Gannett Acquires HighSchoolSports.Net and Schedule Star
McLEAN, VA and BRIDGEPORT, OH – Gannett has acquired a controlling interest in Schedule Star LLC, which operates the popular HighSchoolSports.net and the Schedule Star solution for local athletic directors, the two companies said today. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
HighSchoolSports.net is the leader in the increasingly competitive world of online high school sports, with more unique visitors than any other site, according to Nielsen//NetRatings’ NetView.
Schedule Star is the #1 scheduling solution for high school athletic directors, and is the engine that dynamically drives the HighSchoolSports.net network. It accurately generates and updates school’s schedules, scores, stats, and game directions, and it can even alert parents and fans to game changes or cancellations.
“HighSchoolSports.net’s network of thousands of high school sites – in communities of all sizes – is an unmatched experience for users as well as a national and hyper-local platform for advertisers,” said Jack Williams, president of Gannett Digital. “When partnered with Gannett’s local newspapers, television stations and Web sites, HighSchoolSports.net will offer national and local advertisers an exciting, best-of-class vehicle to reach teens and parents.”
“High school sports are a timeless and powerful part of every community across the country,” said Adolph Santorine, president of Schedule Star LLC. “HighSchoolSports.net connects with and brings that sense of community home. And unlike other Web sites, HighSchoolSports.net covers every school, every team, and every level of play from middle school to varsity. No other site can provide the depth and range of experience we do every day, every season. Our motto – ‘My School. My Teams. Our World’ – captures our vision.”
HighSchoolSports.net has built an online place for users that is meaningful, engaging and quite familiar, the companies said. The Bleachers provides photos and videos; daily messages are posted on The Chalkboard; school news from the region is available in the Press Box; My Locker is a place to shop for custom gear.
Schedule Star LLC
Schedule Star was founded in 1964 by A.W. “Sonny” Santorine as a publisher of innovative athletic scheduling books, forming the basis of a cutting-edge software package, and now a Web 2.0 internet application. More than half the country’s athletic directors count on Schedule Star every day to organize, manage and maintain their office and communicate with their students and parents.
Gannett Co., Inc.
Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) is a leading international news and information company that publishes 85 daily newspapers in the USA, including USA TODAY, the nation’s largest-selling daily newspaper. The company also owns nearly 1,000 non-daily publications in the USA and USA WEEKEND, a weekly newspaper magazine. Gannett subsidiary Newsquest is the United Kingdom’s second largest regional newspaper company. Newsquest publishes nearly 300 titles, including 18 daily newspapers, and a network of prize-winning Web sites. Gannett also operates 23 television stations in the United States and is an Internet leader with sites sponsored by its TV stations and newspapers including USATODAY.com, one of the most popular news sites on the Web.
Media inquiries, contact:
Tara Connell
Vice President of Corporate Communications
(703) 854-6049
tjconnel@gannett.com