The business of Gannett, cont.

The Business Beat

In prior posts we began to examine Gannett’s business strategy for the upcoming year based on the company brass report to major investment house, Credit Suisse. The 51-minute audio post is pretty boring and filled with enough business jargon to choke any self-respecting journalist.

So, we made a few crib notes to spare you.

We’ve already heard from CEO Craig Dubow and Gannett’s president of its newspaper division, Sue Clark-Johnson.

Here’s a summary from president and CEO of USA Today, Roger Ogden.

* 2007 marks the 25th anniversary of USA Today, the paper has always focused on easy access of news/info for readers, and that will continue

* USA Today dropped 1.3% of circulation last year and continuing drops may be anticipated

* Five percent decrease in page ads in 2006

* Six percent increase in ad rates for 2007 (fewer readers, but more expensive?)

* Fifteen percent loss in auto ads in 2006

* Increased focus on Web in 2007

* Major online redesign scheduled for launch this fiscal quarter

* More user interactivity to be built into online site

* Renewed focus on podcasts and blogs