News Releases
Patti Follo Promoted to Executive Director, Direct Response and Travel Advertising NEW YORK (June 29, 2005) - Meredith Corporation announced today that Peter Gross has been promoted to publisher of Midwest Living magazine, effective immediately. He replaces James Carr, who was recently named publisher of Family Circle magazine. Gross has served as Director of Travel Advertising for Meredith since 2003. Previously, he spent 14 years at The Golf Digest Companies, most recently serving as Vice President, Group Publisher for The Golf World Group. He has also worked for U.S. News & World Report, BusinessWeek, Reader's Digest and the Chicago Tribune during his nearly 30 years in the advertising business. "Peter has demonstrated great skills and leadership in his current role. We believe his experience will help us to continue to grow and build Midwest Living," says Meredith Publishing Group Senior Vice President Michael Brownstein. "The title has had an incredible performance over the past several years with both advertisers and consumers, and we fully expect that Peter will further this success." A graduate of Purdue University, Gross resides in Norwalk, Conn., with his wife, Kathy. They have three grown children. Also, Meredith announced today that Patti Follo has been promoted to Executive Director, Direct Response and Travel Advertising Sales. In her expanded role, Follo will add responsibility for travel advertising to her current duties. Follo joined Meredith in 1980 as an editorial assistant and worked her way through the administrative ranks. She joined the Direct Response ad sales staff in 1990 and held increasingly responsible management positions before being named Executive Director in 2002. "Meredith's Direct Response business has grown dramatically under Patti's leadership, and we look forward to Patti taking our travel advertising to new levels," said Meredith Publishing Group Senior Vice President Tom Harty. Follo is a graduate of Marymount Manhattan College and resides in New York City. About Meredith Corporation Meredith owns or operates 14 television stations including properties in top-25 markets such as Atlanta, Phoenix and Portland and an AM radio station. Meredith has approximately 350 books in print and has established marketing relationships with some of America's leading companies, including The Home Depot, DIRECTV, DaimlerChrysler, Wal-Mart and Carnival Cruise Lines. Meredith's consumer database, which contains approximately 80 million names, is one of the largest domestic database among media companies and enables magazine and television advertisers to target marketing campaigns precisely. Additionally, Meredith has an extensive Internet presence, including 26 Web sites, and strategic alliances with leading Internet destinations.
Meredith Corporation (www.meredith.com) is one of the nation's leading media and marketing companies with businesses centering on magazine and book publishing, television broadcasting, integrated marketing, and interactive media. The Meredith Publishing Group, the country's foremost home and family authority, features 20 magazine brands, including Better Homes and Gardens, Ladies' Home Journal and American Baby, and approximately 150 special interest publications. Additionally, Meredith has announced a definitive asset purchase agreement to acquire Parents, Child, Fitness, Family Circle and Ser Padres magazines from Gruner + Jahr with an anticipated closing date of July 1, 2005. Once completed, Meredith magazines will reach an industry best 135 million American women.