Guy P. Gannett (1881–1954) was born in Augusta and became a successful entrepreneur. His early experience included assisting his father in publishing Comfort magazine.
A publishing background
Gannett’s father was a major force in the mail-order and publishing business during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Based in Augusta, Comfort became the first magazine in the United States to exceed one million in circulation.
The publishing operation gained an advantage through a rotary color convertible web-fed press, described as the first of its kind in the country. In 1887, the magazine was also used to advertise a tonic that quickly became commercially successful.
Newspapers and broadcasting
Building on this family experience, Guy Gannett established the Guy Gannett Publishing Company. Its holdings grew to include the Morning Sentinel, Portland Press Herald, Portland Sunday Telegram, Portland Evening Express, and Daily Kennebec Journal.
The company’s interests extended beyond print to WGME television and WGAN radio, connecting its newspaper work with the emerging broadcast media of the twentieth century.
A historic house
Gannett’s father had a house built in Augusta for his son. The property is included in the city’s historic register and can be explored in the Guy Gannett House entry.
“Perhaps the most significant publisher in the history of the Maine press.”Historic significance assessment cited in the source entry