As the Gannett (NYSE: GCI) had warned investors last month, profits and revenue continued to decline in Q3, but the newspaper publisher can at least say it beat analysts’ estimates. The McLean, VA.-based company posted non-GAAP earnings $0.44, a few points ahead of an analysts consensus of $0.41(via Thomson Reuters).

As for the specifics, net income was $85.1 million, down 46.5 percent from $159 million in Q308, as fell 18.4 percent to $1.3 billion from $1.6 billion, reflecting the ad revenue pains, particularly in classifieds. And while digital revenues gained 84.2 percent to $142 million from last year, though the increase was mostly due to the inclusion of its CareerBuilder investment in the quarter’s results. While the overall boost was due to the jobs site, CareerBuilder’s woes also affected Gannett’s digital side negatively as well. The digital segment’s operating revenues were actually 20 percent lower due to weak recruitment ad spend related to the recession.

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