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overview
holdings
landmarks
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landmarks
This chronology is indicative only.
It covers -
Context is provided by the broader communications and
media timeline on this site.
antecedents
1944
Seventeen magazine launched by Annenberg
1952 Chicago magazine launched
1976 junk-bond vendor Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) founded
1977 funds buyout of AJ Industries for US$25m
1977 funds buyout of LR Foster for US$94m
1978 funds buyout of Houidaille Industries for US$380m
1981 funds buyout of Fred Meyer for US$533m
1983 funds US$1.2bn buyout of Union Texas Petroleum
1984 funds buyout of Wometco for US$1.07bn
1985 funds buyout of Storer Communications
for US$2.43bn
1986 funds buyout of Beatrice foods for US$8.7bn
1986 funds buyout of Safeway for US$4.7bn
1986 funds US$4.6bn buyout of Owens-Illinois
1988 funds buyout of Duracell for US$1.8bn
1988 funds buyout of RJR Nabisco for US$31.4bn
1989 RJR Nabisco stake in ESPN sold
beginnings
1989 KKR establishes K-III Communications Corporation
1989 K-III buys technical and trade publisher PRIMEDIA
Business Magazines & Media Corporation
1989 buys Macmillan Book Clubs
1989 buys Intertec Publishing and Newbridge Communications
for US$320m
1990 buys the specialized directories publisher International
Thomson Transport Press from Thomson
1991 controversial media entrepreneur Christopher Whittle
of Whittle Communications and Channel One in-school advertorial
service announces Edison Project- 1,000 new, for-profit
schools at projected cost of US$2.5 billion
1991 Primedia buys Weekly Reader from Weekly Reader
Corp., publisher of periodicals for elementary and secondary
schools
magazines
1991 buys Funk & Wagnalls encyclopedia from Field
Publications
1991 buys Murdoch Magazines,
publisher of New York, Soap Opera Digest, Soap Opera
Weekly, Seventeen, Automobile, New Woman, Premiere
and Daily Racing Form
1991 establishes Primedia Consumer Magazines division
1992 buys educational video distributor Films for the
Humanities & Sciences
1992 KKR buys American Re for US$1.5bn
1993 Primedia buys educational publishers World Almanac
Books and World Almanac Education from United Media Publishing
1993 Whittle reduces scope of Edison Project to managing
20 public schools but is removed by investors
1994 buys US apartment guide publisher Haas Publishing
1994 Whittle Communications collapses, Whittle sells Channel
One to Primedia for US$300m
1995 Primedia buys McMullen & Yee, an automotive-truck
"enthusiast" publisher
1995 buys Bacon's Information directory publisher and
press release services for US$50m
1995 buys PJS Publications, publisher of thirteen special
interest publications
1995 buys Argus Georgia (inc National Real Estate Investor,
Trusts & Estates, Delta Farm Press and American
City & County)
1995 buys Chicago magazine
1995 KKR funds £210m buyout of UK newspaper group
Newsquest (Reed newspapers) from Elsevier
1996 Newsquest sells Doncaster Newspapers to Johnston
for £15m, buys Bury Times and other papers from
Johnston for £5.7m
1996 sells Midlands North titles to Midland Independent
Newspapers for £12m
1996 buys Westminster Press group from Pearson
for £298m
1996 Petersen Publishing acquired by D. Claeys Bahrenburg
and Neal Vitale for US$450m
1996 Primedia buys Cahners Consumer Magazines (inc American
Baby, Modern Bride, Sail, and Power & Motor-yacht)
from Elsevier
internet
1997 renamed as Primedia Inc
1997 Newsquest floated on London Stock Exchange with market
capitalisation of £500m
1997 Petersen Publishing goes public
1998 Emap buys Petersen Publishing
for £1bn
1998 Primedia forms venture capital fund to invest in
e-commerce
1998 buys Cowles Enthusiast and Business Media (25 enthusiast
titles, 11 technical and trade magazines, 15 trade shows)
1998 buys Teen Beat, Teen Beat Allstars, Sixteen,
Sixteen Superstars, Tiger Beat, Superteen and Teen
Machine magazines from Sterling/Macfadden
Teen Network
1998 buys two youth magazines from Laufer Publishing
1998 sells Just CrossStitch and Woodworker's
Journal
1999 sells Supplemental Education Group
1999 Gannett UK buys Newsquest
for £1.057bn
2000 Primedia sells pictorial for $129m to Bisys
2000 launches Gr8ride "most comprehensive online
destination for the hardcore automotive enthusiast"
2000 Liberty Media buys 5% of
Primedia
2000 Primedia buys travel coupon group ExitInfo for US$13.2m
2000 Commonwealth Business Media Inc formed as MBO of
some Primedia transport and arts publications (later buys
Journal of Commerce Group from Pearson-controlled Economist
group)
2001 Primedia buys emap usa (formerly known as Petersen
Publishing) from EMAP for US$515m
2001 Primedia and About, Inc announce US$374m merger -
in move described as "accretive and supercharges
Primedia for growth"
downsizing
2001 Deutsche Bank analyst suggests Primedia's assets
are worth US$3bn with debt of US$2.6bn
2001 Primedia and Steven Brill form Media Central partnership
2001 Brills Content closed
2001 Country Journal closed
2001 sells Bacon's Information group to Observer AB for
US$105
2001 Primedia closes venture capital arm
2002 sells Modern Bride magazine group to Advance
for US$52m
2002 announces launch of Primedia Home Video Label
2002 sells Chicago magazine to Tribune
for US$35m
2002 sells ExitInfo to Trader Publishing for US$24m
2002 sells American Baby Group to Meredith
for US$115m
2003 sells New York magazine to Bruce Wasserstein
consortium
2003 sells Seventeen magazine and Cover Concepts
to Hearst
2005 sells About.com to New York
Times for US$410m
2006 Weider buys Primedia's military
history and American social history magazines and related
sites (incl American History, Civil War Times,
British Heritage and Historynet.com)
2006 Primedia sells Lapidary Journal, Step
by Step Beads, Colored Stone, and related
magazines and events to Interweave Press (Aspire Media)
2006 announces sale of 17 outdoor magazines (inc Guns
& Ammo and Fly Fisherman) to InterMedia
for US$170m
2007 unloads Channel One to Alloy Media & Marketing
for reported US$10m
2007 announces sale of Motor Trend, Hot Rod,
Surfer and 75 other magazines to Source Interlink
for US$1.2bn
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