NEW YORK ‒ For the first time since 1923, Gannett Co., Inc. is changing its name. The media company, whose content reaches one in two Americans daily, is now known as USA TODAY Co.
The announcement was made by USA TODAY Media President Kristin Roberts and Chief Communications and Brand Officer Lark-Marie Antón on the main stage at ADWEEK’s Brandweek 2025 in Atlanta on Nov. 4. Brandweek is a forum where marketing leaders and industry experts discuss timely branding issues and opportunities facing the future of branding.
According to Mike Reed, CEO of USA TODAY Co., the thought process behind the new name began about six months ago as he met with marketing heads who had invested in USA TODAY or were contemplating doing so.
“One thing was very common in that people didn’t really know who Gannett was,” Reed says. “And then I would say, ‘Well, USA TODAY?’ And everybody said, ‘Oh yeah, I know that.’ ”
In addition to the name recognition, Reed believes the change will help signal that the company is transforming into a digital media business, which Antón echoes.
“I think a lot of the time, people still think we’re your hotel newspaper,” she says. “USA TODAY Co. is no longer your hotel newspaper. We are a digital platform. Over 181 million unique visitors come to our sites across the course of a month. We need to tell that story better. And tying our name to USA TODAY really is how we move this company forward.”
“It’s incredibly hard to build a brand,” Reed says. “It takes a lot of time and it costs a lot of money. We already have a brand that everybody knows. And so I thought it just made so much sense to go from Gannett and surface (USA TODAY) to the top.”
Barbara Wall, who serves on the Board of Directors for USA TODAY Co., joined the legal staff at then-Gannett in 1985, three years after Al Neuharth launched USA TODAY as a new national paper. Wall believes USA TODAY’s legacy is innovation.
“When USA TODAY was being considered in the early 1980s, there was no internet,” she recalls. “There were no daily national newspapers. Really, what Al Neuharth thought was that launching a daily national newspaper was a way to capitalize on technological advances in evolving satellite technology.”
Instead of printing at one central site and shipping to multiple locations, USA TODAY was transmitted via satellite to numerous print sites across the country. This allowed the paper to reach homes the following morning. Full-color pages, informative charts and concise articles also set the outlet apart from others.
“That spirit of innovation really hasn’t changed,” Wall continues. “And so I think the renaming of the whole company to USA TODAY is a way of honoring that legacy of innovation.”
Roberts believes the company’s name change reinforces the idea of combining USA TODAY’s innovation with the company’s “incredible storytelling” and service journalism.
“We operate at our best when we are actually flexing that network muscle,” she says, referencing the over 200 newsrooms across the country that comprise the USA TODAY Network. “But if you think about any individual story, especially in a moment of breaking news, that network comes to play in force. So the network already exists, and I think what this does is give clarity throughout all of the organization about who we are and what we stand for.”
The change also comes as USA TODAY and the USA TODAY Network prepare for USA 250, coverage of America’s 250th birthday. Roberts teases several series and features, including “Ask a Local” and “Outspoken,” an interview series in which Arizona Republic editor Greg Burton will talk with historians who have covered different aspects of the nation.
“I’m very much focused on the fact that we reach the largest audience in all of America,” Roberts says. “That’s an extraordinary opportunity. It’s an extraordinary responsibility as well.”