Strong brands will help them thrive

Article Excerpt

Advertisers continue to shift spending to Internet sites and away from newspapers and other print publications. But these three leading publishers are doing a good job adapting their businesses to the Internet, and profiting from it. They own some of the best-known brands in this industry, which gives their online properties instant credibility. Strong web sites also make it easier for them to attract advertisers with custom packages that include a variety of platforms. We feel all three will thrive as they expand their Internet activities. But only two are buys right now. GANNETT CO. INC. $56 (New York symbol GCI; Conservative Growth Portfolio; Shares outstanding: 234.9 million; Market cap: $13.2 billion; WSSF Rating: Above average) publishes 90 daily newspapers in 38 states, including USA Today, the nation’s most widely read newspaper. Other operations include over 1,000 non-daily community newspapers, and 23 TV stations. Gannett also owns 17 daily papers and over 300 non-dailies in the UK. Gannett’s broad array of newspapers gives its…