STRONG CLASS DOESN'T TELL EVERYTHING.(financial reports of Dow Jones and Company Inc. and Gannett Company Inc.)

First out of the August statistics starting blocks are Dow Jones and Gannett -- each with slightly different stories to tell about the end of summer. By the numbers:

*Dow Jones & Co. Inc.: Losses in linage in the technology category at its flagship paper offset gains elsewhere, giving the Wall Street Journal a meager 4.7 percent-increase when comparing August 2003 to August 2004.

While classified volume was up 13.3 percent, general linage up 12.2 and financial up 8.9 percent, technology was off 26.4 percent, when comparing the two months.

Volume was also off at the European edition of the Journal -- by 13.5 percent -- and though it grew at the Asian edition of the paper, it was only by two percent. The company's Barron's weekly paper saw volume go down 4.7 percent.

At Dow Jones' community newspaper division -- Ottaway Newspapers Inc. -- volume gains at its non-dailies (of 4.8 percent) -- were offset by losses at its dailies (down 1.9 percent).

*Gannett Co. Inc.: Strong gains in classified ad revenue helped propel the McLean, Va., multimedia company to an 11.9-percent increase in total revenue and a 10.7-percent increase in newspaper ad revenue.

Total revenue for the eighth period, ending Aug. 29, was $575.1 million and newspaper ad revenue was $372.7 million. Broadcast revenue was up 37.5 percent, to $77 million, and the ever-popular "other" category was up 10 percent, to $31.8 million, when comparing Period Eight 2003 to Period Eight 2004.

Newspaper national revenue was up 15.9 percent, to $55.6 million, classified revenue was up 13.8 percent, to $162.4 million, and local revenue was up six percent, to $154.7 million.

Newspaper ad volume was basically flat: the small gain in classified linage (up 1.5 percent) was quashed by losses in both national (down 3.2 percent) and local (down 1.2 percent). Pre-print distribution was up 3.7 percent, to 865.1 million pieces.

Too early to tell what these results mean -- we'll have to wait until next week when a few more companies report.

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