February 2, 2008

Gannett 4th-quarter profit falls 31 percent

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Newspaper publisher and broadcaster Gannett Co Inc (GCI.N) posted a 31 percent decline in quarterly profit on Friday due to lower broadcast and print ad sales and an impairment charge.

Gannett said it faced a "softer" economic environment, echoing the comments of other U.S. newspaper publishers this week.

The USA Today publisher said fourth-quarter net income fell to $245.3 million, or $1.06 per share, from $353.5 million, or $1.51 per share, a year earlier.

Revenue fell 12 percent to $1.9 billion, below the average Wall Street forecast of $1.99 billion, according to Reuters Estimates.

Excluding an impairment charge of 22 cents a share, Gannett's profit was $1.28 per share, narrowly beating the average Wall Street estimate of $1.27.

Newspaper advertising revenue fell 12.2 percent to $1.25 billion. Broadcasting revenue fell 21.7 percent to $212.0 million. Gannett's fiscal fourth quarter consisted of one less week this year than in the year-earlier period.

Advertising revenue at the flagship USA Today fell 16.7 percent.

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