Meredith Corp.'s purchase of most Time Inc. titles -- a deal reportedly being considered, though neither company will confirm discussions -- is analyzed here, in a piece that begins by
comparing the launch of each company's flagship pubs in the same year, 1922: Time versus Fruit, Garden and Home (which two years later became Better Homes and
Gardens).
"From afar, it might appear as though the country bumpkin were about to marry the sophisticated city slicker," writes Keach Hagey. "But while not as much in the limelight as
its New York rivals, Meredith in recent years has evolved into a diversified publishing company, selling interactive marketing, licensing its brands to retailers and steadily expanding its portfolio
to get more scale."
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