News Releases
DES MOINES, Iowa, April 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Meredith Corporation (NYSE: MDP), one of America's leading media and marketing companies, announced today that Midwest Living magazine Editor-in-Chief Dan Kaercher is retiring after 35 years of service. Kaercher will be succeeded by current Midwest Living Executive Editor Greg Philby.
"Dan Kaercher has come to symbolize the spirit, heart and soul of Midwesterners and has done a tremendous job building Midwest Living into one of the premier regional brands in the industry," said Meredith Publishing Group President Jack Griffin. "We congratulate him on a distinguished career. We are thrilled that Greg Philby is prepared to succeed Dan. Greg is a terrific editor and a life-long Midwesterner who also has a passion for service journalism and America's heartland."
Born and raised in Nebraska, Kaercher began his career at Meredith in 1972 as a copywriter in the advertising sales promotion department of Better Homes and Gardens magazine. Kaercher served two years as Meredith's employee publications editor before joining the editorial staff of Meredith's Special Interest Publications in 1975. His editorial positions have included: editor of Remodeling Ideas; health and education editor of Better Homes and Gardens; managing editor of WOOD magazine; and involvement in the launches of several other Meredith titles.
Kaercher was Midwest Living's first and only editor-in-chief, launching the title in 1987. Additionally, he is the author of three books -- Best of the Midwest: Rediscovering America's Heartland, Taste of the Midwest, and Parklands of the Midwest. The three books have been adopted into public television series featuring Kaercher. All projects were based on summer road trips Kaercher took across the Midwest, logging more than 30,000 miles in the process.
Philby has been executive editor of Midwest Living for the past five years. He is currently responsible for all story ideas and editorial and design execution. A native of Humboldt, IA and a 1985 graduate of the University of Iowa, Philby joined Meredith's Special Interest Publications in 1989 after spending four years at newspapers in Council Bluffs and the Quad Cities. Starting as a copy editor, he worked his way up the ranks, serving as managing editor of the Special Interest Publications group for four years before joining Midwest Living.
Philby is active in the Des Moines community, serving on the Board of Blank Park Zoo and teaching creative writing at Des Moines Area Community College.
About Midwest Living
Midwest Living magazine (http://www.midwestliving.com/), published by Meredith Corporation (NYSE: MDP), is a regional publication that celebrates the richness of life in the Midwest. Founded in 1987, the magazine is dedicated to providing its readers with a wealth of region-specific information and inspiration, focusing on travel and events, food and dining, and home and garden, as well as other editorial content categories. Midwest Living magazine, which reaches 3.8 million readers, is published bi-monthly and has a rate base of 925,000.
About Meredith Corporation
Meredith (http://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, Fitness, American Baby, and ReadyMade -- and approximately 200 special interest publications. Meredith owns 14 television stations, including properties in top-25 markets such as Atlanta, Phoenix and Portland. 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.
SOURCE: Meredith Corporation
CONTACT: Lisa Bagley, +1-212-551-7189, lisa.bagley@meredith.com, or
Katharine Reitz, +1-212-551-7033, katharine.reitz@meredith.com, both of
Meredith Corporation
Web site: http://www.midwestliving.com/
http://www.meredith.com/