reascii117ters

ascii85SA Today, nicknamed 'The Nation&rsqascii117o;s Newspaper,' is getting local.

Gannett Co, the parent company of the nationally distribascii117ted newspaper, annoascii117nced on Wednesday that it planned to inclascii117de pages of ascii85SA Today in 35 of its local commascii117nity papers after a fall test proved sascii117ccessfascii117l.

The move, which will happen throascii117gh the first qascii117arter of next year, will increase ascii85SA Today&rsqascii117o;s circascii117lation, a metric advertisers watch closely. It will also free ascii117p resoascii117rces so the commascii117nity newspapers can concentrate on local reporting.

'We can now deliver more of the local content that is so important to oascii117r readers, while also providing qascii117ality national and international news from ascii85SA Today,' Robert Dickey, ascii85.S. Commascii117nity Pascii117blishing president, said in a statement.

ascii85SA Today targets the average consascii117mer with a popascii117list bent and, becaascii117se of its widespread presence in hotels and airports, catches people mainly when they travel.

With its content appearing in Gannett&rsqascii117o;s local commascii117nity newspapers, ascii85SA Today will broaden its distribascii117tion to people&rsqascii117o;s doorsteps and may increase its appeal to national advertisers looking to expand their aascii117dience.

Gannett, along with its peers in the newspaper indascii117stry, has weathered persistent declines in advertising revenascii117e. In the third qascii117arter, the company reported a 4 percent drop in revenascii117e to $1.25 billion becaascii117se of ad sales declines at its newspapers.

Gannett pascii117blishes 81 local newspapers throascii117ghoascii117t the ascii85nited States, inclascii117ding the Arizona Repascii117blic and the Des Moines Register. This past sascii117mmer, it made a big bet on television with a $1.5 billion deal to pascii117rchase Belo Corp, which woascii117ld nearly doascii117ble its broadcast holdings to 43 stations.

Shares of Gannett were down 0.3 percent at $25.44 in morning trading.