Primedia continues to spin-off its publishing business, and has agreed to sell its American Baby magazine group to Meredith for $115 million. American Baby magazine, a monthly with a circulation of
two million, has seen its advertising revenues jump 23% through September. Meredith also gets Childbirth and First Year of Life magazines, in addition to the Hispanic titles Espera, Primeros 12 Meses,
and Healthy Kids en Espanol, a trio that reaches 3 million Spanish-language readers a year. American Baby and Healthy Kids also have branded TV products on the FX television network and on the
Internet. Meredith Publishing Group president Steve Lacy says American Baby is a “great fit” into its home and family titles, which include Better Homes and Gardens, Ladies’ Home Journal, Country
Home, Traditional Home, and More. Lacy says it should also help Meredith broaden its demographic to reach younger women and the Hispanic market. Since buying emap usa, Primedia has sold more than $250
million of non-core assets. Primedia CEO Tom Rogers says that after it sold off its Modern Bride Group earlier this year, American Baby had “far less strategic value” to the company. The deal should
close by the end of the year.
In other Primedia news, the company last week tapped Sabrina Weill for the post of Editor-In-Chief of Seventeen magazine. Weill most recently held the title of
Executive Editor at CosmoGIRL!, published by the Hearst Corporation.
