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For immediate release
4/18/00

Gannett Names Publishers

ARLINGTON, Va. — Three executive appointments were announced today in the Newspaper Division of Gannett Co., Inc.:

– Nancy C. Monaghan has been named president and publisher of The Daily Journal at Vineland, N.J. She previous was president and publisher of The Herald-Dispatch at Huntington, W.Va.

– Leslie J. Hurst succeeds Monaghan in Huntington. She previously was president and publisher of the Hattiesburg (Miss.) American.

– David B. Petty succeeds Hurst in Hattiesburg. He previously was executive editor of The Clarion-Ledger at Jackson, Miss.

“Both Nancy Monaghan and Leslie Hurst have proven records as newspaper executives,” said Gary L. Watson. “Their experience will serve them well as they move into the new assignments.

“David Petty is returning to the American,” Watson said, “where he previously served as a strong publisher.”

Monaghan joined Gannett in 1977 at the Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat & Chronicle, where she served in a variety of editing roles, including managing editor. In 1982, she became one of the original editors at USA TODAY. She served as national editor and later managing editor.

In 1989, Monaghan was named president and publisher of The Public Opinion in Chambersburg, Pa. She joined the Herald-Dispatch in 1996.

Prior to becoming president and publisher in Hattiesburg in 1996, Hurst had served as a marketing executive for several Gannett newspapers. She joined the company in 1987 at the Shreveport (La.) Times. In 1991, she became marketing services director at the Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal. In 1993, she was named market development director at The News-Press in Fort Myers, Fla. Hurst is a graduate of the University of Missouri.

Petty had been in Jackson since 1996. He previously had been executive editor of The News-Star in Monroe, La., and held various newsroom management positions at the Arkansas Gazette in Little Rock. He holds a degree from the University of Arkansas-Little Rock. A successor to Petty will be named shortly.

Gannett Co., Inc. is an international news and information company that publishes 74 daily newspapers in the USA, including USA TODAY, the nation’s largest-selling daily newspaper. The company also owns a variety of non-daily publications and USA WEEKEND, a weekly newspaper magazine. Newsquest plc, a wholly owned Gannett subsidiary acquired in mid-1999, is one of the largest regional newspaper publishers in England with a portfolio of more than 180 titles. Its publications include 11 daily newspapers with a combined circulation of approximately 450,000. Newsquest also publishes a variety of non-daily publications, including Berrow’s Worcester Journal, the oldest continuously published newspaper in the world. Gannett also operates 22 television stations.