A prospective merger between two media rivals — Tysons-based Gannett Co. Inc. and GateHouse Media LLC — could create the largest newspaper group in the United States by titles owned and by circulation. Terms of the proposed deal have not been disclosed.
The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that GateHouse is in talks to acquire Gannett via a cash-and-stock deal. The combined papers own 265 U.S. daily newspapers with a combined circulation of 8.7 million.
There appear to be few obstacles to the proposed merger, which would combine to own one-sixth of all newspapers in the United States, writes Ken Doctor, president of San Francisco-based Newsonomics. “The next largest circulation is McClatchy, well behind at 1.7 million.”
