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U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 4
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP
Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or
Section 30(f) of the Investment Company Act of 1940
[ ] Check this box if no longer subject of Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5
obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b).
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1. Name and Address of Reporting Person*
Mebane William deB.
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(Last) (First) (Middle)
Gannett Co., Inc. 1100 Wilson Boulevard
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(Street)
Arlington Virginia 22234
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(City) (State) (Zip)
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2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
Gannett Co., Inc. ("GCI")
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3. IRS or Social Security Number of Reporting Person (Voluntary)
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4. Statement for Month/Year
December, 1998
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5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Year)
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6. Relationship of Reporting Person to Issuer
(Check all applicable)
[ ] Director [ ] 10% Owner
[ X ] Officer (give title below) [ ] Other (specify below)
Senior Group President/Piedmont Newspaper Group
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7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check applicable line)
[X ] Form filed by one Reporting Person
[ ] Form filed by more than one Reporting Person
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Table I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of,
or Beneficially Owned
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6.
4. 5. Owner-
Securities Acquired (A) or Amount of ship
3. Disposed of (D) Securities Form: 7.
Transaction (Instr. 3, 4 and 5) Beneficially Direct Nature of
2. Code ------------------------------- Owned at End (D) or Indirect
1. Transaction (Instr. 8) (A) of Month Indirect Beneficial
Title of Security Date ------------ Amount or Price (Instr. 3 (I) Ownership
(Instr. 3) (mm/dd/yy) Code V (D) and 4) (Instr.4) (Instr. 4)
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Common Stock 12/23/98 M 8,600 A $33.7500 See Below D
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Common Stock 12/23/98 S 8,600 D $68 See Below D
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Common Stock 12/23/98 M 13,920 A $37.3750 See Below D
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Common Stock 12/23/98 S 13,920 D $68 See Below D
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Common Stock 12/23/98 M 4,750 A $59.50 See Below D
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Common Stock 12/23/98 S 4,750 D $68 3,370 D
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Common Stock To 06/30/98 4,401.7049 I (1)
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Common Stock To 11/30/98 1,141.266 I (2)
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* If the Form is filed by more than one Reporting Person, see Instruction
4(b)(v).
Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially
owned directly or indirectly.
Page 1 of 2
FORM 4 (continued)
Table II -- Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
(e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)
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9. 10.
Number Owner-
of ship
2. Deriv- of
Conver- 5. 7. ative Deriv- 11.
sion Number of Title and Amount Secur- ative Nature
of Derivative 6. of Underlying 8. ities Secur- of
Exer- 4. Securities Date Securities Price Bene- ity: In-
cise 3. Trans- Acquired (A) Exercisable and (Instr. 3 and 4) of ficially Direct direct
Price Trans- action or Disposed Expiration Date ---------------- Deriv- Owned (D) or Bene-
1. of action Code of(D) (Month/Day/Year) Amount ative at End In- ficial
Title of Deriv- Date (Instr. (Instr. 3, ---------------- or Secur- of direct Owner-
Derivative ative (Month/ 8) 4 and 5) Date Expira- Number ity Month (I) ship
Security Secur- Day/ ------ ------------ Exer- tion of (Instr. (Instr. (Instr. (Instr.
(Instr. 3) ity Year) Code V (A) (D) cisable Date Title Shares 5) 4) 4) 4)
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Stock Options $33.7500 12/23/98 M 8,600 02/19/00 02/19/04 Common 8,600 0 6,200 D
Stock
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Stock Options $37.3750 12/23/98 M 13,920 12/10/00 12/10/06 Common 13,920 0 13,920 D
Stock
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Stock Options $59.50 12/23/98 M 4,750 12/09/01 12/09/07 Common 4,750 0 14,250 D
Stock
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Explanation of Responses:
(1) Held by the trustee of the Company's 401(k) Plan, Boston Safe Deposit and
Trust Company
(2) Held by the trustee of the Company's Deferred Compensation Plan, The
Northern Trust Company
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**Signature of Reporting Person Date
** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal
Criminal Violations.
See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed.
If space provided is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedures.
Alternatively, this Form is permitted to be submitted to the
Commission in electronic format at the option of the reporting person
pursuant to ruke 101(b)(4) of Regulatiob S-T.
Page 2 of 2
(122797DTI)