Rochester Business Journal

GateHouse Media Inc. reported a smaller second-quarter loss despite revenues continuing to decline.

The Perinton-based publisher registered a net loss of $2.9 million, or 4 cents a share, down from $5.1 million or 8 cents a share a year ago. Total revenues were $128.8 million, down 4.2 percent.

The company logged print revenues of $89 million, down from $95 million in 2011, while circulation and revenues increased slightly.

GateHouse’s operating income for the quarter was $11.5 million, up from $9.9 million a year ago.

“While we saw a softening in the economy during the second quarter that weighed on our results, particularly print advertising, we were pleased with the progress we continue to make on our transformational strategy for our business,” CEO Michael Reed said in a statement. “Digital revenues grew by 32.3 percent in the quarter versus the prior year.”

Reed said digital products extended across web and mobile led to 28 percent growth in average monthly pageviews for the quarter and a 4 percent increase in average unique monthly visitors.

GateHouse is the parent company of Messenger Post newspapers. The company publishes 78 daily publications across 21 states.

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