MCLEAN, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) today described the February 7, 2019, meeting where representatives of Gannett, including two of Gannett’s independent directors, and its financial and legal advisors met with MNG Enterprises, Inc..

The objective of the meeting — a meeting Gannett had initially sought two days after receiving MNG's January 14, 2019, unsolicited, public acquisition proposal for the first time — was to give MNG yet another opportunity to answer basic questions about its proposal to acquire Gannett for $12.00 per share in cash, which the Gannett board of directors unanimously rejected on February 4, 2019. Contrary to MNG’s claims, and despite MNG having 15 people in attendance, including financial and legal advisors who could have, but did not, address the issues, the presentation made by R. Joseph Fuchs, executive chairman of MNG, and his management team was deficient:

• MNG described a transaction in which it would invest no new equity, instead relying entirely on debt financing to fund the $1.8 billion implied by its proposal.

• MNG stated that it had neither secured financing for a potential transaction nor even reached out to potential financing sources.

• MNG offered vague assurances that it is not concerned about antitrust regulatory issues or pension liabilities in a potential transaction, but provided no specifics for these claims, and further stated that MNG would expect Gannett shareholders to share meaningfully in these risks, as opposed to signaling a willingness to bear these risks itself.

• MNG framed its proposed transaction as a merger or combination, not the acquisition proposal that MNG had previously put forth.

Despite being afforded every opportunity to provide Gannett with specifics related to these important matters, Mr. Fuchs refused to provide any substantive, actionable evidence of a credible proposal.

J. Jeffry Louis, chairman of the Gannett board of directors, said, “We are disappointed that at the meeting on February 7, MNG again failed to provide substantive answers to the basic questions Gannett has repeatedly raised. Instead, MNG offered vague and generic statements that further confirmed the board’s decision to reject MNG’s proposal.”

MNG delivered notice to Gannett of its intent to nominate six director candidates during a break in the meeting on February 7. All of the individuals it nominated to stand for election to Gannett’s board are affiliated with MNG and/or its majority shareholder Alden Global Capital. Gannett believes MNG’s clearly conflicted nominees are not in a position to fairly, and in a disinterested way, evaluate and advise Gannett shareholders on MNG’s proposed transaction.

At least three of MNG’s candidates may be legally incapable of serving on the Gannett board under applicable antitrust laws, given their roles with MNG, which is a competitor of Gannett. Several other elements of MNG’s notice to Gannett raise additional concerns regarding the credibility of its proposal, including nominating 78-year-old Mr. Fuchs, who exceeds Gannett’s mandatory retirement age applicable to all directors, and MNG’s statement that it reserves the right to substitute director nominees in direct contravention to Gannett’s bylaws.

Mr. Louis continued, “MNG’s credibility was further undermined by its decision to nominate six director candidates, all of whom are affiliated with MNG and/or its majority shareholder Alden Global Capital, to stand for election to Gannett’s board. MNG’s acknowledgement that these nominations are indeed intended to advance its efforts to acquire Gannett further underscores the proposed nominees’ clear and irreconcilable conflicts of interest and inability to satisfy fiduciary responsibilities to all Gannett shareholders.”

Gannett will provide notice of the date of the 2019 annual meeting and the board’s recommended director nominees in the company’s Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders, proxy statement and other materials, including a WHITE proxy card, to be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and mailed to all shareholders eligible to vote at the 2019 annual meeting.

Greenhill & Co., LLC and Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC are acting as financial advisors and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is acting as legal advisor to Gannett.

About Gannett

Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) is an innovative, digitally focused media and marketing solutions company committed to strengthening communities across our network. With an unmatched local-to-national reach, Gannett touches the lives of more than 125 million people monthly with our Pulitzer-Prize winning content, consumer experiences and benefits, and advertiser products and services. Gannett brands include USA TODAY NETWORK with the iconic USA TODAY and more than 100 local media brands, digital marketing services companies ReachLocal, WordStream and SweetIQ, and U.K. media company Newsquest. To connect with us, visit www.gannett.com.