From a Wall Street Journal story, by Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg, headlined “Magazine Publisher Bonnier Explores Possible Sale of Main Media Unit”:
Bonnier Corp., publisher of such magazines as Field & Stream, Saveur and Yachting, has been meeting with bankers to explore its options, including the possible sale of the unit that holds most of its magazines, according to people familiar with the situation. . . .
Bonnier today boasts 24 titles, including 14 that are in print, such as Boating, Sailing World and Outdoor Life. Digital properties include motorcyclistonline.com and islands.com. The company is profitable, the person said.
Bonnier is expected to keep its Working Mother Media division, which includes two diversity consulting businesses, a conference business and a quarterly print publication called Working Mother. Bonnier also owns an events business called Bonnier Events, which is separate from Bonnier Media. It, too, is expected to be kept, the person said. . . .
Bonnier Corp. was formed in 2007 when Bonnier AB, a closely held media company based in Stockholm, acquired a group of 18 magazines from the former Time Inc. and combined it with World Publications, the U.S. consumer magazine group it owned at the time. . . .
Over the last two years, Bonnier has responded to market pressures by reducing the frequency of some of its titles including Popular Science, Saveur and Field & Stream, which have all become quarterly. The move helped slash printing and distribution costs while improving the appearance and feel of each publication.
Bonnier’s decision to explore a potential sale comes at a time when print advertising and newsstand revenue has been declining industrywide, as marketers increasingly focus online. The digital advertising business has also been challenged for many publishers, in large part because big tech companies including Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Facebook Inc. capture so much of new digital ad spending. . . .
The country’s best known magazine publisher, Time Inc., was sold to Meredith Corp. in January 2018 following years of revenue declines. Meredith, in turn, sold three former Time titles including Fortune, Sports Illustrated and Time. Meredith said at the time that the brands didn’t fit into its portfolio, which is largely dominated by such women’s titles as Real Simple, Better Homes & Gardens, and Magnolia Journal.
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