A new Gannett now serves the community

Rick Green is the president and publisher of The Enquirer. You can reach him by email at rgreen@enquirer.com, on Twitter @OhioRAG and by phone at (513) 768-8094.

Close your eyes and ponder the definition of "community."

Perhaps it's your family, church or friends on the cul-de-sac.

It could be work peers, business leaders or buddies at the corner bar.

For some, it's the early morning workout crew at the gym, running trail or bike path.

To others, community aligns around a predawn coffee, a late-night work shift or a midday run to your favorite chili parlor.

However defined, community is the center of our life. It's the place we call home.

That word – "community" – has dominated my thoughts lately, and with good reason.

You may have heard early Monday two separate, publicly traded media companies were born from Gannett, the legacy parent company of Enquirer Media.

One is Tegna, the owner of 46 broadcast TV stations and digital enterprises such as Cars.com.

The second retains both its Gannett name and Wall Street ticker symbol (GCI.) But across The Enquirer operation and around the country Monday, its new moniker is "New Gannett." It's a content powerhouse with unparalleled reach in local communities – such as the Tristate – and nationally, through our flagship USA TODAY.

The Cincinnati Enquirer, The Kentucky Enquirer, Community Press and Recorder newspapers and Cincinnati.com are part of this new Gannett.

Ours is one of 92 markets our company touches in the U.S., delivering content however readers like it – morning edition, smartphone, tablet or desktop. That content is reported, gathered, curated and shared by more than 3,000 journalists nationwide.

Gannett also has more than 150 brands operating in the United Kingdom under the Newsquest name.

Wall Street watchers say this separation of Gannett's publishing operations and related digital assets from its broadcasting and digital ventures potentially unlocks shareholder value. Of course, we'll be keeping a close eye on what unfolds on the trading floor.

But more tangibly, success is measured by our unrelenting commitment to the close-to-home markets we serve – around the corner, in our cul-de-sac, at the local shopping center.

We know readers like you, hundreds of advertisers and countless communities rely heavily on the news coverage we provide and the sales marketing campaigns we produce.

Make no mistake: Our commitment is to your community.

It's been that way since April 10, 1841. Just months from our 175th birthday, The Enquirer is proud to be one of Greater Cincinnati's oldest businesses.

My primary mission as president of Enquirer Media is to position our entire operation for greater and sustained success for decades to come. Nothing motivates me more than driving change that makes a difference.

We must be there when breaking news erupts, such as when the Hopple Street bridge collapsed in January, when a firefighter died in the line of duty in March and when a police officer was fatally ambushed earlier this month. You can count on our reporters, photographers and videographers to provide immediacy, accuracy, depth and perspective.

We must be there when important community challenges surface, such as a regional heroin epidemic and the stinging poverty confronting our children in such places as Millvale.

We must be there to celebrate, to grieve, to hold public officials accountable and to tell stories in new ways without losing credibility or relevance.

We exist to make the communities we love even stronger.

"We inform them, equip them, guide them, in part as an award-winning news organization with deep roots in communities across the nation," says our new CEO, Bob Dickey.

"But (we're also) a modern media company that strives to push the boundaries of what content is, how it's experienced and how it's used."

It was Dickey, a 35-year media industry veteran, who persuaded me in 2004 to swap The Enquirer newsroom for the one he oversaw in Palm Springs, California, when he was publisher of the Desert Sun. He also was a driving reason I returned to Cincinnati in March after the retirement of my predecessor, Margaret Buchanan.

Much change has unfolded over the past 11 years. And that's a good thing. Businesses must transform, innovate and evolve to stay competitive and relevant.

One thing, however, has not changed: We will be there for every community in all of the places that matter, focused on the things readers care about.

I promise to share more as we continue our transformation. In the meantime, thank you for making Enquirer Media part of your life and community.