U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C.
FORM 5
ANNUAL STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP
( ) Check box if no longer subject to Section 16.
Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instructions 1(b).
( ) Form 3 Holdings Reported
( ) Form 4 Transactions Reported
1. Name and Address of Reporting Person
Mebane, William deB.
Gannett Co., Inc.
1100 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, Virginia 22234
2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
Gannett Co., Inc.
("GCI")
3. IRS or Social Security Number of Reporting Person (Voluntary)
4. Statement for Month/Year
December 31, 1997
5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Year)
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
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Table I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned |
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|
1. Title of Security |2. |3. |4.Securities Acquired (A) |5.Amount of |6.Dir |7.Nature of Indirect |
|Transaction| or Disposed of (D) | Securities |ect | Beneficial Ownership |
|Date |Code| | Beneficially |(D)or | |
| | | | A/| | Owned at |Indir | |
| | | Amount | D | Price | End of Year |ect(I)| |
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
Common Stock |To 10/| | | | |3.686 |I |(1) |
|30/97 | | | | | | | |
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Common Stock |To 09/| | | | |4,284.074 |I |(2) |
|30/97 | | | | | | | |
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Common Stock | | | | | |689.588 |I |(3) |
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|
<CAPTION>
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Table II -- Derivative Securitites Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned |
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|
1.Title of Derivative |2.Con |3. |4. |5.Number of De |6.Date Exer|7.Title and Amount |8.Price|9.Number |10.|11.Nature of|
Security |version |Transaction rivative Secu |cisable and| of Underlying |of Deri|of Deriva |Dir|Indirect |
|or Exer |Date |Code| rities Acqui |Expiration | Securities |vative |tive |ect|Beneficial |
|cise Pr | | | red(A) or Dis |Date(Month/| |Secu |Securities |(D)|Ownership |
|ice of | | | posed of(D) |Day/Year) | |rity |Benefi |or | |
|Deriva | | | |Date |Expir| | |ficially |Ind| |
|tive | | | | A/|Exer-|ation| Title and Number | |Owned at |ire| |
|Secu | | | | D |cisa-|Date | of Shares | |End of |ct | |
|rity | | | Amount | |ble | | | |Year |(I)| |
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
Stock Options/Option Sur|$59.50 |12/09|A |19,000 |A |12/09|12/09|Common Stock|19,000 |0 |19,000 |D | |
render Rights | |/97 | | | |/01 |/07 | | | | | | |
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|
</TABLE>
Explanation of Responses:
(1) Held by the trustee of Multimedia, Inc., 401(k) Plan, Wachovia Bank of
North Carolina.
(2) Held by the trustee of the Company's 401(k) Plan, Boston Safe Deposit and
Trust Company.
(3) Held by the trustee of the Company's Deferred Compensation Plan, The
Northern Trust Company.
(*) The totals in Column 5 of Table I and Column 9 of Table II have been
adjusted to take into account a 2 for 1 stock
split that occurred on October 6,
1997.
SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSON
/s/ William deB. Mebane
