U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 3
INITIAL STATEMENT OF BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES
1. Name and Address of Reporting Person
Williams, Karen Hastie
2500 Virginia Avenue, N.W.
Apt. 1404
Washington,, DC 20037
2. Date of Event Requiring Statement (Month/Day/Year)
December 9, 1997
3. IRS or Social Security Number of Reporting Person (Voluntary)
4. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
Gannett Co., Inc.
("GCI")
5. Relationship of Reporting Person to Issuer (Check all applicable)
(X) Director ( ) 10% Owner ( ) Officer (give title below) ( ) Other
(specify below)
6. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Day/Year)
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Table I -- Non-Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned |
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|
1. Title of Security |2. Amount of |3. Ownership |4. Nature of Indirect |
| Securities | Form: | Beneficial Ownership |
| Beneficially | Direct(D) or | |
| Owned | Indirect(I) | |
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|
<S> <C> <C> <C>
Common Stock |0 |D | |
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|
<CAPTION>
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Table II -- Derivative Securitites Beneficially Owned |
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|
1.Title of Derivative |2.Date Exer- |3.Title and Amount | |4. Conver-|5. Owner- |6. Nature of Indirect |
Security | cisable and | of Underlying | |sion or |ship: | Beneficial Ownership |
| Expiration | Securities | |exercise |Form of | |
| Date(Month/ |-----------------------|---------|price of |Deriv- | |
| Day/Year) | |Amount |deri- |ative | |
| Date | Expira- | |or |vative |Security: | |
| Exer- | tion | Title |Number of|Security |Direct(D) or | |
| cisable | Date | |Shares | |Indirect(I) | |
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|
</TABLE>
Explanation of Responses:
SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSON
/s/ Karen Hastie Williams
