News Releases

DES MOINES, IA AND NEW YORK, NY (August 28, 2006) – Better Homes and Gardens Editor-in-Chief Gayle Butler announced today that Kitty Morgan will be the magazine’s new Executive Editor, effective September 18, 2006. The flagship publication of the Meredith Corporation (NYSE:MDP) with a circulation of 7.6 million and a monthly readership of 40 million, Better Homes and Gardens is one of the most successful and recognizable magazine brands in the world.

Morgan, a 20-year magazine and newspaper industry veteran, has held editorial positions at some of the nation’s leading shelter and lifestyle publications. She is currently the Executive Editor at Oprah Magazine: O At Home.

“Kitty is the perfect Executive Editor for Better Homes and Gardens,” explained Butler. “She has extensive experience writing and editing stories on design, culture, food and travel as well as the exceptional leadership skills necessary to handle a magazine of this size and magnitude.”

“This is a great opportunity,” said Morgan. “I’m honored and thrilled to be named Executive Editor at a magazine that offers inspiration and helpful advice to millions of American women, and I look forward to working with Gayle and her team to elevate our strong commitment to providing service-oriented editorial across multiple media platforms.”

As Executive Editor of Oprah Magazine: O At Home, Morgan conceived and refined the line-up of the quarterly publication and worked directly with both the Editor-in-Chief of Oprah Magazine and the Editor of O At Home to recruit established writers and develop a new network of freelancers. Previously, Morgan was hired by Readers Digest to create Every Day with Rachel Ray, a new food lifestyle magazine that launched in October 2005. Before that, she was the Senior Editor for Departures, a luxury lifestyle and travel publication.

Morgan spent seven years as Editor of Cincinnati Magazine, where she helped transform a sleepy city magazine into a significant regional publication. Under her leadership, the magazine was recognized by many national and regional awards including a nomination for a National Magazine Award for a single-topic issue in 2002, and Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards from the City and Regional Magazine Association in the categories of General Excellence (2002-2004), Excellence in Writing (2003-2004) and Lifestyle Interests (2003-2004).

Morgan started her journalism career at Sunset in 1984 at the Los Angeles office as an Associate Travel Editor. She held a variety of editorial positions including a seven-year stint at The Orange County Register where she worked as a reporter and editor covering everything from breaking news to architecture, to restaurants and travel.

She holds a B.A. degree from University of California, Berkeley. Morgan will be based in Meredith’s Des Moines offices.

About Better Homes and Gardens
Better Homes and Gardens magazine, with a circulation of 7.6 million and a readership of 40 million, is America’s foremost home and family authority dedicated to the most important people and most important place in a person’s life—family and home. Better Homes and Gardens was named # 1 in Adweek’s “The Hit List” for the third year in a row. In 2005, Better Homes and Gardens won the Grand FAME Award by Folio for the Better Home Better Living: Win America’s Home program.

About Meredith Corporation
Meredith (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 features 25 subscription magazines - including Better Homes and Gardens, Family Circle, Ladies' Home Journal, Parents, Child, Fitness, and American Baby - and approximately 200 special interest publications. Meredith owns 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 more than 85 million names, is one of the largest domestic databases among media companies and enables magazine and television advertisers to target marketing campaigns precisely. Additionally, Meredith has an extensive Internet presence that includes 32 Web sites and strategic alliances with leading Internet destinations. Meredith Hispanic Ventures publishes five Spanish-language titles, making Meredith the largest Hispanic publisher in the United States reaching women at every life stage. The Family Circle Cup, America's premier women's professional tennis tournament – owned and operated by Meredith, is held every April in Charleston, South Carolina and has for over three decades continued to showcase the best in women's tennis.

Contact:
Katharine Reitz
212-551-7033
Katharine.Reitz@meredith.com