannett.com.
**Video published on YouTube by “Gannett“