Shake-Up at Meredith Sees Departure of <em>Ladies Home Journal</em> EIC

The Meredith Corporation has announced the departure of Ladies Home Journal editor-in-chief Diane Salvatore. Salvatore will be replaced by Parents editor Sally Lee, who will also oversee Circle, Fitness, American Baby Group, and Ser Padres. The move appears to be part of a larger re-shuffling at Meredith, something Portfolio attributes to last month's departure of editorial director Mike Lafavore. Other changes include Gayle Butler to Senior Vice President, where in addition to being Editor-in-Chief of Better Homes & Gardens, she will be editorial director of Country Home, Traditional Home and Midwest Living. As well, Dan Hickey moves to Vice President, Digital Content and Jim Blume to Group Editor. Full memo after the jump. Meredith Announces Senior Editorial Appointments Sally Lee, Gayle Butler both named Senior VP/Editorial Directors DES MOINES, Iowa, and NEW YORK, July 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Meredith Corporation (NYSE: MDP) announced today a series of editorial promotions within the Meredith Publishing Group. These promotions, which are effective immediately, include: -- Sally Lee to Senior Vice President, New York Editorial Director, and Editor-in-Chief, Ladies' Home Journal -- Dan Hickey to Vice President, Digital Content -- Gayle Butler to Senior Vice President, Des Moines Editorial Director -- Jim Blume to Group Editor In addition to serving as Editor-in-Chief of Ladies' Home Journal, Sally Lee will be responsible for managing the editorial leadership for Meredith's key New York-based magazine brands. Reporting to Lee will be Linda Fears, Editor-In-Chief of Family Circle; Denise Brodey, Editor-In-Chief of Fitness; Judy Nolte, Editor-In-Chief of the American Baby Group; and Alberto Oliva, Editor-in-Chief of Ser Padres. Additionally, Lee will lead a search for a new editor-in-chief of Parents who will report to her. Lee will report directly to Publishing Group President Jack Griffin "Sally has done a great job overseeing the Parents brand, and has provided strong leadership and guidance for its numerous product extensions," said Griffin. "Parents magazine is coming off a record year in fiscal 2008 and its related activities -- including Parents.com, licensed products, books, and public advocacy programs -- have experienced significant success as well. Additionally, Sally's vision and dedication to editorial excellence will serve Ladies' Home Journal well as we build on its strong heritage." Diane Salvatore, Editor-In-Chief of Ladies' Home Journal, will be leaving Meredith. "We want to thank Diane for her dedication to the magazine and to Meredith, and we wish her well in her future endeavors," said Griffin. In this new role, Dan Hickey will work closely with the editors of Meredith's major print brands on interactive strategies. Reporting to Hickey will be the Editorial Directors in Meredith Interactive including BHG.com; Parents portal; and Women's Lifestyle sites. Hickey will continue to report to Executive Vice President Doug Olson and be based in Des Moines. "Dan has been a strong leader in our digital business since joining Meredith from AOL, and has spearheaded many of our most visible digital efforts, including the highly successful re-launch of BHG.com," said Griffin. Gayle Butler's additional responsibilities as Senior Vice President, Des Moines Editorial Director -- which add oversight of Country Home, Traditional Home and Midwest Living magazines -- acknowledge the strong role she has played in enhancing the vibrancy of the Better Homes and Gardens brand. "Gayle has done a wonderful job since taking the helm at Better Homes and Gardens two years ago, leading a highly successful redesign of our flagship magazine brand," said Griffin. "She has also provided strong oversight as BH&G has expanded across multiple platforms including the soon to be launched line of Better Homes and Gardens home products at Wal-Mart, debuting later this year." Butler will continue to report to Executive Vice President Andy Sareyan. She remains Editor-In-Chief of Better Homes and Gardens. Reporting directly to Butler, Group Editor Jim Blume adds day-to-day oversight of many of Meredith's Des Moines based editorial leadership teams. Reporting to Blume will be Luann Brandsen, Editor-In-Chief of Country Home; Ann Maine, Editor-In-Chief of Traditional Home; Greg Philby, Editor-In-Chief of Midwest Living; and Mark Bequeaith, Meredith Consumer Insights. Blume will continue to lead the Food Editorial Group as well. About Meredith Corporation Meredith Corporation (http://www.meredith.com/) is one of America's premier media and marketing companies. Meredith combines well-known national brands -- including Better Homes and Gardens, Parents, Ladies' Home Journal, Family Circle, American Baby, Fitness and More -- with local television brands in fast growing markets. Meredith is the industry leader in creating content in key consumer interest areas such as home, family, health and wellness and self-development. Meredith then uses multiple distribution platforms -- including print, television, online, mobile and video -- to give consumers content they desire and to deliver the messages of its marketing partners. Additionally, Meredith uses its many assets to create powerful custom marketing solutions for many of the nation's top brands and companies. The goals of these programs are to increase consumer loyalty and produce repeated consumer interaction. In the last two years, Meredith has significantly added to its capabilities in this area through the acquisition of cutting-edge companies in areas such as online, word-of-mouth and database marketing. Meredith employs approximately 3,600 people throughout the United States and its 2007 annual revenues were $1.6 billion.

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Shake-Up at Meredith Sees Departure of Ladies Home Journal EIC

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