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| Founded | 1922; 103 years ago (1922) (as Reader's Digest Association, Inc.) New York City |
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| Founder | DeWitt Wallace Lila Bell Wallace |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Headquarters location | New York City White Plains, New York |
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| Official website | trustedmediabrands |
Trusted Media Brands, Inc. (TMBI), formerly known as theReader's Digest Association, Inc. (RDA), is an Americanmulti-platform media and publishing company that is co-headquartered inNew York City and inWhite Plains, New York.[1][2][3] The company was founded byDeWitt Wallace and his wifeLila Bell Wallace in 1922, launched in New York City with the publication of theReader's Digest magazine.[4][5][6]
The company's brands includeReader's Digest,Taste of Home,The Family Handyman,FailArmy,Birds & Blooms,Reminisce,Country, EnrichU, and others.[7][8][9] At its peak in 1973, the flagship magazine had over 30 million subscribers and was published in 30 countries.[4] As of 2016, its portfolio of brands garners 53 millionunique online visitors and 40 million print readers per month.[10]
Trusted Media Brands, Inc. (TMBI) was founded as Reader's Digest Association, Inc. (RDA) in New York City in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace, a married couple. They self-published the first edition ofReader's Digest in February 1922. To market the magazine, the two useddirect mail marketing and sent 5,000 letters to nurses and school teachers. In 1925, DeWitt Wallace purchased land inWestchester County, New York where he moved the headquarters of RDA. In 1927,Reader's Digest had 30,000 subscribers. In 1939, it reached 3 million, and by 1973, it had 30 million subscribers.[4][5][6]
In 1986, under the new leadership of George Grune, RDA began creating and acquiring new brands as well as publications to diversify its portfolio. Its first special-interest magazine,Travel Holiday, was acquired in 1986 and was followed by the acquisition ofThe Family Handyman in 1987. In 1990, it acquiredAmerican Health. In the same year, the company wentpublic. At the time, it had 7,200 employees in 54 locations throughout the world.[11][12]
In 1991, RDA acquired Joshua Morris Publishing, a children's book publisher and made a move into the children's book industry.
In 2002, RDA purchased Reiman Publications and its 12 magazines for $760 million. The deal gave RDA ownership of magazines includingTaste of Home,Country Woman,Birds & Blooms,Country,Reminisce,Healthy Cooking,Simple & Delicious, andFarm & Ranch Living.[10][13][14][15] In 2005, RDA launchedEvery Day with Rachael Ray and purchasedAllrecipes.com in 2006. Both magazines were sold to theMeredith Corporation in 2011 and 2012 respectively.[16][17]
In March 2007, RDA was purchased by an investment group led byprivate equity firm,Ripplewood Holdings, for $1.6 billion. RDA was made a private company for the first time since 1990.[18][19][20] RDA filed for bankruptcy in 2009 and again in 2012. It emerged from bankruptcy in 2013.[1][20][21] On April 7, 2014, Bonnie Kintzer was appointed president and CEO of RDA; she had previously worked at RDA from 1998 to 2007.[1][22]
One of Kintzer's first major moves was to change the company's name to Trusted Media Brands, Inc. (TMBI) in September 2015. The new name was chosen to encompass all brands under the company's banner rather than justReader's Digest. TMBI has placed renewed focus on a wide variety of media platforms includingdigital content, social media, video, and others. As of 2016, TMBI's portfolio of brands reaches 53 million unique visitors, 40 million print readers, and 40 million social media users per month.[1][3][10] In 2016, TMBI sold its children's publishing operations toReaderlink Distribution Services.[23]
In August 2021, TMBI acquired theviral video licensing companyJukin Media.[24]
Trusted Media Brands manages several media brands both online and in-print.Reader's Digest has been in continuous publication since 1922, publishing true stories, advice, interest stories and humor. The magazine was at one time the largest consumer magazine in the United States.[4][5][6][25]
Taste of Home publishes recipes, tips and stories from home cooks, and produces theFun with Food! andAmerica the Tasty web series.[7][26][27]The Family Handyman publishesDIY,home improvement and home repair advice and how-to guides from experts and professionals.[7][28][29]Birds & Blooms is the largestbirdwatching and gardening magazine in North America, publishing stories on gardening, DIY crafts, environmental management, and information on birds and other backyard animals.[30]
Other magazine brands includeCountry,Country Woman,Simple & Delicious,Reminisce, Prevention,Farm & Ranch Living,EnrichU, LifeRich Publishing, andHaven Home.[1][7][8][9]
(Operations and licenses in 30+ countries)
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40°45′14″N73°58′23″W / 40.753921°N 73.973068°W /40.753921; -73.973068
