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NEW YORK and DES MOINES, Iowa, Sept. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Meredith Corporation (NYSE:MDP, www.meredith.com) – the leading media and marketing company reaching 175 million American consumers each month with powerhouse national brands – announced today that Steven Grune has been named Vice President of Meredith Brand Licensing, effective immediately. He will report to Meredith Consumer Products President Tom Witschi.
Grune will oversee all of Meredith's licensing activities spanning more than 60 partnerships and 12 Meredith brands, including its flagship line of 3,000 Better Homes & Gardens-branded products at Walmart. His senior leadership team will include Executive Directors Sondra Newkirk, Toye Cody and Kristen Payne.
"Licensing represents an important piece of the Consumer Products portfolio as well as a key strategic piece of the Meredith National Media Group's revenue diversification strategy," said Witschi. "We believe Steve has the ideal background to lead the business at this important juncture as we merge Meredith's current robust licensing portfolio with the Time Inc. brands acquired earlier this year."
Grune is currently VP & Group Publisher of the Meredith Parents Network, a position he has held since 2016. He has held a series of senior brand leadership roles during his 30+ years in the media industry. Grune was the founding publisher of Meredith's Allrecipes magazine, and he also worked at Midwest Living and Better Homes & Gardens in addition to his recent leadership role at Parents. Grune has also held sales leadership positions at brands such as Country Living, Redbook and TV Guide.
"I am delighted to be joining the talented team at Meredith Brand Licensing," said Grune. "Given the strength of our existing relationships and the expansion of our brand portfolio since the Time Inc. acquisition, Meredith is positioned for continued growth in the Brand Licensing business."
Grune, a graduate of Denison University, holds an MBA from Rollins College. He resides in Darien, Connecticut, and will be based in Meredith's New York offices at 225 Liberty Street.
ABOUT MEREDITH CORPORATION
Meredith Corporation (NYSE: MDP; meredith.com) has been committed to service journalism for more than 115 years. Today, Meredith uses multiple distribution platforms - including broadcast television, print, digital, mobile and video - to provide consumers with content they desire and to deliver the messages of its advertising and marketing partners.
Meredith's National Media Group reaches more than 175 million unduplicated American consumers every month, including over 80 percent of U.S. millennial women. Meredith is a leader in creating content across media platforms and life stages in key consumer interest areas such as entertainment, food, lifestyle, parenting and home. Meredith is the No. 1 magazine operator in the U.S., and owner of the largest premium content digital network for American consumers. Meredith's leading national brands include PEOPLE, Better Homes & Gardens, InStyle, Allrecipes, REAL SIMPLE, EatingWell,Shape, Southern Living and Martha Stewart Living. Meredith also features robust brand licensing activities including more than 3,000 SKUs of branded products at 4,000 Walmart stores across the U.S. and at walmart.com. Meredith's National Media Group also includes leading affinity marketer Synapse, and The Foundry, the company's state-of-the-art creative lab and content studio.
Meredith's Local Media Group includes 17 television stations reaching 11 percent of U.S. households. Meredith's portfolio is concentrated in large, fast-growing markets, with seven stations in the nation's Top 25 markets — including Atlanta, Phoenix, St. Louis and Portland — and 13 in the Top 50. Meredith's stations produce more than 700 hours of local news and entertainment content each week, and operate leading local digital destinations. Meredith also owns MNI Targeted Media, which delivers targeted advertising solutions to more than 1,200 clients on a local, regional or national level.
SOURCE Meredith Corporation
