Icon (Close Menu)

Logout

Gannett, Owner of THV, Baxter Bulletin, Splits Publishing, Broadcasting in Two

2 min read

MCLEAN, Va. — Gannett is splitting its broadcast and publishing business in two, joining other major media players in allowing fast growing TV and digital operations to operate more freely.

The media company also announced Tuesday that it would take full ownership of Cars.com for $1.8 billion.

Shares of Gannett surged more than 9 percent in premarket trading, hitting levels not seen since early 2008. In Arkansas, Gannett owns Little Rock CBS affiliate KTHV-TV, Channel 11, and the Baxter Bulletin newspaper in Mountain Home.

The spinoff of the publishing unit follows similar maneuvers by other major operators like Time Warner Inc., News Corp. and the Tribune Co., which completed a split with its division that publishes The Los Angeles Times and other newspapers on Monday.

Last year Gannett acquired Belo Corp. for about $1.5 billion, almost doubling the number of TV stations it controls. Talk of a split was raised almost immediately as the broadcast division’s dominance grew over the publishing wing, something that has happened across the media sector as digital media evolves.

Gannett Co. said Tuesday that the publishing business will basically be debt free once spun off, with the broadcasting and digital businesses holding the existing debt.

Gannett’s broadcasting business now operates 46 television stations. The digital business includes websites such as CareerBuilder and will also now include Cars.com. The publishing company will house USA Today as well as 81 local U.S. daily publications and Newsquest, a regional community news provider in the U.K.

The publishing business will keep the Gannett name, while the broadcasting and digital company has yet to be named. Both companies will remain headquartered in McLean, Virginia. The broadcasting and digital company will trade on the New York Stock Exchange. The publishing business is also expected to trade on the NYSE.

Gracia Martore will serve as CEO of the broadcasting and digital company. Robert J. Dickey, currently president of Gannett’s U.S. Community Publishing division, will become CEO of the publishing company.

If approved by its board, Gannett anticipates distribution of shares of the new entity holding the publishing business to be completed by the middle of next year.

Gannett is buying the 73 percent interest in Classified Ventures LLC, owner of Cars.com that it doesn’t already own. Cars.com lets people compare vehicles online and connects them with sellers and dealers. The web site displays about 4.3 million new and used cars from nearly 20,000 dealers.

Gannett will finance the Cars.com transaction with available cash, approximately $650 million to $675 million in new senior notes and borrowings under its revolving credit agreement. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter.

Gannett’s stock jumped $3.18 to $37.50 before the market opened.

Arkansas Business and Gannett’s THV 11 have a news sharing partnership.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten, broadcast or distributed.)
Send this to a friend