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                     U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                                     FORM 3

            INITIAL STATEMENT OF BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES

    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


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1. Name and Address of Reporting Person*

Ogden                    Roger
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   (Last)               (First)                 (Middle)

Gannett Co., Inc.                  1100 Wilson Boulevard
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                                    (Street)

Arlington                           Virginia                     22234
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   (City)                           (State)                       (Zip)


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2. Date of Event Requiring Statement (Month/Day/Year)


01/01/99
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3. IRS or Social Security Number of Reporting Person (Voluntary)


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4. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol

Gannett Co., Inc.     ("GCI")
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5. Relationship of Reporting Person to Issuer
   (Check all applicable)

   [   ]   Director                             [   ]   10% Owner
   [ X ]   Officer (give title below)           [   ]   Other (specify below)


       Vice President/Gannett Television
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6. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Year)


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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 Beneficially Owned
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3. Ownership Form: 2. Amount of Securities Direct (D) or 1. Title of Security Beneficially Owned Indirect (I) 4. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4) (Instr. 4) (Instr. 5) (Instr.5) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Common Stock 115.7184 I By Trustee (1) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Common Stock 165.959 I By Trustee (2) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ====================================================================================================================================
* If the Form is filed by more than one Reporting Person, see Instruction 5(b)(v) Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly. Page 1 of 2 FORM 3 (continued) Table II -- Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities) ================================================================================
5. Owner- 3. Title and Amount of Securities ship Underlying Derivative Security Form of 2. Date Exercisable (Instr. 4) Derivative and Expiration Date --------------------------------- 4. Conver- Security: (Month/Day/Year) Amount sion or Direct 6. Nature of ---------------------- or Exercise (D) or Indirect Date Expira- Number Price of Indirect Beneficial 1. Title of Derivative Exer- tion of Derivative (I) Ownership Security (Instr. 4) cisable Date Title Shares Security (Instr.5) (Instr. 5) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stock Option 06/23/01 12/10/06 Common Stock 4,600 $48.4375 D - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stock Option 12/09/01 12/09/07 Common Stock 7,600 $59.5000 D - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stock Option 12/08/02 12/08/08 Common Stock 11,560 $65.0000 D - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ====================================================================================================================================
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 /s/Roger Ogden 1/8/99 - --------------------------------------------- ----------------------- **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 procedure. Alternatively, this form is permitted to be submitted to the Commission in electronic format at the option of the reporting person pursuant to Rule 101(b)(4) of Regulation S-T. Page 2 of 2 (122795DTI)