Gracia Martore, chief financial officer with Gannett Co. (GCI), said Wednesday that the company's chairman and chief executive, Craig Dubow, is recovering from back surgery.

"Craig is doing well and his recuperation is progressing," said Martore, who is acting chief executive of the newspaper publisher while Dubow is on medical leave. Her comments came on a conference call with analysts following the company's second-quarter earnings release.

Gannett announced last month that Dubow would be taking an extended medical leave, expected to last four months, for a second round of back surgery to treat an undisclosed, spine-related ailment.

The absence came as Gannett faces unprecedented financial pressure amid the recession and the rise of digital media. The company recently unveiled plans to cut 1,400 jobs from its work force of 41,500. The company, which owns more than 80 daily newspapers, including USA Today, had already cut about 10% of its work force last year.

-By Nat Worden, Dow Jones Newswires; (212) 416-2472; nat.worden@dowjones.com