Gannett To Stop Using AP Content For The First Time In A Century

(CTN News) – Gannett, publisher of USA Today and the nation’s largest newspaper chain, announced Tuesday that it would stop using AP journalism later this month.

The decision “enables us to further invest in our newsrooms,” Gannett spokeswoman Lark-Marie Anton stated. With more than 200 outlets, the chain represents more newspapers than any other company in the American Press Association.

AP’s stories, videos and images were no longer to be used by Gannett’s editors as a result of a memo from the company’s chief content officer, Kristin Roberts. A copy of the memo, obtained by The Associated Press, was first reported by The New York Times.

Associated Press spokeswoman Lauren Easton expressed shock and disappointment at the discovery of this memo. We have been in communication with Gannett on a regular basis and have had a productive discussion. Gannett has supported the AP for over 100 years, and we remain hopeful that they will continue to do so beyond the end of their membership term at the end of 2024.

It was not possible to obtain information about how much Gannett has been paying to receive AP content from either company.

As AP received nearly all of its revenue from U.S. newspapers in the past, such a decision would have represented a financial earthquake for the cooperative. In spite of the decline of newspapers, AP has diversified its services, with U.S. newspaper fees now representing just over 10% of its revenue.

A new agreement has been signed between Gannett and Reuters regarding the provision of international news in multiple formats, including video.

According to Roberts, the key to the success of this initiative is ensuring that our work reaches as many readers, viewers, and listeners as possible.

By offering its journalism directly to consumers through an advertising-supported website, AP is diversifying its sources of revenue. In addition to providing production services and software to newsrooms around the world, the company also provides production services.

A new e-commerce site, AP Buyline, has been launched by the company Taboola this week that provides consumers with product information and reviews. AP most visible services, such as polling and vote-counting related to the election, and the AP Stylebook,

Which establishes guidelines for journalists and word use, will remain paid for by Gannett.

There is a contract for AP’s content that lasts until 2024, so the reason behind Gannett’s decision to cut things off next week is unclear. Even though Anton said she was not aware of any contract negotiations, there remain the possibility that it may be a negotiating tactic used by AP to reduce its fees.

Gannett has been struggling financially for several years, as has most newspaper companies. As a result of layoffs and attrition, the workforce has shrunk by 47% between 2020 and 2023.

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