EXHIBIT 99.1





                          PRESS RELEASE OF THE COMPANY
                             DATED NOVEMBER 7, 1996



November 7, 1996
         John Lowber (907) 265-5600
         David Morris (907) 227-4919
         Bonnie Bernholz (907) 561-4488

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


                          GCI CLOSES CABLE TRANSACTIONS


         ANCHORAGE,  AK -- General Communication,  Inc. (GCI) announced today it
has closed the purchase and  acquisition  transactions of Prime Cable of Alaska,
Alaska Cablevision and Alaskan Cable Network effective as of October 31, 1996.

         "With the  passage of the  Telecom  Reform  Act,  the time was right to
bring further  benefits of  competition  to the Alaska scene," said John Lowber,
GCI's chief financial  officer.  "We believe this  transaction  will allow us to
offer a broader  package of  services to our  customers  by  providing  GCI with
access to a wired,  local network.  In part, it helps establish GCI as the major
player in competitive, end-to-end telecommunication services in Alaska."

         "We  will  be at  the  forefront  of  offering  one-stop  shopping  for
telecommunications  products throughout the state," Lowber continued.  "Our core
long-distance  business will continue to grow while we add broadband  video.  We
also have begun to test our  wireless  PCS product  that will be  deployed  next
year."

         According to Lowber, GCI shareholders  approved the transactions at its
annual  meeting held on October 17, 1996.  The cable  companies  acquired by GCI
offer  cable  television  service to more than  101,000  subscribers  serving 74
percent of households  throughout  Alaska,  including Kodiak,  Valdez,  Cordova,
Petersburg,   Wrangell,   Kotzebue,  


                                          General Communication, Inc. - Form 8-K
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Nome, Seward, Homer, Fairbanks,  Juneau,  Ketchikan,  Sitka,  Anchorage,  Kenai,
Soldotna and Bethel.

         The final purchase price of the transaction  was $285.7 million,  which
was the  aggregate  value  for all the cable  systems.  The  purchase  price for
Alaskan Cable Network was $70 million ($51 million in cash and 2,923,077  shares
of Class A stock); the price for Alaska Cablevision was $31 million ($21 million
in cash and $10 million in notes  convertible  into 1,538,000  shares of Class A
stock); and, for Prime Cable,  11,800,000 shares of Class A stock and assumption
of Prime's long-term debt.

         Financing for the transactions was obtained through an issuance of 16.3
million  shares of Class A common  stock to the  owners of the cable  properties
(valued at $105.7 million); the sale of 2 million shares of Class A stock to MCI
at $6.50 per share; and $179 million of borrowings under a new $205 million bank
credit facility.

         "In addition to propelling us forward technologically, this transaction
firms up our equity base and will, ultimately, add to our float," added Lowber.

         The final  closing  required  approval of the Alaska  Public  Utilities
Commission  (APUC),  which was granted on September 23, 1996.  The APUC approval
included a few minor conditions  placed on the transfer,  such as continuing the
existing conditions  requiring provision of public access channels and requiring
the cable operations to file annual income and operating statements.

         GCI, an  Alaska-based  and  operated  company,  provides  long-distance
telephone, cable television and data communication services to more than 100,000
customers  throughout  the state.  The company has more than 700  employees  and
combined annualized revenues exceeding $200 million.

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