Chronology
This chronology is indicative only. It covers -
- beginnings (1906)
- mergers and macpapers (1970)
- Newquest
- overseas expansion
Context is provided by the broader communications and media timeline on this site.
Beginnings
1906 Frank Gannett and associates buy 50% of Elmira (NY) Gazette
1912 buys Ithaca Journal
1918 merges two Rochester (NY) papers as Rochester Times-Union and forms Empire State Group
1922 Bingham's Courier-Journal launches WHAS Louisville
1923 Gannett buys out associates, forms Gannett Co
1923 buys Elmira Advertiser and Sunday Telegram
1943 Gannett News Service founded as Gannett National Service
1945 Gannett newspapers establish Telephoto Network photo service
1947 company operates 21 newspapers and seven radio stations
1957 death of Frank Gannett
1966 TODAY founded
1967 company goes public
Mergers and Mcpapers
1970 Al Neuharth becomes president
1971 merger with Federated Publications
1971 Gannett buys Honolulu Star-Bulletin
1977 merger with the Speidel Newspaper Group
1979 Neuharth becomes chairman
1979 merger with Combined Communications (billboards, papers, radio, tv), at that time the largest merger in US newspaper industry
1979 Gannett owns 78 daily newspapers in 33 US states and Guam, a national news service, seven television and 14 radio stations, outdoor advertising operations in the US and Canada, 21 weekly newspapers and the Louis Harris & Associates research group
1982 USA TODAY published via satellite
1982 Gannett buys Jackson Clarion-Ledger for US$110m
1985 buys Des Moines Register and papers in Independence, Indianola and Jackson from Cowles
1986 buys Arkansas Gazette (est 1819)
1988 sells Knoxville Journal
1990 buys Great Falls Tribune for US$41m
1991 sells Arkansas Gazette to Wehco Media
1992 sells Phoenix billboard operation to Eller
1993 buys Honolulu Advertiser from Thurston Twigg-Smith for US$250m
1993 sells Honolulu Star-Bulletin to Liberty Newspapers
1995 Gannett buys Multimedia Inc
Newquest
1995 UK newspaper group Newsquest formed from £210m management buyout of Reed newspapers backed by junk-bond specialist KKR
1996 Newsquest sells Doncaster Newspapers to Johnston for £15m
1996 buys Bury Times and other papers from Johnston for £5.7m
1996 sells Midlands North titles to Midland Independent Newspapers for £12m
1996 buys Westminster Press group from Pearson for £298m
1996 Gannett sells outdoor advertising division
1996 Gannett sells Louis Harris and Associates
1996 joins Knight-Ridder and Landmark in InfiNet
1997 sells last five radio stations to Evergreen Media
1997 buys Army Times Publishing Company
1997 sells Niagara Gazette and sister papers to CNHI for US$22m
1997 swaps WLWT-TV Cincinnatti and KOCO-TV Oklahoma City for Hearst's WZZM-TV and WGRZ-TV
1997 buys Asbury Park Press
1997 Newsquest floated on London Stock Exchange with market capitalisation of £500m
1998 buys Contact-a-Car
1998 Gannett buys Maine Broadcasting's WCSH-TV and WLBZ-TV for US$115m
1998 Newsquest buys Kinsman Reed and Review Group (northern England newspapers)
1998 buys London Property Weekly titles
Expansion overseas
1999 Gannett UK buys Newsquest for £1.057bn
1999 buys KXTV10 from Belo
2000 Gannett sells cable division to Cox Communications
2000 buys Newscom, eighth largest UK regional newspaper publisher, for £525m
2000 buys 19 daily newspapers in US from Thomson Newspapers, inc Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum
2000 buys Central Newspapers (Arizona Republic and Indianapolis Star) for US$2.6bn
2000 sells Marin Independent Journal to MediaNews
2001 buys Surrey & Sussex Publishing and Horley Publishing in UK
2001 buys Dimbleby Newspaper Group (9 UK titles) for reported £12m
2002 buys SMG's Herald newspapers (inc Glasgow Herald, Sunday Herald and Evening Times) for £216m
2003 agreement to buy 45 Greater London newspapers (inc Hackney Gazette, Post Newspaper series and Kentish Times series) from INM for £60m, later quashed by UK competition agency
2005 buys Detroit Free Press and Tallahassee Democrat from Knight Ridder
2005 sells Detroit News to MediaNews
2005 Newsquest pays £50.25m for United's Exchange & Mart and Auto Exchange magazine
2006 Gannett buys Tribune's Atlanta television station WATL for US$180m